Typewriters are my first and primary hobby, by an unbeatable margin. But my interest in them stems from my overall interest in alot of the antiquities that are from the turn of the 1900s, and so I delve into quite a few other items as has been shown on this blog from time to time.
I was recently lucky enough to find a Victrola in really good shape for quite an affordable price, and cleaned it up and got it working. I've been working on recording the more worthwhile records that came with it, and uploading them to youtube.
Just like typewriters, there's something about Victrolas being an independent, self-driven machine that just makes me smile.
Here are some of my favorites so far;
"Wa Wa Waddle Walk"
"Stein Song"
For the first dozen or so I recorded, the speed was actually set a bit too high (due to a missing speed indicator arrow). Using a bit of paper under a record, I had to set the speed by scientific study!
Great work on the Victrola. They sound quite good with a good reproducer, sharp sytlus (needle), and when scratch-free 78s can be found, especially the old (1/4 or 5/16 inch) thick ones made for Victrolas.
ReplyDeleteThanks, the only time consuming part was rebuilding the motor so that it could actually achieve a smooth speed. I love the sound they make, and I've made sure to have plenty of brand new needles on hand to properly abide by the "1 per record" rule. I'm not intimately knowledgeable about how it SHOULD sound with a better reproducer, but mine seems to be in good shape as far as I can tell. Someone stripped the thread on the screw port at some time though, so I've had to use some seal tape to get it to firmly lock in place.
DeleteI've heard the "Orthoponic" reproducers are the bees knees, so maybe some day I'll find one of those.