The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

A friend of mine called me about 10 days ago and said I should come out to an auction after I got off work as there was a P-11 Brunswick Panatrope I might be interested in. He found this record mixed in with a bunch of radio transcriptions and I told him I'd bid on the boxes of records and he could have it as I've never really found much interesting music on Pathé and most of the stuff I've run across on that label is like the worst stuff Edison ever recorded! This one isn't really interesting music wise, but it's an odd label I think for a vertical recording and I think it's kind of late for these huge disks as well. It's cupped a little bit and the stylus I have on my Pathé Attachment doesn't seem to settle into the shallow groove very well on the record. But I did record it if anyone is interested in hearing how it sounds.

In person it's actually recorded quite well, but my Victor really isn't interested in going as fast as it needs to for this song and I really don't want to mess with the governor for the sake of one record. But all that aside, it does seem to have better than usual bass response and it's really quite a loud recording. The record itself doesn't show that it's been played much at all and the sleeve, though it's in bad shape, mentions that you can get this selection on a 10" steel needle type record. Were these records that were played in Theaters or something to boost record sales? It's very thick and heavy as well. Anyway, I know you guys kind of like seeing oddities so I thought I'd post this one for the heck of it. Here's a link to that video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2Zk_flvvkY


I stayed until almost midnight and they didn't get everything sold, so they finished it up last Tuesday night. There was a large box of dreadful Edison disks and in that there were two of the Edison Sample Records along with a half dozen Kalamzoo Duplex records. I've never seen any of those before. The auctioneer said it was all out of a storage unit from one of the retirement apartment centers here in town. The whole thing doesn't make sense entirely and it makes me wonder what is missing from this person mess of phonograph stuff. And what all was missed because the auctioneer had no idea about any of it. It's always amazed me how little antique dealers know and auctioneers as a rule also. I guess I've always been really curious about anything I get interested in.

I'm sure some of you guys will know what this Pathé disk is all about. I'll take it over to Terry's house in a day or so and he can store the monster! Thanks now for everything. Earl.

Are you certain that this record is vertical cut? All other Actuelle discs I've found were lateral cut, and the statement "Use a steel needle" suggests that.

I agree with Estott.

Pathé Actuelles are all lateral cut so you can play it on any "normal" gramophone/phonograph with a steel needle, assuming it can take a 14" disc.

I've never seen a 14" Actuelle, though.

All the best

Tim W-W

This period advertisement makes it clear that the Actuelle records were lateral cut and that, for a while, the same titles were also available in Pathé vertical cut versions.

It is my understanding that these large Pathé records were produced in small quantities for use in public performance in connection with the new Pathé laterals.

estott wrote:Are you certain that this record is vertical cut? All other Actuelle discs I've found were lateral cut, and the statement "Use a steel needle" suggests that.

It's definitely a vertical cut record. The grooves are very wide and it was way too much volume for a needle cut record being played that way.

These are vertical cut discs. They were made for theatres and meant to promote the new lateral Actuelle discs and not ever intended for public sale. I have three of them with sleeves like Earl's. They're beasts alright. They play at around 90-100 RPM as I recall. LOUD!

Sean

David Giovannoni had a few of these at Wayne a couple of years ago. They were for performances, vertical cut, 100rpm and were supposed to be quite loud. I belie his were 20".

donniej wrote:David Giovannoni had a few of these at Wayne a couple of years ago. They were for performances, vertical cut, 100rpm and were supposed to be quite loud. I belie his were 20".

Nope, his were 14 inch discs, I bought my three from him because he made me an offer I couldn't refuse after he watched me gawking at them for what seemed like an eternity at the time! The 20 inch Pathé discs were all etched label inside start discs meant for the Concert machine as far as I know.

Sean

OrthoSean wrote: The 20 inch Pathé discs were all etched label inside start discs meant for the Concert machine as far as I know.

Sean

My experience also. 130 rpm.