Blue Amberols - Flat vs Beveled Ends

[NashTwin8]

Hi All,

I have a question regarding the different end shapes on Edison Blue Amerbol cylinders. Some are flat on the title end, while others are beveled. Is one of these an older configuration than the other? Or does the type of end signify something else?

If a record was originally issued with a flat end, would later re-issues of the same record have been the same shape, or possibly different?

Thanks for whatever comments you care to offer.

Take care,

Jerry K

edit to correct spelling

[maroongem]

Hi Jerry,

The flat ended BAs are direct recordings and earlier than the beveled end(ie not dubbed from a Diamond Disc) and the sound is fantastic. Those can be found with the later beveled end as well if the record wasn't discontinued. BA #2516 (Feb 1915)is the last regular issue direct recording but there were others issued sporadically later on.

Bill

[NashTwin8]

Bill,

Thanks for the info! To see whether I'm understanding this correctly, would a record, say BA #1897, be of the high-quality direct-recorded type, even if it was issued later with a beveled end? Or??

Your giving a cutoff # for the direct-records makes it easy to know what's what when you run across things out in the world.

Thanks again!

Jerry K

[maroongem]

Hi Jerry,

Yes, your "Waiting For The Robert E. Lee" (rel. Sept 1913) is a direct recording that was continued into the beveled edge production due to it's popularity. This was taken from the 4M wax Amberol master, #1144 rel. 1912.
Excellent tune I might add!!!

Bill

[NashTwin8]

Bill,

Thanks for making this easy to understand! My BA 1897 is a beveled-end style cylinder. Now I know more about records than I did before.

I agree with you, "Waiting for The Robert E. Lee" is a fun tune to listen to. I'd guess I've listened to about 25 of the records that came with my Amberola 50 three months ago. "Robert E. Lee" is my hands-down favorite so far. Of course, I am looking forward to hearing the rest, as I find the time to clean them. Long-term storage in a damp and lonely environment has left most of them on the dirty side, with cobwebs in the centers and so on. Most are still in their original boxes, although some of the boxes are a bit worse for wear, and quite a few of the lids are damaged or missing. Some of the records are in the wrong boxes, or at least have the wrong lids on them, so who knows what I may yet find as I go through them?

Thanks again for taking the time to fill me in.

Take care,

Jerry K

[jackwhelan]

If the question was, why do some Blue Amberols have flat side ends and some have beveled ends, from an article by Ron Dethlefson in The New Amberola Graphic Nov 1995, Edison's Amusement Phonograph Committee:

It was found that the records with beveled ends were easier to extract from the moulds whereas flat ended cylinders were prone to "mould scratches", meaning that horzontal surface scratches appeared on either the records or the moulds themselves as the records were extracted.

Thus, in May of 1913 thicker celluloid began to be used for Blue Amberols in order to cut down on the surface buckles and "run outs" or shallow grooves which caused repeating.

There was a NOTE at the bottom of the article: In the later Teens, a few Blue Amberols pressed from old was Amberol mastes most notably selections by the Unites States Marine Band were issued with flat ends.

Have fun,

Jack