Introduction, and a new toy - Brunswick 112

[adamsih300u]

Hi all,

I've been collecting vintage radios (mostly old TRFs from 1929 - didn't intend to, it just worked out that way) but for some time have wanted a phonograph project. Ideally I would have loved a Orthophonic Credenza, but they tend to be out of my price range - plus the task of moving them is a bit much at the moment. I was pretty pleased last week to see a Brunswick 'Victrola' (seller's words, not mine) in an ad for $40, so I got in touch and hauled it home last Saturday. It is a Brunswick model 112 with an Ultona reproducer. The guy kept it in his basement, so the outside finish is in rotten shape, and I'm going to have to be aggressive with the lacquer thinner.

Does anyone have a date-range for this model? Also, the grill is broken and I haven't all the pieces to put it back together, so any suggestions on getting a proper grill (with or without cloth, I can always get cloth) would be greatly appreciated. The reproducer is in good mechanical order, all the pivots are working and I've ensured it's lubricated so the metal doesn't get too much strain. The Pathé ball stylus is missing, and the Edison stylus connecting string is detached so these are things I will need to either fix or have fixed at some point. The Victor side seems to work well, I tested it out (after cleaning and lubricating the motor) on a record I don't care about, and the sound is not bad - actually cleaner than my 1970s Fisher turntable.

I'll be needing to have the crank, hinges, and probably the tone-arm/reproducer replated since there's a bit of pitting going on there, but any suggestions are greatly appreciated. One of the door handles is broken as well, are there any sources for accurate replacements?

Thanks a bunch!

Adam

[gramophoneshane]

Hi Adam. Welcome to the board & the wonderful (and sometimes frustrating) world of phonos.
As for the date, the closest I could find was on the Mulholland Press site which states "The model 112 sold new for $200 in the early 1920s."
As for parts, I'd suggest trying George Vollema at Great Lakes Antique Phonographs. He seems to have an endless supply of nearly everything at very resonable prices.

http://www.victroladoctor.com/

Good luck with the restoration. I really like the Bruswick products myself & would love to find a few more of their machines, only having one late Panatrope (ortho) model on my collection.

[Victrolaman]

Adam,

Good find, not bad for 40.00. It shoyuld be easy to strip the cabinet and redo that, and then repair any missing or loose veneer at that point and refinish it. I would see if you could fix the Grill, It wouldnt look right with out it. As far as fixing and restoring the reproducer, thats very easy, id replace the gaskets in it, those are very cheap and it will make it sound like the day it was new, if you do a google search for Victrola repair, there is a place in VT, they fix all types, Victor, Brunswick, Edison Ect.. They will have all the stuff you need, i have bought my stuff from them for years for all my machines, they may even have the new needles you need, or the one thats missing.

I have a 1926 Brunswick Panatrope, thats a very nice machine. This was Brunswick's version of the Orthophonic.
But for 40 dollars and its not missing any parts other than that needle and small things, i think you did well

Im working on a 1926 Victor Orthophonic vv-47 right now, got a good deal like you did.
If you need any help Adam send me a PM or email and i will be glad to help you out on your new find.

Mike

[Victrolaman]

Also to Adam, they will replate the Nickel on the arm and crank Reproducer for you as well. I would also clean and regrease the motor

[estott]

Very nice machine. Keep a lookout on Ebay- Brunswick grilles turn up from time to time (easy to tell because of the oval pattern) and you might find one the right size or close.

[adamsih300u]

Excellent - thanks for the tips! The grill will probably be the last thing I wind up fixing, I can take my time with it and keep an eye out for a replacement replacement, since the complicated parts of it are the broken parts, and not all the pieces are there. Amazingly, almost all the veneer on the cabinet is still solidly attached. The veneer on the one door was separating, but I've already glued and clamped that so it should be good to go. The front pieces for the feet fell off, but the previous owner saved them and even labeled which leg they go to, so that will be no problem to fix. Overall, the model (when finished) will look like this one, though the wood is different the grill is identical:



I've also already removed, cleaned and re-lubricated the motor, which is running like a top. Actually it was running too fast because the felt pad that presses against the governor wheel had shrunk with age, so I've augmented it with new felt and the speed control actually works properly now.

Thanks for the tips on the reproducer, I'll look into at once getting that all taken care of - then it's really just a matter of fixing the finish, which underneath the destroyed lacquer is quite nice.

I didn't know what to expect with the sound, I've seen YouTube videos of people playing 78s on both acoustic and electric phonos, and the electrics to me tend to sound very noisy, even when played with a proper needle. I was impressed at how much less noise this Brunswick has compared to my electric turntable, but I attribute that to the fact that an acoustic needle probably isn't as likely to react to small pieces of dust and so on because of the size and mass. Good call on the gaskets, they're a bit stiff after all these years.

[recordo]

Congratulations on the find! I love the Brunswick machines (and LOVE Brunswick Fox Trot Records).

I'm sure GramophoneShane will agree with me when I state that absolutely nothing turns up in Australia for only $40! Well done.

[larryh]

Brunswicks as you mention are very quiet concerning surface noise. I have a feeling the combination of the wood horn and the large diaphragm may help to reduce the metallic feedback from the steel needles. A medium or soft one needle reduces it even farther. A rebuilt brunswick reproducer is about as good as it gets in tone for that type of reproducer and record. Many You Tube machines are not up to par, while others are very good, it can give the quality of sound of the old machines a bad rap in some cases.

Larry