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Are the motors and sounbox/reproducers (Exhibition and #2) interchangeable between a VV X built in 1921 with a VV XI built in 1915?

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks Bill

The Exhibition, No. 2, and No. 4 are all interchangeable. Standard equipment for the 1915 XI would have been an Exhibition, and for the 1921 X a No. 2. But people did upgrade their reproducers, so it would not be unheard of to find a 1915 XI with a No. 2...and again they are prefectly interchangeable. The motors are a different story. I don't know if you could swap the motors and still have the crank line up, but they were different motors. The 1915 XI had a motor that took a female crank, and had a round dial speed control. The 1921 X was the last version of the machine, and took a male crank and used a speed control that had the screw with the speed indicator (those are just the most obvious differences). Again, I have no idea if they could "fit" in other machine, but it certainly is not the same motor (motors from Xs and IXs from the teens "fit" in a VTLA, and the crank lines up, but it certainly is not the correct motor for the machine).

Zeppy,

Thanks for the reply. So, is the #2 a better reproducer than the Exhibition? I'm asking this because I have a chance to buy a VV X made in 1921, with the #2. The cabinet is in bad shape and I considered buying it for the reproducer and the motor as a backup for my XI. If the motor is questionable, it makes the whole thing less valuable to me. The compatibility of these parts will determine what I'm willing to pay. I guess I could always sell the motor, but Im not sure what condition it is in. When I looked at the machine, the motor was completely wound tight and would not crank. I turned it on and let it unwind. After it unwound, I was able to crank it again and it seemed very smooth.

Bill

The cranks nearly line up, but not quite
There is about a 1 inch difference between the two, with the crank of the older motor being closer to the front of the cabinet.

The 1915 XI will have the original-size taper tube, but I think that the 1921 X will have the "fat" taper tube; I'm not sure whether the goose necks are the same diameter on these two machines, so the Exhibition and no. 2 might not be interchangeable between machines without some kind of adapter.

The Exhibition, no.2 and no.4 are all completely interchangeable without any sort of adaptor, as are 90% of other off-brand soundboxes that use a bayonet fitting. The bore diametre of the Exhibition was pretty much the standard size around the world, from before WWI until the orthophonic period.

Thanks for that info, g'shane. You did say that already; guess I wasn't paying attention. Now all are invited to send me their spare no. 2s (perfectly rebuilt, of course!) so I can prove it for myself on my XI.

Guest wrote:Zeppy,

Thanks for the reply. So, is the #2 a better reproducer than the Exhibition? I'm asking this because I have a chance to buy a VV X made in 1921, with the #2. The cabinet is in bad shape and I considered buying it for the reproducer and the motor as a backup for my XI. If the motor is questionable, it makes the whole thing less valuable to me. The compatibility of these parts will determine what I'm willing to pay. I guess I could always sell the motor, but Im not sure what condition it is in. When I looked at the machine, the motor was completely wound tight and would not crank. I turned it on and let it unwind. After it unwound, I was able to crank it again and it seemed very smooth.

Bill

The #2 was considered an improvement. It has a larger diaphragm. On all my machines, except my VV-50, I have an Exhibition, just because that is what was original to the machine (my interest pretty much resides in the pre-1913 period). That's not to say I don't own several #2 reproducers. I also have a couple Improved Concerts and #4s, and on occassion I do swap out to see if I can hear a difference. But the question is how much is being asked for the VV X. You can still pick up a nickel plated #2 for around $25 on occassion. And the motor for the X isn't a match to your XI, so is it worth your time to try to sell it.

Thanks for all the input. I think I'm going to pass on this machine. Doesn't sound like it's worth messing with.