The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

This is a poll to find out how many Blue Amberols our collectors own.

Sorry, found out poll does not work.

I have about 125 BA's in my collection.

Dunno. I quit counting years ago. Rough guesstimate 1000+

VintageTechnologies wrote:Dunno. I quit counting years ago. Rough guesstimate 1000+

Wow and I thought I had alot! They are great records, one can actually sit down and listen unlike having to get up and change the 2 minutes cylinders.

Probably 1000+ also. To many according to my wife.

Rich Gordon

Zero. Lacking anything that can play cylinders, I've only collected discs by the thousands and thousands.

Way too many, LOL.

I have a confession to make, though... off and on over the last 40 plus years I have made various efforts to "get into" cylinders, but I remain a confirmed disc guy. Am I somehow genetically defective or are there others in the same position?

Cylinder recordings, for whatever reason, are simply not aurally pleasing to me.

gramophone-georg wrote:Way too many, LOL.

I have a confession to make, though... off and on over the last 40 plus years I have made various efforts to "get into" cylinders, but I remain a confirmed disc guy. Am I somehow genetically defective or are there others in the same position?

Cylinder recordings, for whatever reason, are simply not aurally pleasing to me.

You are not alone... I have hundreds of cylinders, but I still prefer disc records. For me, it's the music, not so much the recording quality. I like a few of the late BA's, but don't care to pay a lot for them, when I can find better on discs. I have never thought that it was a good idea for a man who was basically deaf and thought "The Old Oaken Bucket" should be a hit, to be in charge of recording artists and music selections... even though he owned the company, it was an arrogant position to take.

Curt A wrote:

gramophone-georg wrote:Way too many, LOL.

I have a confession to make, though... off and on over the last 40 plus years I have made various efforts to "get into" cylinders, but I remain a confirmed disc guy. Am I somehow genetically defective or are there others in the same position?

Cylinder recordings, for whatever reason, are simply not aurally pleasing to me.

You are not alone... I have hundreds of cylinders, but I still prefer disc records. For me, it's the music, not so much the recording quality. I like a few of the late BA's, but don't care to pay a lot for them, when I can find better on discs. I have never thought that it was a good idea for a man who was basically deaf and thought "The Old Oaken Bucket" should be a hit, to be in charge of recording artists and music selections... even though he owned the company, it was an arrogant position to take.

While your point is well taken, for me it's deeper than that. I can have the exact same selection on BA and DD and the BA version just drives me batty for some reason. It's not the machine, either... this has been with every machine I've ever owned. I've finally gotten myself to the point that I will buy cylinder machine basket cases to restore and flip, which I really enjoy doing. The people that buy them always seem pleased with them but I just can't get into it.

OP, not meaning to hijack your thread. I just wondered if anyone else is as crazy as I am with the playback of cylinders. I can listen to my Berliner all day long and enjoy it- but an Amberola? Ugh.

I am forbidden to play cylinders while any combination of wife and/or daughters are on the premises.