The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

If you are a condition collector this Edison Standard B is worth your consideration. It is one of the nicest Standards I have seen. The machine plays for a long time. The paint and striping are excellent. Everything is original to the machine with the exception of new rubber feet under the cabinet. It is serial number 496494.

There are a couple of mysteries regarding this machine. Firstly, the thumb screw holding the C reproducer is on the left side. Why? I have never noticed one on the left before. Have others? The other mystery is the gear on the left side of the feed screw. It has a brass ??? that is attached with rivets. It was defiantly connected by a home mechanic. The brass piece is hidden by the gear cover. My first thought was that the gear became separated from the feed screw shaft but that was not the case. Next I wondered if the gear was cracked and this was a home repair. Inspection proved this false. Finally I wondered if a home mechanic thought he could modify his Standard to play four minute cylinders. Perhaps he started this modification and abandoned the effort. What do others think?

This Standard is in really nice shape and plays perfectly as well as having an interesting history. I doubt if it was used much past the introduction of four minute cylinders. Free delivery to Union or APS or shipping & packing at cost. To avoid confusion it goes to the first party to reply "SOLD!" in a reply or PM. Questions gladly answered but that does not imply the machine is on hold.

Jerry Blais

Very nice Edison Standard B. I have never seen one with the reproducer set screw on the left. I would think this should sell pretty fast.
Ken

Out of curiosity, I see a milled slot in the top plate beneath the gear. Is there anything that indicates something was mounted underneath that would've mated up with the spurs on that brass piece? Curious.

Fran

Out of curiosity, I see a milled slot in the top plate beneath the gear. Is there anything that indicates something was mounted underneath that would've mated up with the spurs on that brass piece? Curious.

Fran

I assumed that cut was intended for a larger gear. I see no indication that the modification went any farther. Thankfully that cut is hidden by the gear cover. Jerry

I've got an equally nice D model with the early style cygnet setting next to me in my office right now. I guess i got it from you a couple years ago now Jerry!

Hmm. There's certainly a story behind this! The gear train modifications kind of say "repeater" or "coin op" or something in that direction. A couple of things got my attention: the unused hole on the bottom of the top gear train and the unusual machined mandrel pulley. The left side reproducer set screw is also quite odd. Maybe modifications for somebody missing a right hand? Strange for sure and also in very nice shape!

Martin

That brass piece was cut from the main wheel of an 8-day American clock. The six lugs are the spokes of the gear wheel.
An interesting addition.

Those 8-day clock main wheels are about 3 inches
in diameter. This now makes sense because it accounts
for the milled slot in the bedplate. That slot was
put there to accommodate the 3 inch diameter gear.

I wonder what on earth was attempted to be driven
by that large gear? Possibly by removing one of
the idler gears in the part of the geartrain which
turns the feedscrew, this would have left the feedscrew
free to turn. In that case it could have been turned
by driving the big brass clock gear. Perhaps some
attempt was being made to run this machine at some
other feed rate?

100 threads per inch. 150 threads per inch.
200 threads per inch. We will never know now.

All that's left now are the telltale brass stubs
and the center ring still riveted to the original
gear.

At least all of that butcherwork conveniently
disappears under the gear cover...

I've seen one or two other Standards that have that slot cut into the bedplate. I was thinking of some coin slot modification, but a home-brew type of 4 minute conversion does seem more likely.

I like it and the modifications are indeed interesting. Perhaps a Standard for left handed people