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Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:02 am
by poodling around
I don't deliberately collect Pathé records, they just turn up from time to time in collections.
I was how-ever very pleased with this one as I have very few bag-pipe 78 records.
Can I play this with a bamboo needle or does it needle a special diamond stylus etc ?
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:13 am
by Inigo
I suspect this is for the sapphire ball stylus.
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:25 am
by poodling around
Inigo wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:13 am
I suspect this is for the sapphire ball stylus.
Aha ! Thank you very much Inigo.
It always surprises me how few bag pipe 78 records there seem to be. There are of course many fine Scottish performers but where are the bag pipes ?
Oh well, this will never be played then ...............................
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:44 am
by 52089
These Pathé records are vertical cuts with a wide, fairly shallow groove. The sapphire ball stylus is cut to fit these grooves, albeit barely. It's not at all unusual for the stylus to skate across the record if the turntable isn't perfectly flat.
I suppose you could try a fibre needle. I doubt it would hurt anything. You would need a vertically oriented reproducer though. You might also want to try blunting the point just a bit to see if it fits the groove better.
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 12:37 pm
by poodling around
52089 wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 11:44 am
These Pathé records are vertical cuts with a wide, fairly shallow groove. The sapphire ball stylus is cut to fit these grooves, albeit barely. It's not at all unusual for the stylus to skate across the record if the turntable isn't perfectly flat.
I suppose you could try a fibre needle. I doubt it would hurt anything. You would need a vertically oriented reproducer though. You might also want to try blunting the point just a bit to see if it fits the groove better.
Thank you ! Very interesting indeed.
I will give it a go then - and probably find that it needs to rotate at 160 rpm ................
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:08 pm
by epigramophone
Pathé's of the post-1915 type which you have pictured usually play at about 80rpm. The larger and earlier discs can play at anything between 90 and 120rpm.
Pathé made reproducers adapted to fit conventional gramophone tonearms. They sometimes turn up on eBay, but make sure that the ball sapphire stylus is present and unworn as replacements are expensive.
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:25 pm
by Orchorsol
I've had success playing some verticals with thorn needles.
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 3:50 pm
by poodling around
epigramophone wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:08 pm
Pathé's of the post-1915 type which you have pictured usually play at about 80rpm. The larger and earlier discs can play at anything between 90 and 120rpm.
Pathé made reproducers adapted to fit conventional gramophone tonearms. They sometimes turn up on eBay, but make sure that the ball sapphire stylus is present and unworn as replacements are expensive.
Very interesting and useful.
Thank you epigramophone.
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 3:52 pm
by poodling around
Orchorsol wrote: Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:25 pm
I've had success playing some verticals with thorn needles.
Interesting.
I have only recently figured out how to sharpen thorn needles properly and I have to say they are very good.
I may try out your idea then.
Thank you Orchorsol.
Re: Does this Pathé need a special needle ?
Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2021 6:59 pm
by drh
I would hesitate to play a Pathé vertical disc on an acoustic machine with anything except a sapphire ball stylus. If you do plunge ahead with a wooden needle, stand right by the machine while you play it and be ready to grab the reproducer if it takes off skating across the record surface. If it does, it will go with amazing speed, and it can start skating at any point during play--a record can seem to be doing just fine, and a minute or so in, suddenly, ZOOM!