The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I'm a newbie to this hobby and I can't wait to get started. What would be a good, early, 78 that I could play on my Vic I? I don't have it yet, but it should be here in the next week or so and I'd like to get a few records for it. What do you like? What's a hard to find record? I love treasure hunts!

Bart, do you plan on using this to listen to music or just to have on display and wind-up for visitors? In either case, it's your taste that counts. What do you like to hear?

Whatever your taste is and especially is it is for demonstration, get the cleanest, clearest sounding records. I have found that it defies the expectations of those who've never heard one. Many expect blaring scratchy sounds that are hard to listen to.

James

One record? And are we to display this to visitors? How about a march like The Stars and Stripes Forever played by Sousa's Band.

Thanks guys, I plan on buying more than one record, haha! I plan on listening to it with my family and guests. I just want to get something that sounds good and brings you back to that time in our country. It can be either an orchestra or country or patriotic, it doesn't matter. Just looking for some ideas.

Hard to go wrong with bands like Sousa's Band, Arthur Pryor's Band, Prince's Band, etc.

In general, you want to stay with records made during the acoustic recording period: 1900-1925.

Victor / Victrola "Arch Label" ( some refer to them as "bat-wings") qualify.

Also Victor "Patent Label".

Early Blue & Gold Label Columbia records with the "Magic Notes" can also be good.

In general, try to look for records that are in sleeves or albums, are bright and shiny, and are free from cracks or chips. If the grooves look dull and grayish, that is a sign of a worn-out record, that should probably be passed-by ( not to be confused with surface dust the blows / wipes-off, revealing a bright, black surface.).

I believe there is a Label Glossary in the Archives dept. of the Forum, which can help you recognize the labels I described above, as well as others of the period.

Good luck and happy hunting !

Welcome to the wonderful world of record collecting!

What sort of music do you like the most? There's ragtime, early jazz, vaudeville sketches, opera, popular songs, marches, dance bands, instrumental solos, tearjerkers, light classics, etc. etc….

One genre you're not likely to find in the acoustic era is the 'heavy' symphonic repertoire: mainly because a.) it really needed a larger orchestra than the recording studios of the time could handle, and b.) most people didn't want to go to the expense of buying a large set of discs for a full symphony….

Your best bet for starting a collection is to hunt around tag sales, flea markets, consignment shops, Craigslist etc. Dig through those boxes and see what you find: as said before, get records in good condition, and if a title or artist strikes your fancy, go for it. Later on, you might focus your interests and check out the online auctions, if there's something you really have to get.

Perhaps you'll find yourself getting curious about other types of records: verticals, cylinders, Diamond Discs… then you'll start looking for another machine…

Yes, we're a bunch of enablers here…

Bill

If you want to keep it truly period-appropriate, look for single-sided records. Many of the single-sided Victor Grand Prize label (circa 1904-1908) can be had at a decent price if you look around. These are the records that would have likely been purchased with or for the machine when it was new.

Bartman wrote:I'm a newbie to this hobby and I can't wait to get started. What would be a good, early, 78 that I could play on my Vic I? I don't have it yet, but it should be here in the next week or so and I'd like to get a few records for it. What do you like? What's a hard to find record? I love treasure hunts!

I'm not a Victor specialist, but if I recall, doesn't the Victor I have a 7" turntable? I think it was intended to play 7" or 8" Victor records. I think the higher models (e.g. Victor II up) were meant for the larger records. You ought to try one 10" record before buying a stack of them to see if the little motor has enough power to play completely through without winding during the song. Also, shiny acoustic records offer less drag to the motor than worn or later date 78s.

As a newbie myself and not having a clue about the music or artists of the period I have found that if you can buy records in lots you get a variety. You can usually get a package deal,keeping the cost down.I have been able to listen to a variety and learn about the time period of the record labels record labels. Oh, and listen to these guys

Happy hunting
Gary

yd328 wrote:As a newbie myself and not having a clue about the music or artists of the period I have found that if you can buy records in lots you get a variety. You can usually get a package deal,keeping the cost down.I have been able to listen to a variety and learn about the time period of the record labels record labels. Oh, and listen to these guys

If you want to learn about correct period music on the cheap, explore YouTube for starters; there are thousands of interesting recordings there. It is a fabulous resource that wasn't available or even remotely dreamed of back when most of us started. I have collected for 48 years now and am still learning about various recording artists every day, thanks to the free resources on the Internet.