Edison Diamond Disc C-150. Worth $200?

[CJB26]

Hello everyone.

In my area, there is someone trying to sell an Edison Diamond Disc C-150. It appears to be in good shape and they had the springs replaced a few years ago so I assume it’s in good working order. I was just curious if it’s worth the $200 price tag? I know very little about these machines or what they could possibly fetch for (my only “talking maching” being a Vic VV-210 and that I got for reasonably cheap). Included are pictures of the cabinet. Any and all help/insight is greatly appreciated!

[52089]

If the diamond in the producer is good, $200 is reasonable. It should actually have a nickel plated reproducer. The fact that it's not the original reproducer may be good as it means someone replaced it. You test the reproducer by "playing" the blank area near the label, then examining the "played" area for marks. If you see marks, that means the diamond is damaged and will need to be replaced, which is $150+ by itself.

You have an original grill, but not an original grill cloth, which is to be expected. The record rack is a nice plus as they are often missing.

I can't tell if the outside finish is just severely alligatored or damaged. It should look more like the inside of the door.

It's a basic machine with a single spring and the medium sized horn. I really enjoy my C-150. Some people prefer the larger machines with double springs and the larger horn. As an intro to the Diamond Disc world, this one is just fine, especially if you can get it for $150 or so. Good luck!

[CJB26]

Thank you so much for your response! Does the whole tone arm need replaced or just the diamond on the needle? Again, I am so new to this so I don’t exactly understand. How exactly would you replace either?

[52089]

Thank you so much for your response! Does the whole tone arm need replaced or just the diamond on the needle? Again, I am so new to this so I don’t exactly understand. How exactly would you replace either?

The Diamond Disc machines don't have tonearms in the usual sense, nor do they use needles. The reproducer/sound box (the part that actually plays the record) connects directly into the horn. You can see this in the photo where the gold tone reproducer connects to the nickel plated horn ferrule. The diamond takes the place of steel needles. If the reproducer diamond is good, you don't have to do anything; the diamonds can last for decades. If you do want to remove the reproducer, you just turn the ferrule and pull the reproducer straight out.

If you do need to change the diamond, you really can't do this by yourself. Best to send it off to one of the people who can do it properly.

I will also note, in case you are not aware, that this machine will only play Diamond Discs. If you want to play "78s" on this, you need an adapter and regular steel needles. Those adapters run around $100.