The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

yes hi i am knew too the forum so i hope do things right .ibought a old gramophone called THE GRAMOPHONE . THE REPRODUCER has no imformation on it where the needle touchs the cylinder it is like a J with a little screw and spring i cleaned the hole where the needle goes can i replace the needle or do i need to buy a reproducer it is a 2=4 minute reproducer thanks for the help

Hello, and welcome to the forum!

If your talking machine plays cylinders, it's not a Gramophone, but probably a Graphophone. If so, it uses a permanent jewel stylus, but you'll need to know which type is missing: a 2 minute or 4 minute stylus. DO NOT USE A STEEL NEEDLE ON CYLINDER RECORDS. Columbia (the marketing company for Graphophones) sold reproducers after 1908 that were indeed meant for either 2 or 4 minute, but by that time Columbia was offering only celluloid cylinders in the standard size. The celluloid cylinders are far more forgiving of that "2 & 4 minute" stylus than are the wax cylinders. Now that these records are over a century old, we collectors like to treat them with care, and the use of styli specifically for EITHER 2 minute OR 4 minute is recommended.

If you can provide the model of you machine, we can offer more specific suggestions. Replacement styli are readily available, but they're expensive enough that you'll want to know exactly what you want before reaching for your wallet. Again, the model of your machine and - better yet - a photo or two of the reproducer would be helpful in making recommendations for you.

Meanwhile, you should check out this website: http://www.antiquephono.org.

One article in particular may be of interest to you; it is here:
http://www.antiquephono.org/basic-antiq ... onal-tips/

Here's another good one:
http://www.antiquephono.org/encounterin ... onographs/

There are over a dozen articles on that website, so I'd better stop now...!

George P.

feedsdeer wrote:yes hi i am knew too the forum so i hope do things right .ibought a old gramophone called THE GRAMOPHONE . THE REPRODUCER has no imformation on it where the needle touchs the cylinder it is like a J with a little screw and spring i cleaned the hole where the needle goes can i replace the needle or do i need to buy a reproducer it is a 2=4 minute reproducer thanks for the help

From your description, it sounds as if you might have a late Columbia cylinder Graphophone, with a 2/4 minute "Lyric" reproducer.

These reproducers were meant to be used on celluloid cylinders, where the size difference of the grooves was not so much of an issue: on wax cylinders, they may cause excessive wear.

Of course, we could get a better idea of your machine and reproducer if you could include some photos…

Bill