The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Sorry to ask so many questions. I was given an Amberola VI and don't know much about them. I know that there were 3 or 4 versions of the VI and would like to know what mine is. It is serial #625. I would assume that it would be an A-VI, but with the fire in 1914 and the crossover into numbers instead of roman numerals after the fire, I read that some cabinets were salvaged. Should the ID plate say "A-VI"? Here is a picture of it:



Thanks again for the help!

Your VI looks like a typical VI with the VI mechanism. The cabinets salvaged after the fire were fitted with Amberola 50 (or 30?) mechanisms and are quite unusual. Jerry Blais

Thanks for the info Jerry. So it's safe to say it's the "A" version? I read that the later versions of the VI used the workings from the Fireside. Did the cabinet change at all with the "B" and "C" versions? Also, #625 seems to be a fairly low serial #. Did Edison start his numbering at #1? (Sorry if this is a dumb question, but am just curious as I know that Victrolas start at #500.)

Thanks again!

As far as Im aware, Edison started at No.1. MicaMonsters Amberola A-1 SN:2 is a good example.

Certainly the Amberola 1 started with a SN of 1 or 2 and I know of other very low SNs. I've seen an Amberola V with an SN of 25 or something similarly low so I'm pretty sure that the A VI would have also started at 1.

when they started dropping in Fireside motors I'm pretty sure they just continued with whatever number was on the fireside bedplate so these tend to be much higher numbers.

Nice amberola! Must be hard to be "given" an amberola. Oh woe is thee

I got lucky with this one. I didn't have an Amberola before this, so it's nice to finally own one. The problem is that my wife made a compromise and said due to lack of room, I need to let go of another phonograph. So I chose the XIV mentioned in another thread. I would be happy to trade the XIV for a tonearm and reproducer for an Operaphone if anyone has them!

On my drive to Union a couple of years ago, I bought an Amberola V. It's a BV with serial number 339. The BVs were machines completed after the fire at the Edison plant. They have an Amberola V cabinet and were fitted with Amberola 50 mechanisms. They must have started over with serial numbers with the newer mechanism.

I am really happy with the condition of my VI. However, when I play a cylinder, it sounds like it is echoing. I know there has been discussions about this in the past so I will have to look those up to find a solution. I am waiting on some gaskets and a new diaphragm to finish rebuilding the reproducer. After that, I have to figure out why it echoes. I imagine I need to replace the stylus. We'll see!

The weight on the reproducer should move freely side to side as well as vertically. A Diamond B will echo if that big screw is too tight and the weight can't move side to side. Give that a try. Jerry