The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I bought a Amberola 1A at an auction, it is my first 1A I have had or used. Any tips to replace the belt, it looks like it requires some disassembly of the top works to replace?

You will need to remove the gear cover at the far left, over the pulley. That's very simple. Remove the reproducer and unhook the horn from the reproducer support. Remove the crank, and then you can lift up the mechanism from the left side -- it's hinged at the right. There's a metal support bar to hold it up while you're working on it. You can't mount a completed belt -- it has to be glued together while on the machine. So measure the belt, then cut it and taper it at your work bench or table, and finally wrap it around the shaft before gluing and clamping the seam together. Once that's dry you can just slip it over the pulley. It sounds more complicated than it really is.

Maybe I'm a little dense this morning, but where is there a belt on an Amberola 1A? Isn't it a geared drive, similar to an Opera?

The 1A is not direct-geared (alas) -- it uses a good old-fashioned leather belt. I've replaced mine a few times over the past 30 years so I'm all too aware of that! I've never had a 1B, that may well have an Opera-style direct drive.

The Amberola 1a and the short-lived Amberola IV are the only upright Amberolas to use a belt.

The Amberola 1b uses the same direct-drive mechanism as the Opera and Amberola III.

George P.

Cool! My face is red, , as I have a 1A!

It worked excellent when I got it and I never really snooped around "under the hood", so to speak. Thanks!!