The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

As the subject line states, are Victor V & III back brackets interchangeable?

Jerry the short answer is no.
The tone arms are the same but the brackets are different sizes.
If you interchange them the reproducer needle will not drop at the spindle.

Larry Crandell

Thanks Larry! The travel restrictions have my collection split between 2 addresses. I'm stuck at one and can't visit the other to do the "research". (That's the short answer there as well.)

Hope you're all doing well!

An easy way to tell the them apart is the backbrack that fits the III and IV has blue details among the gold filigree, whereas the bracket that fits the V and VI has no blue details.

An easy way to tell the them apart is the backbrack that fits the III and IV has blue details among the gold filigree, whereas the bracket that fits the V and VI has no blue details.

I respectfully disagree. The V bracket generally has blue trim while the VI does not. The best way to tell them apart is the size. The larger bracket goes on the smaller cabinet. That because the III through VI uses the same size tone arm. The larger bracket compensates for the smaller cabinet.

The larger (or deeper) bracket goes on the M, MS, III, and IV.
The smaller (or more shallow) bracket goes on the D, V, and VI.

Jerry Blais

Jerry B. wrote:

An easy way to tell the them apart is the backbrack that fits the III and IV has blue details among the gold filigree, whereas the bracket that fits the V and VI has no blue details.

I respectfully disagree. The V bracket generally has blue trim while the VI does not. The best way to tell them apart is the size. The larger bracket goes on the smaller cabinet. That because the III through VI uses the same size tone arm. The larger bracket compensates for the smaller cabinet.

The larger (or deeper) bracket goes on the M, MS, III, and IV.
The smaller (or more shallow) bracket goes on the D, V, and VI.

Jerry Blais

Really? I have never seen a bracket with blue that fits the larger size phonograph, and have come across a few that had nickle plated tone arms or clips. Obviously these parts could have been swapped over the past century, just never seen one with blue that was of the more shallow size. Learn something every day.