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I'm planning on buying an Opera in the very near future (hence my phono garage sale ) and was wondering if any current (or former) Opera owners could give me some tips on what to look for in a good machine. Obviously this is a major investment (for me, at least) and I want to be sure I'm not overlooking anything. Are there parts that are commonly missing or damaged that I should look out for, etc. Thanks!

HisMastersVoice wrote:I'm planning on buying an Opera in the very near future (hence my phono garage sale ) and was wondering if any current (or former) Opera owners could give me some tips on what to look for in a good machine. Obviously this is a major investment (for me, at least) and I want to be sure I'm not overlooking anything. Are there parts that are commonly missing or damaged that I should look out for, etc. Thanks!

Brandon,
Reproducers add a lot to the price? Are you looking for a Opera or Concert?

Hi HMV,
Two parts that are often missing from Edison Operas are the automatic stop and the record dusting brush. See the pictures. If missing these pieces can be hard to find and costly. I had to buy the record dusting brush for my Opera and it cost me $100. An automatic stop could cost $ 200 or more. Also pay attention to the reproducer. The Diamond A is for playing the Blue Amberols. The L reproducer was designed to play the four minute wax Amberols but will also play the Blue Amberols.
Pete

flashpanblue wrote:Hi HMV,
Two parts that are often missing from Edison Operas are the automatic stop and the record dusting brush. See the pictures. If missing these pieces can be hard to find and costly. I had to buy the record dusting brush for my Opera and it cost me $100. An automatic stop could cost $ 200 or more. Also pay attention to the reproducer. The Diamond A is for playing the Blue Amberols. The L reproducer was designed to play the four minute wax Amberols but will also play the Blue Amberols.
Pete

Great info, thanks! I could see the brush going missing, but would have never thought the automatic stop would be something that's commonly missing.

Amberola wrote:

HisMastersVoice wrote:I'm planning on buying an Opera in the very near future (hence my phono garage sale ) and was wondering if any current (or former) Opera owners could give me some tips on what to look for in a good machine. Obviously this is a major investment (for me, at least) and I want to be sure I'm not overlooking anything. Are there parts that are commonly missing or damaged that I should look out for, etc. Thanks!

Brandon,
Reproducers add a lot to the price? Are you looking for a Opera or Concert?

I'd like to find a mahogany Opera, not a Concert. The Concert is too plain looking for me.

HisMastersVoice wrote:I'd like to find a mahogany Opera, not a Concert. The Concert is too plain looking for me.

Just to clarify, the model name "Opera" was renamed to "Concert" due to a copyright conflict with the U-S Talking Machine Co. - it had nothing to do with the cabinet style or type of wood.

While the mahogany cabinet looks more elegant, the oak machine is still a fabulous second choice - my oak Opera is the pride of my collection. I recommend the Diamond "A" reproducer if you plan to play Blue Amberols. Hearing the early direct-recorded Blue Amberols on an Opera is nearly the ultimate acoustic experience - I can barely stand listening to an Amberola 30 by comparison.

I bought my Opera restored. The record-stop bar is a realistic looking replica, but was sadly made about ½" too short! Be aware of that, there could be others out there. I have a brush, but a missing brush would not be too hard to fabricate. My Opera also came with (replica) little brass plugs that fit into the oiling holes to keep dust out - has anyone else ever seen those? They are a nice touch, but I wonder if such things actually existed or whether they were dreamed up by the restorer?

VintageTechnologies wrote:

HisMastersVoice wrote:I'd like to find a mahogany Opera, not a Concert. The Concert is too plain looking for me.

Just to clarify, the model name "Opera" was renamed to "Concert" due to a copyright conflict with the U-S Talking Machine Co. - it had nothing to do with the cabinet style or type of wood.

I understand that it has nothing to do with the type of wood. I guess I am referring to the deletion of the handles on the sides, which I was to understand coincided with the change of the name. Perhaps not. To rephrase, I am looking for an earlier model mahogany Opera. Oak is nice, but if I'm spending that kind of money, I don't want to settle for a second choice.

All good points mentioned so far.

One consideration is whether you want one in excellent original condition, or would be happy with a restored one. In my experience there are more restored examples around than originals, and truly fine originals are particularly hard to find. I hunted at shows and on eBay for a few years for an original in exceptional condition. I saw a surprising number but all were a tad rougher than I wanted. It pays to wait; when I finally found the right one, it was precisely what I'd hoped for. I pounced.

On the restored side, the quality of restoration varies widely. I've seen stunning ones that look factory new. I've also seen some that look like they were restored in a high school shop class, with rattle cans and cheap decal sets.

A long way of saying: set your standards, and then stick to them. You may be lucky and find the ideal machine tomorrow, or it may take a while. But IMHO it's worth the wait.

TinfoilPhono wrote:All good points mentioned so far.

One consideration is whether you want one in excellent original condition, or would be happy with a restored one. In my experience there are more restored examples around than originals, and truly fine originals are particularly hard to find. I hunted at shows and on eBay for a few years for an original in exceptional condition. I saw a surprising number but all were a tad rougher than I wanted. It pays to wait; when I finally found the right one, it was precisely what I'd hoped for. I pounced.

On the restored side, the quality of restoration varies widely. I've seen stunning ones that look factory new. I've also seen some that look like they were restored in a high school shop class, with rattle cans and cheap decal sets.

A long way of saying: set your standards, and then stick to them. You may be lucky and find the ideal machine tomorrow, or it may take a while. But IMHO it's worth the wait.

Good advice, though I'm certainly guilty of "jumping the gun" a lot. I'd prefer one in nice original condition, but would consider a well restored example.

You should pay attention to the presence of a piece of steel wire inside the flywheel of the motor. It should be visible from the outside, and its function is to act as a spring and stabilize the rotation. When I bought mine, the wire was there but not aligned correctly, so the speed was all over the place until I found out about the role of this wire (it is more like a rod, it is quite rigid), put it back in place and the machine has worked fine since.

The other thing I would do is to try out the springs by winding it several times to its end. I had a spring broken shortly after I bought it, I got the replacement from George Volema, but installing it was challenging, to say the least. I think these springs are the most powerful in any phonograph! Another weak point in the Opera motor, which you will not detect unless you have the problem that I had, is that each of its springs hooks to the axis by a pin that is braised to the axle. One of them came loose when I was reinstalling the springs, and I had to braise it back in place.