Brunswick phonographs get no respect

[marcapra]

I was just playing my Brunswick Cortez phonograph with a red Columbia reissue of Louis Armstrong's Hot Five with Earl Fatha Hines playing My Monday Date. Even though I was using a medium tone needle, the Cortez was really stunning in sound. My Cortez has a universal motor so no winding involved which is nice if you listen to a lot of records. You don't often hear much praise for Brunswick products, but the Cortez has a huge spruce horn which does a fine job of playing late 20s records like Louis Armstrong and his Hot Five or Hot Seven. I think the main reason for this is few have heard what a Cortez can do. I think it can easily rival the Credenza. I've told this story before but maybe some of you have not heard it. When I start the Cortez's turntable my TV turns off, both picture and sound. When the record ends shutting the motor off, my TV comes back on!!! No other phonograph of mine has ever done that! And no one has ever been able to explain it.

[FellowCollector]

the Cortez has a huge spruce horn which does a fine job of playing late 20s records

I agree. I (and perhaps others here) would enjoy seeing and hearing your Cortez playing if you decide to post a video on YouTube. Here are a couple of videos of my Brunswick Cortez playing:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqhU9TEnAs[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_mFmSsDopM[/youtube]

Doug

[phonogal]

Very nice machine. I like the Brunswicks too. The two I have get played all the time. The motors are extremely quiet. I don't know what type of grease they used on their springs but it must have been good stuff. I wish Mr. Wakeman could get his Brunswick book published. I would certainly buy it.

[FellowCollector]

The motors are extremely quiet. I don't know what type of grease they used on their springs but it must have been good stuff.

My Brunswick Cortez has the quietest motor of any machine in my collection - including my Edison Opera and two Victor Credenzas which both have near silent running motors but not nearly as quiet as the Cortez. I don't believe the type of lubrication used on the Brunswick motors (including the springs) is as much of a factor in their silent, smooth running aspect as it is their superb motor design. If you look at the spring type Brunswick motor itself, at least on the higher end models, it is a thing of beauty IMHO. The higher end Sonora phonographs such as their Invincible model which I have in the collection also has a beautifully designed nickel plated motor that is lovely to look at in motion and extremely quiet running.

[phonomaven]

Thanks for posting those videos FellowCollector. Shouldn't the King Oliver Orch record (1st video) play much faster though? Great sound, enjoyed them both. I'll have to bring my Cortez in from the storage unit before Winter sets in.

p.s. yes, Brunswick motors are hard to beat for long-life and smooth, quiet operation.

[phonogal]

As to why there is not as much collector interest in Brunswicks, I think it is because Brunswick made no outside horn machines. Brunswick came in to the market late but became a major player. I think I read they soon were out selling both Edison and Columbia.

[FellowCollector]

Thanks for posting those videos FellowCollector. Shouldn't the King Oliver Orch record (1st video) play much faster though? Great sound, enjoyed them both.

Thanks. I'm pleased that you enjoyed them. I occasionally receive comments on my YouTube channel regarding the speed at which I play a couple of the records in my videos. One in particular is the video of my 1903 14 inch Victor "Deluxe Special Record" that several viewers have commented was played too slowly. To be honest, I play the records (and music box discs) at a speed that sounds right to me. Occasionally, I may be playing them a bit slower or faster than they were intended to be listened to but at the time it sounded about right to me and so I created the video. I've not yet received any feedback on the King Oliver video regarding speed until yours of today but looking back at the video I recorded of my 14 inch Victor record playing I can tell that it was indeed a bit slow - but by the time I recognized it I didn't have the heart to remove the video and re-post a new one because there had already been thousands of views and many comments on it and removing it would remove all of its supportive history. So, I left the video as is with hopes that most viewers will appreciate the record for what it is and forgive the speed at which I played it.

[jimmantwo]

I have both a Credenza and a Cortez. I think the sound of the Credenza is much more impressive. 'Much' is probably too strong a word. Somewhere between 'more' and 'much more'. However I have them in different rooms and I am sure that makes a difference. The Credenza is in a room with a slate floor and the Cortez is in a carpeted room. The Cortez is a thing of beauty and in my opinion has a much better build quality than the Credenza. It has a less mass produced feel than the Victor machines I have. If I had to keep one or the other it would be the Cortez because of its beauty. I also have a Columbia Viva Tonal 710. I much prefer the sound of the Cortez to the 710. The 710 is not a keeper for me. There isn't much info out there on the Cortez but here is a link to an article:

http://www.capsnews.org/apn2011-2.htm

[phonomaven]

What you say about playing the records at a speed that you find right or enjoyable is completely valid. One thing that does happen at a slower speed is that the solos "relax," the individuality is more apparent, and one can climb inside and enjoy them longer. It offers a different perspective. Thanks again.

Thanks for posting those videos FellowCollector. Shouldn't the King Oliver Orch record (1st video) play much faster though? Great sound, enjoyed them both.

Thanks. I'm pleased that you enjoyed them. I occasionally receive comments on my YouTube channel regarding the speed at which I play a couple of the records in my videos. One in particular is the video of my 1903 14 inch Victor "Deluxe Special Record" that several viewers have commented was played too slowly. To be honest, I play the records (and music box discs) at a speed that sounds right to me. Occasionally, I may be playing them a bit slower or faster than they were intended to be listened to but at the time it sounded about right to me and so I created the video. I've not yet received any feedback on the King Oliver video regarding speed until yours of today but looking back at the video I recorded of my 14 inch Victor record playing I can tell that it was indeed a bit slow - but by the time I recognized it I didn't have the heart to remove the video and re-post a new one because there had already been thousands of supportive comments on the video and removing it would remove the comments with it. So, I left the video as is with hopes that most viewers will appreciate the record for what it is and forgive the speed at which I played it.

[Henry]

The King Oliver number as heard here in playback is in the tonic key of A major (3 sharps)---a most improbable choice for any jazz piece, and especially for one in that era. Raising the turntable speed to bring the tonic up a half step to Bb major (2 flats) puts the number in a typical key for this kind of ensemble, where the main wind instruments (cornet, clarinet, trombone) are all also in Bb. In the case of cornet and clarinet, which are transposing instruments, they are really playing in C major, which sounds Bb major on a Bb instrument. And Bb is the "home" key, as it were, for the trombone as well, although it is not a transposing instrument. The Ted Weems number, as heard here, is in the tonic key of F# (5 sharps)---an even more unlikely key than the Oliver! Better raise it a half step to G (one sharp), which is more likely for a band reading from written arrangements. The piece would also work down a half step to F major.

The prior question to be answered here is whether the turntable is revolving at 78 rpm. If so, and these playback pitches are as heard, then the masters were not recorded at 78.

Certainly you may play a record at whatever speed suits you, but that may not be the correct speed as originally performed and recorded. As a general rule, jazz players improvising in small ensembles preferred keys with flats (major keys of F, Bb, Eb, and Ab, and their relative minors d, g, c, and f, respectively) to keys with sharps. This knowledge may serve as a useful guide to selecting an appropriate playback speed. Of course, you also would need a handy tone generator to ascertain a reference pitch, unless you are blessed/cursed with pitch recognition (so-called "absolute pitch").

The Brunswick Cortez sounds fabulous---thanks for posting!