The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

The two most popular keywind Columbia cylinder machines seem to be the Q and B. Which is your favorite machine and why?

I prefer the B for its two spring motor, the one that I have is the BX with the larger reproducer.

I just got my B (Eagle) last week so a new favorite. My Q well not my favorite due to lack of a cover. I have a cloth covering it and not nice looking. I think too the B is just better all around. I too like the two spring motor.

They are not bad machines and simple to adjust, but I pick the B as my favorite. The 2-spring motor can't be wound while playing, unlike the Q, but it will play 2 records, and winding it ⅔ or so means your not taxing the spring, and you still won't run the risk of slowing down towards the end of the record.

I think a good B is a beautiful little machine. The Q is cute and interesting, but I favor the B, ( Eagle is a cool name, so it has that going for it too). I do have a nice, late Q and a Busy Bee version as well, but I have three B machines, and one is a BXP. Either machine is well worth having and it is nice that they don’t take up much space or cost a fortune. An AB still beats them both in my opinion.

Not too long ago I wandered into a coin shop to price out an original $10 Eagle coin from the approximate same era as the Columbia B Eagle that might have been purchased with it. Luckily you can get a B a lot cheaper now - the coin is worth about $750!

PeterF wrote:Not too long ago I wandered into a coin shop to price out an original $10 Eagle coin from the approximate same era as the Columbia B Eagle that might have been purchased with it. Luckily you can get a B a lot cheaper now - the coin is worth about $750!

I guess that as a pure investment the coin did better than the machine, but the machine plays music and brings joy. I’ll take the Columbia Eagle over the one from the US mint any day.

Django wrote:I think a good B is a beautiful little machine. The Q is cute and interesting, but I favor the B, ( Eagle is a cool name, so it has that going for it too). I do have a nice, late Q and a Busy Bee version as well, but I have three B machines, and one is a BXP. Either machine is well worth having and it is nice that they don’t take up much space or cost a fortune. An AB still beats them both in my opinion.

The AB would be a dream machine for me, always thought about having one, and getting those Vulcan Concert Cylinders, but the AB cost as least 5 times as much as a B Eagle.

I rarely play the Columbia Q's in my collection but I do play my Columbia Eagles (model B's). I prefer them because they not only play a little longer (mine do anyway!) than my Q's but I also appreciate the "look" and design of the gear train and that cute little two spring barrel assembly. They're easy and fun to work on as well. From my perspective, the 1898 nickeled and polished Columbia model B Eagle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TCnRQXV3Nks and the circa 1901 Columbia MacDonald (model AB) which was also nickeled and polished: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5p01PX7a7w are two of the most visually stunning phonographs ever made. I have a great deal of respect for Thomas MacDonald, the chief design engineer at Columbia.

Doug

B of course, because it was first, a great design, and shaped much of the industry for the next decade (especially in Europe).

Sidewinder wrote:B of course, because it was first, a great design, and shaped much of the industry for the next decade (especially in Europe).

^^^ this (but I can only echo the sentiment on this side of the pond).

Fran