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I recently picked up a rough Amberola 30. I don't think the side veneers are kosher.
It has a lot of ripples.
The finish is more matte than the rest of the case.
There are no holes for the eschesution screws.
Last,compared to the veneer on the back of the case, there is a marked contrast.

What do you guys think?

Sorry but we need a photo. Jerry B.

Need Pics..

Also, Yes,

I have seen Amberola 30's where just the Back Panel finish is different from the finish of the rest of the case. It's quite common. The back panel finish is sometimes lighter in color.. Don't know the reason why..

)

Tony K.

Edison Collector/Restorer

Ahh! I made this post yesterday when the site was having trouble, and kept trying to add the photos...

But, here they are

My first impression was wondering if that's the type of veneer with built in glue or stickum on the back. Regardless, it doesn't look correct. Wasn't someone selling a veneer kit for the Amberola 30? Jerry Blais

Obviously quartersawn original veneer. This illustration should help.

Kurt Morrison
Tacoma WA

The veneer on the crank side is a replacement and not correct. It looks like typical hardware store cheap Red Oak. White Oak was used in machines of that period. Quartersawn Oak was usually not used on an Amberola 30, though a few examples have been made. Some of these machines had remnant of Quartersawn Oak on the veneer or solid pieces. The Amberola 50 and 75 used Quartersawn Oak on their machines. They were in a higher grade cabinet.
Harvey Kravitz

Jerry B. wrote:My first impression was wondering if that's the type of veneer with built in glue or stickum on the back. Regardless, it doesn't look correct. Wasn't someone selling a veneer kit for the Amberola 30? Jerry Blais

It's certainly not correct veneer...finish is bad and not shellacked, and the stain is not right. The top wood on the lid is really nice, though--and the crank escutcheon's needed. (Pretty easy to find, though.)

And it's certainly not the kit. (I was the guy making the kits.) The stickum veneer looks flat, tacky (pun, I know<) and what's worse, looks modern.

The veneer needed for the Amberola 30 is riftsawn oak, thick cut, preferably with a nice fairly tight grain. It will not have the dramatic curved rays and shading of quartered oak, but should look proper.

I'd replace it.

(There has been enough interest in Amberolas lately that I am thinking about re-introducing the Veneer Kits as an eBay item. I didn't sell but a few on the TMF because 1) not many people restore 30s and 2) I was super slow about making them to order and all that. My eBay sales are a lot more timely, etc...so if there's a need I might re-introduce.)

The last of my veneer ended up as part of that homemade electric phonograph, which came to a fiery demise yesterday when it exploded on the first start-up. Good veneer is worth use on better phonographs than my homebuilts.


Best of luck with your new Amberola! They're always worth restoring and if you put in a custom diaphragm they will sound AWESOME.

Thanks so much!

I bought this specifically because I wanted the challenge (plus, this would be my first cylinder machine). Some things I know I need right off the bat is governor and governor cover. In fact, there isn't even a top on the lid. At first, I was thinking of toping it with a plexiglass panel to keep it square, but now I'm thinking of being more daring. Suprisingly, the grill still has it's original silk cloth. From the brief research I've done, it seems to be an earlier model.

But I didn't expect the veneer to be so bad. Whoever applied it did a terrible job. There are air pockets all along the grain where there's no contact. Replacing it sounds like fun!

So, rift sawn, white oak is what I'm looking for? Also, dumb question, but are the lid sides solid oak?

Something like this?

http://www.veneer-factory-outlet.com/ri ... s-savings/