First brown wax cylinders

[Hyperion]

I recently picked up a lot of cylinders that included eight intact brown wax cylinders. I've never owned any before, and am not sure how to play them; I picked one and tried it on my Fireside A with an O reproducer, but couldn't hear much that I could pick out, and after a few seconds I stopped, not wanting to do any damage. I listened to the middle of the cylinder and could only hear some faint music; when I tried the beginning, I heard the spoken introduction, telling me it was a Columbia recording, and "New York City." Can I play these using a C reproducer? How about a K? If not, what can I use? Any other tips for getting the most out of them without damaging them? Thanks.

[52089]

All the reproducers you mentioned are too heavy to play brown wax. You need a Model B or and Automatic for your Edison machines. You can also play them with a Columbia machine that has a "floating" type reproducer.

[phonogfp]

Ditto.

Here's a handy article with illustrations:

https://www.antiquephono.org/basic-anti ... onal-tips/

George P.

[Menophanes]

I believe (subject to correction) that a Columbia cylinder with '. . . of New York City' in the announcement is quite an early one, no later than 1897. The address was changed to 'New York and Paris', then 'New York and London'; subsequently (late 1900 or early 1901?) the city-names were dropped and the announcement ended simply 'for the Columbia Phonograph Company', and finally, on the 'high speed' records of 1902, this wording was replaced by 'Columbia record'.

Besides the issue of excess weight on the record, early playing styli are of larger diameter than later ones and are hemispherical in shape rather than the flattened 'button' type found in most Edison two-minute reproducers. A Model B which has not been expertly restored may well carry the wrong gauge of stylus. A complete Columbia Q or 'Eagle' with a suitable reproducer may well be obtainable for less than the cost of an Edison Automatic Reproducer alone; I paid GBP220 for my early Q, and this was in Britain where prices are generally a little higher than in the U.S.A.

Oliver Mundy.