The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Are all Edison Standard reproducer carriages...uh...standard? That is, should I be able to use a carriage from a Standard B on a Standard E, or vice versa?

No. The position of the feed nut arm is different on some models.
I think a D and E are interchangeable, but a B and D are not.
An A will have the ability to have a shaver attached so obviously isn't interchangeable with later models.
I'm not sure about the Model C. I think it may be the same as the D, provided it's not an ICS carriage.

A Standard C or later carriage for a C or an H reproducer is also not backwards compatible—they will not fit on an earlier A or B because the A and B have an end gate. I just posted this picture of a Standard Model C ICS machine. The ICS carriage is adapted for ICS repeater on that machine, but the carriages on non-ICS machines are the same—just not modified for ICS use. Then, of course, you have the carriage on a pure 4 min Standard E, that is for an N reproducer, the special carriage on an F Standard used for a Model S or R reproducer, and then all sorts of adjustable carriages to “amberolize” your Standard to use a Diamond reproducer, etc! A lot of different carriages for the Edison Standard!

Mike Sorter
Riverside, CA

I should have said that carriages from Model C Standards to Model F Standards are basically all interchangeable, and carriages from Model A and B, and earlier Suitcase Standards are all interchangeable but not necessarily correct for the time period!