I remember the first time I listened to a record. I remember reaching into the plastic sleeve with shaking hands to retrieve the round black disk, carefully pulling it out so I didn’t scratch the surface. I remember placing it on the record player and putting the needle down. And I will always remember hearing the first crackly note floating through the air. I know I am not alone in these memories. Ask any vinyl lover and I’m sure they will be able to tell you everything about their first … [Read more...]
How to Understand Common Record Grading and Notations
There are many factors in the price of a record as I explaind in "Things you Need to Know When Buying and Selling Vinyl Records/Phonographs". One of the major factors in the value and/or loss of value of a record/phonograph is damage or defects. In this article I will cover some of the common record notations (Also know as the short-hand notation system). This is used by many collectors, dealers, and auction houses to describe the condition, special notations or damage of … [Read more...]
Things you Need to Know When Buying and Selling Vinyl Records/Phonographs
When buying or selling vinyl recodes there are some things you need to know. In this article I will cover some of the more important things you need to know when dealing with vinyl records. Let's get started with knowing what type of records you have. There are many different sizes of records that have been sold since the invention of the phonograph player here are some of the more common ones. … [Read more...]
My Favorite Phonographs
In this article I wrote about my favorite phonographs. Every collector has their favorite pieces in their collection, this maybe the first piece they bought, a piece they just had to have or the one they cant seem to get their hands on. We all have our favorites, here are mine. Victrola XVIII (18) The Victrola XVIII was the most elegant non-custom phonograph made by the Victor Phonograph company. It was introduced in 1915. The Victrola XVII cabinet was fancy hand carved with finely detailed … [Read more...]
How to find the age of a Mason & Hamlin Piano
Use the following chart of Mason & Hamlin serial numbers to help determine the age of your piano. The serial number of your Mason & Hamlin piano can be found in several locations, depending on what model of Mason & Hamlin you are trying to date. Mason & Hamlin Serial Number Locations 1. Model B, A, AA and BB grand pianos First, sit at your piano like you are playing it. Then look into the piano plate and to the left of the centre of the piano. There should be a serial … [Read more...]
The History of J.P Seeburg Pianos and Orchestrions
In 1887 Justus Seeburg started his career in the piano industry. He spent these years in the Chicago-land area. The first company Seeburg worked for was C.A. Smith this later became Smith, Barnes, and Strohber. Â Seeburg then went and worked for Bush and Gertz. After Bush and Gertz he became the manager of the Conover Piano manufacturing facility of the Chicago Cottage Organ Company. … [Read more...]
The Victor XXV Schoolhouse Phonograph
The Victor -VVX (25) was also called the “School House Phonographâ€. The Victor XXV was intended to be used in schoolhouses. This phonograph was build to withstand rough use and could be moved with ease. The Victor XXV was made of basic oak. A lockable lid was also included to prevent little hands from damaging the tone arm and turntable. The early Victor VVX phonographs had a non-removable lid. This was soon replaced with a more convenient lid that could be removed and hung from the back of … [Read more...]
The History of the Edison Cylinder Phonograph
Thomas Edison's work on two other inventions, the telegraph and the telephone as a result of this the phonograph was invented. In 1877, Edison was working on a machine that would transcribe telegraphic messages through indentations on paper tape, which could later be sent over the telegraph repeatedly. This development led Edison to wonder if a telephone message could also be recorded in a similar fashion. He experimented with a diaphragm which had an embossing point and was held against … [Read more...]
The Edison Opera Phonograph
The Edison opera was introduced in November 1911. This superior Edison phonograph was said to have given the best sound of any cylinder or disc machine. This phonograph had a horn-reproducer assembly which made it immobile. The cylinder would move under the stylus. This would produce very little mechanical noise. The reproducer was suspended over the cylinder record by its own output tube. This tube was held in the neck of the horn support by a knurled screw. To play a cylinder record you would … [Read more...]
The Victor Talking Machine Company from 1901-1929
The Victor Talking Machine Company was founded by Eldridge Johnson in 1901, and quickly became a main player in the quickly growing phonograph market. Johnson had been active in the phonograph business as a motor supplier for several years earlier, and had learned an immense deal about the emerging home entertainment market. At the turn of the century, all phonographs used a large external horn to "amplify" the playback sound. Although this system worked quite well, the stark horn tended to … [Read more...]
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