The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

It is not so often I can contribute on this section on the forum, but I today was very lucky, and got hold of a Victor iii horn gramophone/phonograph, A series, at what I consider a bargain price (€ 280). This is my first Victor external horn model,and the fact that it also is in close to pristine condition made it a very easy decision, when I had the available funds at hand. I guess the Exhibition soundbox was originally fitted to this machine right? The machine I purchases was equipped with a Parlophone soundbox, but I have two Victor Exhibition soundboxes in store, removed from some table top models puchased in the past. I am not familiar with the Victor Exhibition soundboxes, if they changed their look during the manufacture period? I am attaching a photo of the Victor Exhibition soundbox I plan to use, if it is correct.
The second question is about the felt, it looks very clean/new to me, (but so does the motor), so the question is, was the Victor iii ever relaeased from the factory with a possible red felt? If not, I will change the felt to an original color.
Thanks a lot !

PS. The long white stripe on the horn on close to the decal, is only a light beam from my roof lamp.

Very nice Victor III and at a bargain price. The Exhibition would be correct. The red felt is new. Most Victors I have seen came with either a dark green felt or a light brown felt.
Congrats on this nice looking machine.

Early Exhibition reproducers had a round hole and knurled rather than hex nuts. The III that you have probably had the later, triangular hole and hex nuts, (someone probably knows the years that the changes were made). It looks like your Exhibition could use new gaskets and probably a new rubber flange. The rebuild is pretty straight forward, but still requires careful adjustment. Pre-cut, green, authentic looking wool felt is available on line. The III is a great machine. Fairly compact and very capable and Iconic. Nice find.

The Victor III came in two basic but similar cabinet styles. The first had convex molding on the lower base. The second style had concave molding and one piece, more massive corner columns. Either style is a good looking machine but I prefer yours but the red felt has got to go.

Jerry B.

Phono-Phan, Django and Jerry B. Thank you for all suggestions and congratulations given.
I already have a couple of rubber flanges for Exhibition soundboxes, bought for future repairs of my HMV Exhibition soundboxes so I can use one of them for this Victor iii. I will also check the gaskets, even if if it feels pretty soft,,but I also have gaskets in store if it needs to be changed.
The red felt will go, today. I already also have dark green wool felts in store bought for restoration of early HMV machines.
Thanks again !

nostalgia wrote:Phono-Phan, Django and Jerry B. Thank you for all suggestions and congratulations given.
I already have a couple of rubber flanges for Exhibition soundboxes, bought for future repairs of my HMV Exhibition soundboxes so I can use one of them for this Victor iii. I will also check the gaskets, even if if it feels pretty soft,,but I also have gaskets in store if it needs to be changed.
The red felt will go, today. I already also have dark green wool felts in store bought for restoration of early HMV machines.
Thanks again !

These were more of a pea green felt. This is a 10" (25,4 cm) turntable, correct?

With all due respect my Victor III came with a very dark green original felt. I know it wasn't oxidized as this machine was protected in a carry box for a very long time.

(The horn has since been painted and I did move but forgive the muddled background.)

They do look good with pea-green felts though and perhaps mine is an older model as it does not have the diamond-shaped escutcheon on the front to open the lid, but a simple round button. It also has a round needle chuck on the soundbox and blue and gold tracing on the back bracket.

I miss having that one here. I moved & didn't have room to bring it, but I should have. Based on the stereos and girlfriends brought in by neighbors it is fine to have loud things here. (Never move somewhere with thin walls.)

VanEpsFan1914 wrote:With all due respect my Victor III came with a very dark green original felt. I know it wasn't oxidized as this machine was protected in a carry box for a very long time.

(The horn has since been painted and I did move but forgive the muddled background.)

They do look good with pea-green felts though and perhaps mine is an older model as it does not have the diamond-shaped escutcheon on the front to open the lid, but a simple round button. It also has a round needle chuck on the soundbox and blue and gold tracing on the back bracket.

I miss having that one here. I moved & didn't have room to bring it, but I should have. Based on the stereos and girlfriends brought in by neighbors it is fine to have loud things here. (Never move somewhere with thin walls.)

You bring up a really good point that likely all the other ones out there have faded with time.

Good thing you didn't live in college dorms in the '70s... Stereo Wars! I was a true contender with my Dual 1009 turntable, Pioneer SX-950 receiver, and Klipsch speakers...

I've seen pea-green felt on Victrola turntables that was definitely more of a Kelly green than the dark forest green on my old Victor III. My 1914 Victrola XIV, which stayed covered, had the same lighter green, and my 1917 Victrola IV has a very light green original felt on it. I have seen occasionally the old VTLA's with dark green like this and had assumed early horn machines had a dark green felt--granted that is possibly wrong.

Yes, I'm glad I was not alive in the 1970s for a number of reasons, but stereo wars would have to be one of them. Sounds like you had certainly won the arms race though. (I have a six-volt car horn and a twelve-volt battery. Does that count?)

I attach a photo of the green wool felt I plan to use, I have some of these, since I use them for restorations for older HMV gramophones with green turntable felts, where the color matches well.
I also attach a photo of the model number on my machine, which we can read is: VIC iii 12701A