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FOR 1926 DIAMOND DISC PHONOGRAPH LABORATORY MODEL |
PICTURES WILL TAKE A FEW SECONDS TO LOAD!
This Web Site is hosted
for Carsten Fischer.
The machine is located in
Pls contact me at sanfranphono “at” sbcglobal “dot ”net
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ca2LXmUvjU
Watch
this YouTube Video of the Machine playing a Long Play Diamond Disc and Zez Confrey’s Kitten on the Keys.
Production History
of this Model
The introduction of
electrically recorded Victrola records created a
problem for Edison ’s Diamond Disc Phonographs:
While Thomas Alva Edison considered electric recordings inferior to his
acoustic Diamond Disc process, and dismissed louder volume as the passing fad
of a misguided public, he was nevertheless working on an innovative new record
to counter the electric recording: The Long Playing Disc.
Victrola records maxed out at about 5 minutes per side, a 10”
Diamond Disc side could hold up to 4:50 minutes. In the time before record
changers, that meant that any listener would need to get up frequently to
change records.
Edison’s amazing new Long Playing Diamond Disc would hold 24
minutes for a 10” record, and 40 minutes on a 12” record. Still running
at 80 rpm, the playing time of these innovative records is comparable to a
modern Vinyl LP. The idea was that people could sit down for dinner, wind up
the Edison Phonograph, and enjoy uninterrupted
pleasant background music during the meal.
Original advertising slogan: “Entertainment
from Soup to Nuts”
George Frow reports in his book on Edison
Phonographs:
“The
reproducing styli with their elliptical points were ground and polished to two
thousandths on an inch, finer that the thickness of a newspaper, and 60 per
cent were said to be destroyed in the manufacture. The record grooves were
finer than a human hair, and a 40-minute 12-inch disc had one and a quarter
miles of groove and a playing time of 5.625 minutes per inch of music. Truly
these records were years in advance of their time, and had twice as many
grooves as the average long playing record of today; if only they could have
been reproduced electrically in the home, they might have given the Edison Company
several years’ lead over competitors.”
With this impressive
innovation Edison reached the limits of the
technically possible of acoustic reproduction:
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Records were cut
at an ultrafine 400 lines per inch, finer than a modern LP.
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The ultra fine
elliptical long play diamond was precision ground and exerted a significant
pressure on the fine grooves.
Because correct
tracking was more important than ever, Edison
even slightly angled the Long Play Reproducer to reduce any tracking error.
While the HOME USE Long Playing Disc was a short-lived experiment, the
COMMERCIAL Long Play Disc actually survived the 1929 closure of the Edison works into the mid-1930s.
Edison introduced 6
Long Playing Diamond Discs in October 1926, and at the same time introduced 4
models of long playing consol phonographs, C1 – C4, which were of similar
design, but differed in overall dimensions and the size of the horn. Prices
were from $165 with the small C-100 horn to $300 for a console with the largest
Laboratory Model C-250 horn.
In February 1927, Edison also offered a long
play conversion set for existing Diamond Disc Phonographs: It consisted of an
optional second spring barrel (for one-spring motors), the Long Play
Reproducer, the gear mechanism, a 10”/ 12” record stop and a holder.
Installation was simple, as it only required to switch
the original wormgear shaft with the new gear
mechanism. The short/ long switch was simply clipped on the bedplate.
Despite the stunning
achievement of the Long Play Disc, it did not find widespread success. In this
it shared the fate of many other schemes to introduce longer playing records:
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Only very few
Long Playing Records were available (6 records in 1926). Selections were mostly
dinner music or classical medleys, but no complete works like musical scenes or
symphonies.
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While working
reliably, record volume level was quite low, and sound
quality hampered by some lack of clearness and occasional pre-echo.
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The fine grooves
were susceptible to damage, and the fine diamond point was rather hard on
records. Once a record was damaged, the stylus would start to skip.
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The new long
playing consoles were of a somewhat unattractive design.
Edison Long Play Phonographs were offered for less than one
year: They were discontinued in August 1927 with the introduction of the new EDISONIC line of Diamond Disc Phonographs. This puts the
Long Playing Reproducer and Diamond Discs among the rarest Edison
Phonograph collectibles.
While the HOME USE Long
Playing Disc was a short-lived experiment, the COMMERCIAL Long Play Disc actually
survived the 1929 closure of the Edison works into the mid-1930s: The 300 lines
per inch 30 rpm Radiosonic Broadcast transcriptions
were used by several radio stations, and other uses, like audio books for the
blind were explored.
|
FOR 1926 DIAMOND DISC PHONOGRAPH LABORATORY MODEL |
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ca2LXmUvjU
Watch
this YouTube Video of the Machine playing a Long Play Diamond Disc and Zez Confrey’s Kitten on the Keys.
For
sale is the Long Play Diamond Disc Laboratory Model Phonograph.
If you
are just interested in the Long Play Conversion Set for your own Edison Phonograph, pls let me
know.
The
Conversion set consists of:
- Long
Play gear mechanism with selection lever.
- Long Play Reproducer.
- Reproducer holder with original 2 mounting screws.
- 10”/ 12” Stop with original 2 mounting screws.
The phonograph
is Edison ’s top-of-the-line Laboratory Model
C-19, Chippendale style. The designation Laboratory Model signifies the largest
Edison C-250 horn, and the strongest 2 spring Edison
motor. Smaller machines would not earn the Laboratory model badge.
C-19 were sold in a variety of finishes, the most common
being the rather somber English Brown Mahogany finish.
This machine has a gorgeous Red Mahogany finish with a lustrous deep veneer.
This
machine has been inspected by Edison
researcher Ron Dethlefson. According to Ron, the
machine was equipped with the Long Play Mechanism at the factory.
Original
Sales Price: $295 (without long play equipment)
Measurements:
51” x 21” x 22 ½”
Chippendale
style with Chinese cut-out frieze, metal parts gold plated. 2 spring motor,
record storage for 72 records on two shelves with dividers.
Condition
Machine is in great condition with no hidden flaws. It
looks great and works reliably.
Plating on metal parts is exceptionally nice, reproducers
untouched original, uncleaned and unrebuilt.
Motor has been serviced. Great original finish has a deep lustrous shine.
Details:
The plating on all parts is great. I have cleaned the
hinges and metal cabinet fittings and relacquered
them for protection. All parts exceptionally nice, crank and lid stay have none
of usually scrapes or rubbed-through spots.
Turntable rim has great original gilding, with light pitting,
yellow-green felt is in great clean shape with no damage or fading. Pls see picture below for a photo in daylight. Lab Model
medallion is great with only some tiny pitting.
Bedplate black japanning is absolutely great with clean decal and no damage.
Motor runs strongly and quietly without jerking. Mechanism is very clean and
has been lubricated.
The horn is in great shape, with a sound gilding of the upper part with one
small discoloration and a few light scuffs.
Original finish has been brushed out with alcohol and rubbed with rottenstone
to bring back the satin sheen. Has been waxed for protection
(sorry for the streaks in some photos). Front, lid and all interior are
excellent. Two tiny scuffs under the original Edison
decal. Upper rail of player compartment has lightly rubbed edges from use. Back
has three small dull spots which are only noticeable from very close, side
panels and bottom of the corner posts have a few small nicks and dents from
use.
Grille is sound, grille cloth new.
Reproducer holder and S/L lever are excellent, 10”/12”
stop is great with some hints of dark spots on close inspection. All have not
been cleaned.
All divider and number strips are great with only a few faintest spots on the
number strips.
Reproducers are completely untouched and unrebuilt. I
have checked both diamonds under the microscope and done wear tests. Diamonds
are in perfect shape, and reproducers sound great.
The Long Play Reproducer has an exceptionally nice
gold plating, virtually no traces from use, with only a few tiny dark spots on
the upper horizontal tube. This may be just discolorations of the lacquer.
The Standard Reproducer has a great gold plating, with
some slight traces of use. The right hand side of the bell has a small
discoloration along 1 ½” of the edge. The underside of the floating weight has
some wear and discoloration.
In Conclusion
This machine has everything: Lab Model large horn, strong
two-spring motor and the rare complete, working long play equipment.
It sounds great on long and short play records.
The near pristine condition of the Long Play Reproducer makes this a truly
outstanding machine.
The great condition of the gold plated parts and the great finish make this a
very attractive looking machine.
There are probably few long play machines available that
compare to this one. But I would just mention:
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As with all Diamond Disc Reproducers,
the condition of the Diamond is crucial. A bad diamond will damage records.
There is no way to replace a damaged long play diamond.
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Edison finishes on these machines are
often very dark, dull and opaque. This machine really showcases the deep lustre of the mahogany used for Edison
machines.
Again, this machine is for sale in San Francisco
The
Conversion set consists of:
- Long
Play gear mechanism with selection lever.
- Long Play Reproducer.
- Reproducer holder with original 2 mounting screws.
- 10”/ 12” Stop with original 2 mounting screws.
The
conversion kit is designed for ALL Edison
Diamond Disc Machines, including the Edisonic. It is
easy to install and does not require any filing or modifications.
(Non-compatible exceptions are the early, pre-1914 models with Type A motor and
the belt driven B-60 and B-80 table top models.)
Contact me at sanfranphono
“at” sbcglobal “dot” net
Based on my experiences of internet transactions, I think
that it is advisable if you can come by to check out the machine yourself, or
have a friend in the area check it out for you. I think the finish is well
represented in the photos, but looks even better in person.
With regard to shipping, I will leave it to the buyer to
make the necessary arrangements. For moves within California
So, check out some more movies that I have put on YouTube
here:
http://www.youtube.com/user/sanfranphono
And some more machines for sale:
http://myvintagetv.com/Carsten%20Sales%20Ads/salelist.htm
And some more
interesting changers with videos of the changers working:
http://myvintagetv.com/updatepages1/changer%20videos/changer_videos.htm
Click on the thumbnails below for more pictures of
the Edison Long Playing Diamond Disc Phonograph.
For color calibration, here is the turntable and grille in natural
light.
The green is a vibrant yellowish grass green. The artificial light in the
thumbnails below makes the green look faded, which it is not.
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STANDARD |
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LONG PLAY |
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