Tone-o-phone adapter with diamond needle (video)

[antique1973]

This works quite well. The sound is better than my video since my cell phone was used to make it. I "re-gilded" the adapter with gold leaf paint so it matches
better with the tone arm.



[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzKgFDGZhc0[/youtube]

[Edisone]

Well, color me "surprised" ! That sounds much better than I'd have guessed. No damage to the Edison? No suspicious black stuff on the diamond point?

[gramophoneshane]

The adaptor looks great now that it's back to being gold. The whole set-up appears to track very well, which is more than I can say about my franken-adaptor/reproducer
One thing I do like about playing a DD on a latereal machine with an ordinary soundbox is that you dont get that amplified woosh woosh of surface noise, but I've also found you dont get the over-all volume of a normal 78 either.
One thing is for sure- playing DD's this way certainly highlights just how superior Edisons DD system was. Nothing else comes close to the driving punch the music has on an Edison machine.
You'll have to get yourself a sapphire ball & a few Pathé records now & enjoy those as well.

[antique1973]

Well, color me "surprised" ! That sounds much better than I'd have guessed. No damage to the Edison? No suspicious black stuff on the diamond point?

I noticed a very small amount of residue on the needle after play but I believe it is
mostly dust. The records have been stored for some time apparently. I have a duster I use
on my records but its not the greatest.

[antique1973]

The adaptor looks great now that it's back to being gold. The whole set-up appears to track very well, which is more than I can say about my franken-adaptor/reproducer
One thing I do like about playing a DD on a latereal machine with an ordinary soundbox is that you dont get that amplified woosh woosh of surface noise, but I've also found you dont get the over-all volume of a normal 78 either.
One thing is for sure- playing DD's this way certainly highlights just how superior Edisons DD system was. Nothing else comes close to the driving punch the music has on an Edison machine.
You'll have to get yourself a sapphire ball & a few Pathé records now & enjoy those as well.

Thanks Shane, I agree that an Edison machine should get better volume at least. I have noticed
surface noise on some records but again I think its just dust. It tends to smooth out after
playing for a few seconds. One thing I was wondering, the angle seems more extreme than a DD reproducer.
A DD repro diamond is straight over the groove right?

[frenchmarky]

So the trick to this soundbox is that it is riding the DD grooves at sort of a 45 degree angle, instead of an Edison machine where the needle pulses are straight up and down, correct? So the discussion about the volume not being as loud is because of that difference?

Maybe you should take one non-valuable record and do a super cleaning job on it with whatever is the best for cleaning DD's, then see what kind of needle residue still shows up if any.

Are there any other adapter-type soundbox setups that ride at an angle like this on DDs? I haven't seen or heard of any like this before, very interesting, but I am pretty much a doofus as far as Edison machines and discs, strictly a Victor man so far, but always open to maybe getting an Edison machine and a few discs to play around with someday.

Also, wondering what the total weight is on the needle of an Edison machine is, compared to the weight on the needle using this adapter is. If the latter is a much greater weight, maybe some kind of counterweight might be good. Also, how is this adapter able to track the DD grooves? Don't Edison machines use some kind of screw mechanism to make the needle track at a certain rate? Or are DD's grooves such that they can just be tracked by the needle alone?

[Kirkwood]

Seems like with the Sonora phonographs, when the soundbox is rotated to play vertical discs, the needle is at roughly a 45 degree angle to the record surface, whether it's an Edison or Pathé disc. Also, the Pathé reproducer on the Pathé phonographs have the needle chuck holding the ball stylus at an angle, even if the large mica diaphragm is more straight up & down vertical. I seem to recall that the Cheney and Silvertone adapters also hold the needle at an angle, but I no longer own either to be able to confirm this. The Brunswick Ultona most closely approximates the Edison reproducer, with the exception that Brunswick didn't employ a mechanical feed to guide the needle along. Brunswick did employ a sliding weight in the tonearm to place more weight on the reproducer to help track the record. The weight could be slid back in the arm for playing standard 78s. Other than my early efforts playing vertical records with steel needles (hey, I was 11 years old at the time!) I've only had troubles with the adapters playing vertical records when the machine cabinet isn't level. The shallow grooves will normally conduct the needle across the record satisfactorily, but when the machine is not level the needle can go skittering across the record surface. I guess I've been lucky enough that I had gem-tipped needles in satisfactory condition for most of my collecting career.

[antique1973]

So the trick to this soundbox is that it is riding the DD grooves at sort of a 45 degree angle, instead of an Edison machine where the needle pulses are straight up and down, correct? So the discussion about the volume not being as loud is because of that difference?

Maybe you should take one non-valuable record and do a super cleaning job on it with whatever is the best for cleaning DD's, then see what kind of needle residue still shows up if any.

Are there any other adapter-type soundbox setups that ride at an angle like this on DDs? I haven't seen or heard of any like this before, very interesting, but I am pretty much a doofus as far as Edison machines and discs, strictly a Victor man so far, but always open to maybe getting an Edison machine and a few discs to play around with someday.

Also, wondering what the total weight is on the needle of an Edison machine is, compared to the weight on the needle using this adapter is. If the latter is a much greater weight, maybe some kind of counterweight might be good. Also, how is this adapter able to track the DD grooves? Don't Edison machines use some kind of screw mechanism to make the needle track at a certain rate? Or are DD's grooves such that they can just be tracked by the needle alone?

I played several diamond discs today and checked for residue. After playing six sides of several records there was a minuscule amount of black dust. It has been said that the tracking worm screw on Edison machines will reduce record wear. I would imagine a self tracking needle will cause some degree of damage to the sides of the groove walls
although most likely insignificant.