Bought 78s and played VV-50 for first time

[jboger]

Some of you may be aware that I bought a VV-50 with a broken mainspring otherwise all intact. Well, I cleaned up the motor and replaced the mainspring, fixed the governor, had one needle, and was ready to go!. Only problem was, I hadn't any 78s. Today I solved that problem as a local so-called estate sale was auctioning off the contents of a house. I lost count of how many I bought somewhere around 200. I think it's safe to say I have about 225 78 rpms, almost all 10 inch with a few, very few 12 inch disks included. I got them all for $15, which seems to me a good price. I bid against no one. I could have had them for $10, but let's we not be greedy.

Only one needle so I only played one disk: Mel Blanc singing in the voice of Yosemite Sam how he's not such a bad guy. The VV-50 played loud and clear, I am happy to report.

I have labels that I never heard of, plus others that I have, such a RCA Victor, Victor, Capitol, Columbia, Okeh, and Oriole. Plus others that I never heard of: National, Pathé, Brunswick, Regal, Silvertone, King, Bell, Lincoln, and a few others. About 20 or so are one-sided recordings, mostly Victors. I'm guessing these are earlier ones?

One has the Victor dog on it, but has a Monarch Record label on it. It's entitled Custer's Last Charge and was performed by Sousa's Band. It's number 1192. Another on-sided disk has an Oxford label on it (another I don't recognize). The label says it was "Disk Recorded." The title is "Uncle Josh as the Chinese Laundry / Yankee Dialect Story". Almost afraid to listen to that one. And I have another Yankee dialect Story called "Sunday School Picnic at Pun'kin Center.

Anyone care to direct me to a resource where I can find out more about these labels, titles, and when they were recorded? I suppose I can google them. And the sleeves that these records came in are beyond saving. Is it possible to buy new sleeves?

[barnettrp21122]

I'm glad you have your first machine up and running! Nice job getting the records too!
I get my replacement paper sleeves from Bags Unlimited. They're sturdy and not very expensive: The link:

https://www.bagsunlimited.com/c-164-paper-sleeves.aspx

You can spend hours researching your records. Browsing this forum will be a good start!
Bob

[alang]

Congratulations to your first disc purchase. That's how I started, buy box lots cheap and find out what I like and what not. A good source to look up recording dates is here http://www.78discography.com/.

Enjoy!
Andreas

[pictureroll]

The next things for you to do is buy some needles, medium or soft,look on Ebay.

Cheers
Jerry

[Victrolacollector]

Congratulations!!!!!

Just get some new steel needles. They come in soft, medium and loud tone.

The VV-50 is a great Victrola. You can really get good results from this simple but robust machine. The sound is great, and so are the mechanics. Plus it is portable and can be easily stored or displayed.

All the best,

Jerry

[VintageTechnologies]

You sure found a wide variety of recordings from one place. Some are quite early and desirable, such as the Victor Monarch and Oxfords. Victor made one-sided black label records until 1908. The Victor Red Seal one-sided records were made until 1922.

I also have a VV-50, in oak. They are neat machines. You should have the rubber gaskets and ring of the reproducer replaced, because they are probably hard as rock by now. That will save wear to the records and obtain a much better sound.

[jboger]

Thanks to everyone for their replies. So far I've been engaged in fixing the machines I have, that is until yesterday when I bought the records. I've wondered, if one is putting a machine back in running order, are there certain things one should routinely do? I think the answer is yes, for example, replace the rubber gaskets on the sound box. I will buy the repair kit. I had read somewhere that the VV-50 orginally came with a No. 2 reproducer, which is what is on my machine. I suspect it is original and has had nothing done to it for a good many years.

As for record sleeves, that looks like a good source for them, but I don't think I will buy the cardboard box to hold them. That seems expensive at $22. I will check out a Walmart or a Target. I believe they have plastic storage boxes that should do the trick. The database for all those labels is amazing. I can only imagine the work that has gone into creating it! One of my Uncle Josh records is not listed, so perhaps I can forward that info along.

I got all the records at what's called an estate sale. I was talking to the son of the people who had lived there. He was in his 50s. His father had just gone into a nursing home and the house had been sold. His folks had bought the house back in the 70s and he had grown up there. The décor of the house, the furniture, etc, all was ca. 1970s. I asked the son what happened to the old phonograph as his parents had all these old 78s. He said he and his folks used to play them when he was growing up and he thought that a lot of them came from his grandparents. For some reason I often run into the relatives at these sort of events. Sometimes there's a touch of sadness, other times relief. But almost always an occasion to remember someone. Everyone has a story to tell.

As for the condition of all these records, I don't really know--and won't until I get some needles. I only had one needle and I just threw it out. I didn't want to be tempted to listen to Yosemite Sam sing again about hunting rabbits and squirrels.

[FloridaClay]

You did very, very well with your record purchase.

One note, as you indicate you have some Pathés. Unless the labels look something like this, with "Actuelle" on them, do not play them on your 50. They are vertical cuts and you would damage them.

Oh, and it is a marvelous slippery slope. 78 multiply at night like rabbits.

Clay

[jboger]

The labels on the Pathé are octagonal and I did see the word Aktuelle on them in rather small letters. You've touched on a concern of mine--and my ignorance. Thanks to the forum I am aware now of many things--2=minute, 4-minute, diamond disk, vertical cut--but I haven't sorted it all out yet what I can play safely on the machines I have.

If I have time later today, I will make and post a list of the labels I have. I've looked at the discography website. I have a lot of columbias and deccas that are later issues. There is a Paul whiteman recording, one by Count Basie, and Sidney Bechet. I don't remember on what labels, though. I have some one-sided Vocalions (or something like that). and I have a one-sided 12-incher, a Victor I believe. Oh yes, I did see a few Hawaiian sides. That should be interesting.

[FloridaClay]

You are off to a good start. Everyone has to learn and, for me at least, working on that is part of the enjoyment. I've found the history of the phonograph industry, with all its twists and turns and intrigues, fascinating.

Clay