The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Today we purchased an Edisonic Beethoven from the original family. Interestingly enough it has no spreader bars! Does anyone know if there were different iterations? There is no evidence the feet were ever changed and the legs appear completely untouched, no evidence anything was ever removed. Serial number 2246. When did this change take place?

Someone was good with a saw. They have been cut off just above the square that's above the bottom part of the leg. It probably got done a long time ago so it doesn't show. Did they replace the domes of silence on the bottoms of the legs? That usually doesn't get done. It's still a nice looking machine and a hard one to find, that's for sure.

*stretchers

JohnM wrote: Wed Apr 20, 2022 12:45 am*stretchers

Thank you. I was having to guess what "spreader bars" were.
Whoever removed them did the machine no favours. They were there for good structural reasons.

Another possibility to reinforce the legs is to install the machine on a wheeled platform that has stretches between the wheels, and cups for taking the legs fixed in their positions. Not very beautiful, but more safe...