The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have been asked many times over the years "what does a Berliner hand-wind model sound like?". I always say "very bad". However, I decided to film the machine at play. You be the judge.It is too bad that the rubber drive wheel under the turntable has a flat spot. That is what is creating the loud rumble sound you hear. If that was not present.......I guess it sounds OK given what it is and all.
I hope you all enjoy this little video. It has been over 10 years since I last played the machine.

http://youtu.be/dGHl6MyDIRc

Thanks gramophone78,

Thanks to you I can just imagine a nice, relaxing evening listening to a few records on a Berliner Hand-Wind! Wow, you sure are doing a lot of work there. Very cool. Thanks for sharing this.

- Martin

Freakin' awesome! That is the first time I've seen a hand-wind play. Most are stuck on shelves for display only. Do you play it often?

Was the reproducer rebuilt in the past?

"I GOT BLISTERS ON MY FINGERS!!!"...... . I was getting tired at the end. No, the reproducer has not been touched. There was never any gaskets in the reproducer and the two rubbers on the front straps are hard as rock. It is really too bad that the rubber drive wheel has that flat spot. It would have been better without that rumble noise. I just thought that one of these should be recorded in play.
Glad you liked it.....

Who needs a Bowflex when you can own a Berliner hand-wind phonograph? Lose weight, build tone and enjoy a good tune while doing so. : )

Thanks for posting this video. I hadn't ever seen or heard one play either until seeing your video. Truly enlightening.

That's quite a workout just to hear one short record. To most people of the era I guess recorded sound was almost like magic so they happily turned that little crank.

Thanks!

Without the flat spot it would not sound that bad

Very cool. Thanks for posting. I can almost imagine the pride of the original owner when he demonstrated that to his friends for the first time. They must have been amazed.

Wow! Thank you very much for posting. Now I understand why they desperately needed a better solution for it to become a success. Otherwise only the doctors would have been happy; like todays tennis elbow or Blackberry thumb, the gram-o-phone wrist
Again, thank you so much for posting, I've never seen or even imagined it like that before.
Andreas

Some day someone is going to invent a motor to turn the plates on a talking machine. I wonder if some sort of arrangement with springs couldn't be worked out? Science is doing great things every day...