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I was reading one of the editions of the Edison Phonograph Monthly (I think it was 1915), and they mention that the EPM would start focusing on Amberol machines. My question is? Did the Edison company actually promote the Amberola machines and Cylinders as superior to the Disc machines?

My instinct is that the company attempted to equate the two technologies in the hope of maintaining sales of their cylinders and cylinder Phonograph models.

Beginning with the December 1915 issue of the EPM, they stopped including information pertaining to the Diamond Disc records and Disc machines in it.

Instead, they began publishing information on the Discs and Disc Phonographs in a separate and new monthly publication named "Edison Diamond Points".

Best,
Fran

It's my opinion and observation that, for a brief time, the Edison company advertised the big Amberola 1-A & B as a "high class" machine for the well to do market. Even with that said, I've seen some very early 1-Bs in the first style Amberola cabinet. The first 1-As were housed in slightly shorter cabinets with single swoop lids. Why would you introduce the upscale 1-B in an obsolete cabinet style? It's like the company knew it was doomed for dismal sales and they didn't want to get stuck with unused cabinets. Even the wonderful Amberola III can be seen as a budget model as well as the Opera/Concert. It makes you wonder if those great big Amberolas were simply a stop gap until the Diamond Disc could be introduced and that introduction took way too long and the machines were too expensive. At that point, the Edison company was in a long slow decline.

Jerry Blais

Jerry B. wrote:It's my opinion and observation that, for a brief time, the Edison company advertised the big Amberola 1-A & B as a "high class" machine for the well to do market. Even with that said, I've seen some very early 1-Bs in the first style Amberola cabinet. The first 1-As were housed in slightly shorter cabinets with single swoop lids. Why would you introduce the upscale 1-B in an obsolete cabinet style? It's like the company knew it was doomed for dismal sales and they didn't want to get stuck with unused cabinets. Even the wonderful Amberola III can be seen as a budget model as well as the Opera/Concert. It makes you wonder if those great big Amberolas were simply a stop gap until the Diamond Disc could be introduced and that introduction took way too long and the machines were too expensive. At that point, the Edison company was in a long slow decline.

Jerry Blais

Very good points...When contrasting other companies, Edison really was a brand of machines for the well to do, especially after 1912. While the Amberola 30 and 50 were low priced, most Edison Disc machines were well above 90.00. The records were not cheap..Victor and Columbia was able to reach across all markets, from their small tabletop models from $15.00 to their more more expensive models in the hundreds to thousands.

If Edison could have produced a small tabletop disc machine in the 20.00 to 30.00 range, they may have done better. I often wonder what Edison would be like today, if they were still in business???

fran604g wrote:My instinct is that the company attempted to equate the two technologies in the hope of maintaining sales of their cylinders and cylinder Phonograph models.

Beginning with the December 1915 issue of the EPM, they stopped including information pertaining to the Diamond Disc records and Disc machines in it.

Instead, they began publishing information on the Discs and Disc Phonographs in a separate and new monthly publication named "Edison Diamond Points".

Best,
Fran

Thank you Fran, I wonder if there are scanned copies of "Edison Diamond Points" available?

Victrolacollector wrote: I often wonder what Edison would be like today, if they were still in business???

They'd probably be like many companies these days- producing hardware and software, with a foot in the entertainment content business.

Victrolacollector wrote:

fran604g wrote:My instinct is that the company attempted to equate the two technologies in the hope of maintaining sales of their cylinders and cylinder Phonograph models.

Beginning with the December 1915 issue of the EPM, they stopped including information pertaining to the Diamond Disc records and Disc machines in it.

Instead, they began publishing information on the Discs and Disc Phonographs in a separate and new monthly publication named "Edison Diamond Points".

Best,
Fran

Thank you Fran, I wonder if there are scanned copies of "Edison Diamond Points" available?

Not that I've found. I've been watching for either originals or PDF scans for over a year.

My hope is that eventually someone will be good enough to digitize the issues and share them in copy form -- like Wendell Moore did with the EPM.

Fran

I'm still waiting for someone to reprint the thin 40 copy pamplets of the EAM (Edison Amberola Monthlys). Wendell Moore made reprints of each one of the pamplets in the Late 1970's - Early 1980's around the same time that he started the EPM book series project. Though he made actual reprints of each one of the EAM pamphlets, He never got the chance to put them into book form. A couple years ago, Croakin Frog on Ebay was selling a full set of these reprints and I won the auction and he sold them to someone else out from under me. I never held it against him, but I never got the Edison Amberola Monthly's either. Mark is a fair guy. I just want to read the damn things..seeing as they contain invaluable info on Edison Amberola machines...but I can't even find any copies today! It would be great if someone would put a book together of the Edison Amberola Monthlys. It would sell like hotcakes in the Edison Phono world. A great opportunity for someone, especially since now the EPM's are now in the public domain and can be had on CD from ebay for less than 10 bucks or for free off of the LOC...Library of Congress. A complete set of Wendell Moore's original EPM books goes for about $450-$500 on ebay...especially if they are signed by Wendell Moore himself. Wendell Moore signed all first 500 set copies. 500x14 books in each set is 7000 set books! Wendell must have gotten Writer's cramp.

Anyway, Back on the subject, Does anyone know of anyone that has a complete set of the Edison Amberola Monthlys ???? I would even take .pdf scans if I couldn't get reprints. They just aren't around today.


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Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer