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Post by misspeacock on Nov 9, 2009 1:05:39 GMT -5
I played with this Edison Diamond Disc as a kid in Grandma's attic. 35 years later, it lives with us in the heart of our home and plays beautifully. Along with it, we have an abundant collection of discs. Grandma liked Hawaiian music and marches! Does anyone know what this player is or anything about it? info from plate first patented Nov. 17, 1903 Last Patented May 23, 1916 W.&M.C 33 SM---7S7 Thank you. Attachments:
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Post by larryh on Nov 9, 2009 8:59:18 GMT -5
Great Edison William and Mary Console. It was the first type of Edison I owned and wish I had one again. It had great sound and I like the style of the cabinet. Only disadvantage is there rather hefty size. It was probably made in the 20's when consoles became popular. Hawaiian records were all the rage then, not quite so now.
Is it working as it should? Normally a new set of gaskets in the reproducer is needed after all these years to produce the ultimate sound from them. Also since the Edison needle was a diamond and permeant its a good idea to be sure the needle isn't faulty due to some kind of damage in handling over the years. If you lower the arm over the rear of the record in the "runoff" shiny solid black area it should not leave any noticeable lines in the record. Some needles will leave a very faint mark seen only when held at an angle under a bright light. That isn't too concerning. But should you find that it leaves a obvious mark or brownish looking line, your in need of a new needle and it will ruin any good records that remain. As nice as the machine looks it wouldn't seem to have been abused, but it still pays to check before playing a lot of records. Too many owners who have no idea end up wrecking nice pieces by playing with a damaged needle.
Larry
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Post by gibsonj on Nov 9, 2009 9:03:02 GMT -5
Hello
The machine you have is the William and Mary Console model. It was introduced in 1922. This particular model was not a huge seller in its day, but remained available until 1927. This model does have the large horn and a double spring motor, so should play quite loud, provided the diaphram and stylus are still in reasonable shape.
Please remember that Edison machines were designed to play ONLY Edison Diamond Disc records (about 1/4" thick), and not competitor's 78RPM records. Playing the 78's required a special adaptor reproducer that was substituted for the original Edison reproducer.
Hope this helps.
John
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Post by misspeacock on Nov 11, 2009 1:11:47 GMT -5
Thanks for the info and advice. The console and discs are in great condition. The sounds seems good to me - I will have to check the needle as you suggested. thanks Larry and John!
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