The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have a double sided Ultona (with the separate Edison diaphragm)and I need to know how to properly set it up for playing different records. Specifically I need to know how to set the sliding weight. Should it be forward for Edisons or and back for all others or opposite?

Thanks, Jim

This link will help: http://home.comcast.net/~phonofilia/pho ... nswick.htm

The short answer is: Weight is forward for Victor and Pathé discs, and all the way back for the Edison discs. The other important note is to ensure that the tone arm is pulled forward for Edison discs, to allow the needle to be centered to the spindle.

Hope this helps! I adore my Brunswick Ultona.

-Adam

On my Brunswick York, I have to move the weight A LITTLE to the middle when playing Victor discs. Ultona reproducer is heavy. Maybe that's just mine being too heavy. Also, there is a adjustable screw on the tonearm and you may adjust.

Note about playing Pathé records with an Ultona, in addition to the above comments: after you have twisted the head into position to play Pathé records, you can also rotate the head to make it track better. It took me a while to realize that kind of movement was possible, much less desirable. If the record grooves are a bit off-center, the head may have trouble tracking some Pathé records without skipping. The head and tonearm assembly have too much mass and inertia to follow the shallow Pathé grooves. The Pathé machines generally have less massive heads and in my personal experience track better. I have read that Edison was aware of Pathé's problems with broad shallow grooves as he began to design his Diamond Disc records.

Thanks everyone.

Jim