The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Hello all,
I’ve been enjoying my Edison Standard D, but I have been trying to understand the difference between the Standards and the Homes, other than the difference in top mechanisms and size. Was the Standard just meant to be smaller and thus cheaper? It seems like they are similar, being simple and easy to use and maintain.

The Edison Standard was an attempt to make a more compact machine. On an Edison Home the mandrel and feel screw are on the same line. The Standard mandrel and feed screw are parallel to each other saving space. Space was not only saved but the cost of manufacturing the Standard was less.

Jerry Blais

Jerry B. wrote:The Edison Standard was an attempt to make a more compact machine. On an Edison Home the mandrel and feel screw are on the same line. The Standard mandrel and feed screw are parallel to each other saving space. Space was not only saved but the cost of manufacturing the Standard was less.

Jerry Blais

Jerry, thank you.

The talking machine industry was very competitive. The Standard was a new model that proved to be both a terrific value to the buying public as well as being versatile when changes and improvements were made such as four minute capability.

Jerry B.

The Home has one advantage: it has fewer gear-wheels (since the feed-screw and the mandrel are on the same shaft, as Jerry B. has pointed out, and therefore do not have to be geared together as in the Standard) and is therefore not quite so noisy.

Oliver Mundy.

Menophanes wrote:The Home has one advantage: it has fewer gear-wheels (since the feed-screw and the mandrel are on the same shaft, as Jerry B. has pointed out, and therefore do not have to be geared together as in the Standard) and is therefore not quite so noisy.

Quite true. However, the Edison Home models have one very common problem that does not affect the Standard models. The 19-tooth pinion gear in the motor drive train often lets loose or splits on its shaft thereby releasing the tension from the mainspring. I cannot tell you how many Edison Home models I've purchased over the years that have had this notorious problem. Thankfully, Ron Sitko sells a replacement 19-tooth pinion gear that has a set screw. The original method of sweating or pressing this gear into position on the shaft was a poor design in my opinion. But others may disagree.

Doug

FellowCollector wrote:[T]he Edison Home models have one very common problem that does not affect the Standard models. The 19-tooth pinion gear in the motor drive train often lets loose or splits on its shaft thereby releasing the tension from the mainspring. I cannot tell you how many Edison Home models I've purchased over the years that have had this notorious problem. Thankfully, Ron Sitko sells a replacement 19-tooth pinion gear that has a set screw. The original method of sweating or pressing this gear into position on the shaft was a poor design in my opinion. But others may disagree.

Doug

Yes, that happened to me once on my Home B; the brass pinion broke in half and fell off the shaft. I dealt with it by replacing the whole cage of gears. I was not aware until now that this was a known weakness of the model.

Oliver Mundy.

I have seen it happen on Standards too. Amberola Vs and Operas can also have this problem with governor drive gears.

Jim

phonojim wrote:I have seen it happen on Standards too. Amberola Vs and Operas can also have this problem with governor drive gears.

Jim

I’ve never seen this happen before, now I’m nervous.

I’ve never seen this happen before, now I’m nervous.

With todays accurate repair and replacement parts modern collectors have a fairly east time with repairs and restorations. First generation collectors back in the fifties and sixties had a much more difficult time. Jerry