The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I tried to to run a search on the site for any info on an internal horn cylinder machine listed as a No. 6. The search function chops off the no. 6. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks,

Joe

There is no Edison No. 6 machine (but there is a VI). You may be looking at a label on the cabinet that sys cabinet no. 6 or something like that. Unfortunately the search function seems to require a minimum of 3 or 4 characters for a search term.

Look for the metal ID plate on your machine to find the correct model number. Failing that, post pictures and we'll help you figure it out.

Sorry, I should have clarified a bit. This is from a local person selling a machine, not me. I've asked for a shot of the data plate but haven't received anything yet. This is the only interior shot I have. She says it is from 1915.

Hi Joe, This appears to be an earlier (per the external speed adjustment) Edison Amberola 30 possibly using a model H reproducer with an adapter for the later Amberola models. The picture is not clear enough to see exactly what is being used for the reproducer setup but that is my guess. The front and top grilles are home made for sure.

Best,
Doug

Thanks Doug, that explains why I couldn't find any pictures of it on the net.

I thought the Amberola 30, 50 and 75 were the later models?

Time to find out about the model H reproducer.

Any value to these Frankenstein machines? (I know, that is a loaded question)

The Amberola 30 was introduced in February 1915, so if yours is indeed from that year it is one of the first.

This appears to be an Amberola 30 with the modifications made for the International Correspondence School (ICS). ICS made language cylinders that played at 90 RPM, not 160, thus the need for the exposed speed control. Some ICS cylinders were 4M wax, so Edison came up with an adapter using a Model H reproducer with a cut down tail and tube to connect it to the Amberola horn. This also means the machine can play any 4M wax cylinder including the regular wax Amberols. You can also easily swap in a Diamond B reproducer to play 4M celluloid cylinders with more volume.

As noted, the 2 grills are not original, but you should be able to replace them for $100 or so.

Be sure to get pictures of the cabinet too, as the 30 is very prone to veneer damage and peeling, especially on the top.

On many of the early machines in the Amberola 30/50/75 series, the ID tag is just behind the grill on the right (crank side) inside. Jerry

52089 wrote:This appears to be an Amberola 30 with the modifications made for the International Correspondence School (ICS). ICS made language cylinders that played at 90 RPM, not 160, thus the need for the exposed speed control. Some ICS cylinders were 4M wax, so Edison came up with an adapter using a Model H reproducer with a cut down tail and tube to connect it to the Amberola horn. This also means the machine can play any 4M wax cylinder including the regular wax Amberols. You can also easily swap in a Diamond B reproducer to play 4M celluloid cylinders with more volume.

As noted, the 2 grills are not original, but you should be able to replace them for $100 or so.

Be sure to get pictures of the cabinet too, as the 30 is very prone to veneer damage and peeling, especially on the top.

Wow. Was the ICS modification something Edison did at the factory? How would you know where to set the speed control?

The 30s are pretty common from what I've read. What about the ICS modded machines?

Thanks guys.

BwanaJoe wrote:

52089 wrote:This appears to be an Amberola 30 with the modifications made for the International Correspondence School (ICS). ICS made language cylinders that played at 90 RPM, not 160, thus the need for the exposed speed control. Some ICS cylinders were 4M wax, so Edison came up with an adapter using a Model H reproducer with a cut down tail and tube to connect it to the Amberola horn. This also means the machine can play any 4M wax cylinder including the regular wax Amberols. You can also easily swap in a Diamond B reproducer to play 4M celluloid cylinders with more volume.

As noted, the 2 grills are not original, but you should be able to replace them for $100 or so.

Be sure to get pictures of the cabinet too, as the 30 is very prone to veneer damage and peeling, especially on the top.

Wow. Was the ICS modification something Edison did at the factory? How would you know where to set the speed control?

The 30s are pretty common from what I've read. What about the ICS modded machines?

Thanks guys.

For the purpose of speech reproduction, you could just set the speed to achieve natural sounding speech from the recorded cylinder, no need for absolute accuracy.