The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

A friend of mine picked up some Amberol's with green boxes for me today.
I got them for $1 a piece since I did not know much about them and had to
make a quick offer. It appears they cannot be played on the Amberola 30
is that correct? So my guess is these are made for the Edison Home perhaps?
Thanks for any info. I should have a pic soon I can post also.

They would be Edison Amberols- 4 minute wax records that are played with a sapphire needle, as found in Model H, K etc reproducers.
They are extremely fragile, & can break just from the heat of your hand, so be careful with them.
Most tend to have high surface noise, which is unfortunate as there's some great music on them that was never transfered to blue amberol.
4 min Amberols have "4M-" before the record number on the rim of the cylinder.

gramophoneshane wrote:They would be Edison Amberols- 4 minute wax records that are played with a sapphire needle, as found in Model H, K etc reproducers.
They are extremely fragile, & can break just from the heat of your hand, so be careful with them.
Most tend to have high surface noise, which is unfortunate as there's some great music on them that was never transfered to blue amberol.
4 min Amberols have "4M-" before the record number on the rim of the cylinder.

. . . and flat title ends.

gramophoneshane wrote:They would be Edison Amberols- 4 minute wax records that are played with a sapphire needle, as found in Model H, K etc reproducers.
They are extremely fragile, & can break just from the heat of your hand, so be careful with them.
Most tend to have high surface noise, which is unfortunate as there's some great music on them that was never transfered to blue amberol.
4 min Amberols have "4M-" before the record number on the rim of the cylinder.

Thanks John, I guess I will have to wait until I get the appropriate machine to
play these. I don't have pictures yet but they must be this type since its the only
ones with green boxes.

Personally I think they play better than the 2 Min wax and don't have the mold problem.

Larry

An Edison H or K reproducer plays these but they can also play blue
amberols correct? I have boatloads of blues so it would be nice to have
a machine I could play both on.

Any Edison with 4 minute gearing and a Model K machine will play wax amberols, a Model K will play Blue Amberols pretty well but not as well as a bigger reproducer.

Celluloid cylinders will wear a sapphire stylus much quicker than the conical diamond styli that was designed to play them. The groove dimensions are the same though, so a 4 minute sapphire will fit the BA groove.

Talkophone wrote:Personally I think they play better than the 2 Min wax and don't have the mold problem.

Larry

I agree Larry. They are by far the quietest and clearest cylinders I own. In my experience they are much better than the later wax, but they are indeed fragile.

Dan

melvind wrote:

Talkophone wrote:Personally I think they play better than the 2 Min wax and don't have the mold problem.

Larry

I agree Larry. They are by far the quietest and clearest cylinders I own. In my experience they are much better than the later wax, but they are indeed fragile.

Dan

Now I am eager to play them but I have no machine! Its ok, its just a matter
of time before I find one.