The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

As many know, the Edison C-1 and C-2 radio phonographs of 1928 could play needle-cut records as well as Edison DD's if you removed the needle. The pickup had a diamond stylus off to the side that would play Edison's hill and dale diamond discs electrically. If you got one of those pickups and put it on the C-4 tone arm, could you play diamond discs? I just talked to a radio tube seller that said he heard a C-4 Edison playing DDs. When I told him it was a C-2 that he heard, he insisted that is was a C-4.

From an electronic standpoint, yes. The pickup electrics are pretty much the same. I would use the whole arm though, and save the C-4 arm as backup, for authenticity.

Marc

Yes you could use a C-2 pickup on the C-4, but you will need to use the whole arm assembly from the C-2. The pickups
are completely different in their mounting on the tonearm. Volume will be a bit lower as the impedance of the C-2 pickup
doesn't match the input transformer of the C-4.

Unless you get lucky a good C-2 pickup and arm will set you back a few hundred dollars.

This is the pickup from my C-1, it rotates 90 degrees on the arm to change needles:


This odd stylus is used for playing DD's on a lateral pickup:


No idea where it came from, or who made it.

Chuck