The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

When showing off your machines, which one of your Disc machines gets the most attention from family, friends or others that view your collection?

Edison B-19 Chalet, Diamond Disc, they like the machine and how it can play the thick records with a diamond stylus. My Sister really likes the grille on the front.

This one: http://grammophon-platten.de/e107_plugi ... c.php?9206

In my living room I have ten machines, both table top and floor models. After the Victor, Brunswick and Vitaphone gramophones we arrive at the Edison C150; a humble machine that always gets the most questions.

Strangely - this one the Lumiere 460. It´s not the best sounding one but maybe the weirdest? People want to understand how it works, also they like the looks of it and the deco design.

Probably the Victor VI with a #24-B horn. I did a program at a grade school with eight to ten machines and they loved the little VW bus that drives around and plays an LP record. Jerry Blais

Probably my Credenza. People are always amazed with the high fedility for acoustic amplification.

Best I could do would be to narrow it down to 3, all of which get attention for different reasons:

1. I bought a really ratty Edison C150 Sheraton and had it completely redone, with refinishing the case and replating the nickle bits. I was lucky enough at the time to have a local woodworker who was a real artist and did a fantastic job with the piano-finish mahogany. Visitors inevitably give a WOW when they see it because the case is so stunning.

2. A Triumph Model D with a Music Master cygnet horn; case and horn in oak. People like it because of its "good old days"appearance and phonograph "newbies" are fascinated to see it work.

3. A Victor Credenza, both because the case is really handsome and because of the quality of the sound it puts out.

The above is influenced by the fact that the great majority of my visitors are not knowledgeable collectors and would not be cognizant, for example, that the Edison Amberola 1A is much rarer and more mechanically interesting and far more valuable than the A250 Diamond Disc machine sitting next to it in a similar cabinet.

Clay

For me, it would have to be either one of my "hot-air" machines. People just look puzzled when I place a lit alcohol burner inside the wood case.

Auxetophone, with spear tip horn. Naturally non-collectors have no idea what its significance is but they love the woodwork of the cabinet and the horn. Given its size it is very imposing.