Cylinder Types - Differences

[keywindgem]

Can you learned collectors please tell me the differences in the cylinder and which came first.
The brown wax are early cylinders and get a fungus attack !
I know the black wax cylinders are in the Brown & White Edison Cylinder tubes.
The Emberols have me confused.
The blue Amberols comes in different tones of blue, some dark and some quite bright blue and tapered at the end where the print is .
The cylinders in the Green Amberol tubes seem to be black wax and flat where the print is, these are also marked 4M for four minute. Are the Green tubed Amberols the early ones ??
They only way I am going to learn is to ask so do not be shy in replying, either here or to my email address.
Regards
Peter

[phonogfp]

Well Peter, I'm surprised no one has yet responded, so I'll do the honors. At the outset, please remember that the following are general guidelines - - exceptions exist such as 4 minute brown wax, 2 minute Blue Amberols, etc. I'll just hit the generalities for now.

Brown wax recordings date from 1888 to 1902, with a few rare exceptions. They were recorded at a variety of speeds, but the musical recordings gradually increased in rpm over the years from around 90 to 144. I don't believe brown wax cylinders are any more susceptible to mold than the molded 2 minute type. Somtimes an apparently moldy brown wax record will clean up partially with a soft cotton cloth, and play surprisingly well, considering its appearance.

Molded black wax cylinders date from 1902 - 1909 (Columbia) or 1912 (Edison). These run at 160 rpm. The first of the Edisons lacked titles on the ends, but a tiny catalog number was molded faintly on the recorded surface by the edge. Once these become moldy, they're junk. There's no saving them, and sometimes these black waxes appear alright, but play awfully. Beware buying these sight unseen or using photographs. Only experience will help you determine playable black wax by sight.

The first 4 minute Amberol records were introduced in 1908, and these are indeed the black wax type with flat title ends, housed in green and white boxes. These cylinders are quite resistant to mold, but they are fragile and sensitive to rapid temperature changes (such as the heat from your fingers inside one if it's cool).

Blue Amberols were introduced in 1912 and produced until 1929. The first of these have flat title ends, and these will be "direct" recordings. Most of the later beveled end type are dubs taken from Diamond Disc records, and generally lack the quality of the earliest Blue Amberols. Even so, the late 4000 and 5000 series Blue Amberols can contain arguably the best music ever released on cylinder records, and the late 5000s can be quite rare. The differing shades of blue are generally meaningless - - simply different batches of dye or differing storage conditions over the years. The first Blue Amberols were housed in blue boxes; later on the boxes were orange and blue.

You will also encounter celluloid cylinders manufactured by Lambert (1900-1905 and rare), Indestructible (1906-1923, common, and in 2 & 4 minute varieties), Everlasting (1910-1913 and in 2 & 4 minute varieties), and a number of non-U.S. brands which I'll leave to others to elaborate upon.

That's a very quick & dirty outline on American cylinder records. Many exceptions to these general guidelines exist, and discovering them is part of the fun of this hobby - - good luck!

George P.