The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Here's an Amberola 30 that I picked up over the weekend. It's as nice as any I've seen in forty years of collecting. It is an early one with the speed control through the gear cover and the ID tag is behind the grill on the inside of the cabinet.

Very nice machine! Finds like this make up for the occasional headache projects! Congrats!
Bob

Now I join the new grill cloth or not club. I think I'll leave it "as is". Jerry

Very nice! It must not be that common out west, especially in that condition.

Tough call on the grille fabric. You can always look at it like window treatments in an old house. Would you live in a 1920 house with the original curtains? Same concept with turntable felt but I hate the idea of destroying something original even if it's in less than perfect condition. Looks good just the same though.

That's a cherry all right. I agree - - I'd leave it as is. How many 30s have their original grille cloth? You can always take it off, but it would be tough to put it back!

George P.

Tough choice, but I wouldn't like to have torn grill(e) cloth on a machine that is in such a nice condition. How about buying some thin cloth and trying to age it articifially by repeatedly washing or using diluted bleach?

A very clean machine. Yes, that is a tough call. There is a broad fuzzy zone between acceptable originality and looking ratty. Tastes differ. If that were mine, I'd probably keep it as is. After nearly 100 years, it is what it is.

It's a very nice and clean machine. Congratulations!
Regarding the grille cloth, I think it very much depends on where and how you display the machine. If it's in a collection or museum style setting leaving on the original grille cloth would probably even underline the great condition and original state it is in. If it's displayed within a home as part of the regular interior the old cloth would probably stick out negatively and should be replaced. At least that's the reality I would see in my home.
Andreas

alang wrote:It's a very nice and clean machine. Congratulations!
Regarding the grille cloth, I think it very much depends on where and how you display the machine. If it's in a collection or museum style setting leaving on the original grille cloth would probably even underline the great condition and original state it is in. If it's displayed within a home as part of the regular interior the old cloth would probably stick out negatively and should be replaced. At least that's the reality I would see in my home.
Andreas

I would say go with both. Get another grill and add cloth, keep this grill original. Then go with how the mood strikes you at the time. You loose nothing.

Hi Jerry.

Very nice machine. Here's a suggestion that might address the need for display and the need to preserve originality: Extremely loose netting (like for a veil) is available at fabric stores in different colors. Why not get a closely matching color as a backing and stitch the loose pieces of grille cloth to that as a reinforcement? I did this when somebody put a hole through a 1950's speaker I have. It's not perfect, but it certainly looks a lot better (and preserved the original.) The very loose weave of the fabric doesn't seem to impede the sound at all. In any case, good luck!

Regards,
Martin