The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

So, after I went to the Wayne parking lot meet, I made my way over to the Edison Lab Museum re-opening.

These are from the "phonograph room". Unfortunately, all these pictures were taken from behind glass. It's phono-heaven.

Shall we play identify the machines?

Recording Telegraph


The First Phonograph


that monster is an Edison C-2 Radio / Phonograph


that even bigger wall-sized monster is Edison's Gothic phonograph (too bad it's blurry)


non-original paint job Army / Navy machine


Stroh violins


Kinetophone


Don't know the model, but like the carving


prototype long-play diamond disc automatic changer (it works)


close up of the long-play in the prototype


Edison radio and electric pick-up phonograph


I have the long play machine on the top left


Love this grill


See Edison's Credenza?

This is great! Thanks for the pictures. My brother from VA and I (from TX) had planned on going last summer when we visited parents in NJ but realized the lab was not opened yet. This gives me something to really look forward to for summer 2010!! Steve

Thanks so much for all of these great photos, both parts I and II! I toured the Edison Laboratory back in 1978 or 1979. It was interesting enough to me at the time, but kind of disappointing too. The phonographs were just a few positioned around a room, with no real presentation as we are seeing here, and of course not nearly the variety. Clearly they have done a lot of work to get stuff out and displayed. Never heard about that long play changer! All in all a great little tour that leaves me promising myself to go back again soon.

The 7th pic from top, marked "cylinder recorder", is a Kinetophone (talking pictures) phonograph, with the Higham mechanically-amplified reproducer. Nifty.

Phonophan79 or someone who knows NJ; how far is this from Morristown? I'll be there for business in a week and might try to drive there from Morristown a week from today. Would they be open sundays? Thanks,

I'm a s. nj guy but mapquest says about 20 miles. Please someone correct me if that's incorrect.

Morristown is not too far from West Orange, totally doable if you have a car...

From the website: (http://www.nps.gov/edis/planyourvisit/hours.htm)
Hours of Operation as of October 14, 2009

Laboratory Complex

* Open Wednesday through Sunday.
* Hours are 9:00am - 5:00pm.
* Group Reservations required. Contact the Group Coordinator

Glenmont Estate

* Open Friday through Sunday.
* Grounds are open 11:30am - 5:00pm.
* House tours are from 12:00pm - 4:00pm and begin on the hour.
* Passes for Glenmont must be obtained before going to Glenmont. Passes are obtained at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center.

Thanks for the pictures. Glad to see what they've done with the restoration as it will probably be some time before I can see the lab and grounds in person. Just one correction: The photo that you have labeled as the C-2 radio/phono is actually the C-1. MUCH more rare than the C-2. There are only a handful of C-1s known to exist in complete condition. That long console radio/phono looks like an earlier prototype that never made production. And that LP changer is a surprise, particularly as it is an acoustic player. Fabrizio/Paul have shown a picture of an electrical player version of this changer in one their books, but I didn't know the design was originally done as an acoustic player.

Also worth noting is the Amberola IV on the upper level right of the last photo. There are only about 3 or 4 of those known to exist. I used to have one that I eventually sold to Mike Khanchalian. It's pictured in one of the Fabrizio/Paul books.

phonophan79 wrote:Morristown is not too far from West Orange, totally doable if you have a car...

From the website: (http://www.nps.gov/edis/planyourvisit/hours.htm)
Hours of Operation as of October 14, 2009

Laboratory Complex

* Open Wednesday through Sunday.
* Hours are 9:00am - 5:00pm.
* Group Reservations required. Contact the Group Coordinator

Glenmont Estate

* Open Friday through Sunday.
* Grounds are open 11:30am - 5:00pm.
* House tours are from 12:00pm - 4:00pm and begin on the hour.
* Passes for Glenmont must be obtained before going to Glenmont. Passes are obtained at the Laboratory Complex Visitor Center.

Thanks alot. This was exactly the type of info I was looking for. So you know what I'll be doing next Sunday, laboratories by 9am and Glenmont in the afternoon