The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

When sitting in a car, boat, plane, or train, these door side designations are from the point of view of being in that thing. However if you are talking about other things such such as Victrolas, then I would say the door side designations would be made from perspective of facing that thing. Just as you would for a two door side by side refrigerator.

Do you agree or not that the right door is the door on the right when facing the front of the machine?

Your vote would be helpful. There may be varing opinions.

As a retired auto mechanic we never used those two words right or left - we always stated passenger or drivers side.

Victrola-Monkey wrote:When sitting in a car, boat, plane, or train, these door side designations are from the point of view of being in that thing. However if you are talking about other things such such as Victrolas, then I would say the door side designations would be made from perspective of facing that thing. Just as you would for a two door side by side refrigerator.

Do you agree or not that the right door is the door on the right when facing the front of the machine?

Your vote would be helpful. There may be varing opinions.

Agreed on all points.

briankeith wrote:As a retired auto mechanic we never used those two words right or left - we always stated passenger or drivers side.

Along this line, you could have crank side and other side, unless the machine is electric. I assume that the front of the machine is the surface that we face, so in that way, we are talking about the machine's perspective. In that case, the crank side is the left. This is why in drafting, symbols and visual perspectives are used. Diagrams remove all doubt.

JerryVan wrote:

Victrola-Monkey wrote:When sitting in a car, boat, plane, or train, these door side designations are from the point of view of being in that thing. However if you are talking about other things such such as Victrolas, then I would say the door side designations would be made from perspective of facing that thing. Just as you would for a two door side by side refrigerator.

Do you agree or not that the right door is the door on the right when facing the front of the machine?

Your vote would be helpful. There may be varing opinions.

Agreed on all points.

Ditto Bill K

Thank you all for your opinion. Of the 3 "votes", 2 members say the right or left door designation is from our point of view and one member, with convincing reasoning say it's the opposite and from the victrola's point of view. In searching on Ebay for Victrola right and left doors (and VV-330 key escutcheons), I find the same mix results.

CORRECTION: i believe I misread one reply and therefore in the above there was only two actual votes and now with Brandon's reply that's unanimous, it's from the perspective of our view. Whew, some things still make sense.

For something that is stationary and viewed from the front, left and right are as observed from looking head on. On a Victrola, the crank is on the right side.

I was going to say it's easy to tell the left door from the right door because they are opposite each other, but I won't say that.

If you are in a kitchen and you want somebody to get something for you, you would tell them to go to the cabinet on the right and they would go to the cabinet that they are facing on the right side of them. Vessels, ships, and cars have a different way of distinguishing the sides, drivers side, passenger side, port ( left) , and, starboard ( right). Tom B

Victrola-Monkey wrote:Thank you all for your opinion. Of the 3 "votes", 2 members say the right or left door designation is from our point of view and one member, with convincing reasoning say it's the opposite and from the victrola's point of view.

The Victrola's point of view is rarely, if ever, considered in this community. Finally, someone has the courage to stand up and speak out!
Bill