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Post by coyote on Mar 19, 2009 11:57:21 GMT -5
Marcel, Please see the PM I sent you as I ordered both Paul Morris' and Shawn Borri's wax blanks in November. While both are of excellent quality, I find I get better results with original wax blanks. Perhaps this has to do with age "seasoning" the wax.
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Post by coyote on Mar 6, 2009 0:36:14 GMT -5
Usually it takes a bit more than just lubrication to make it move as freely as it should. The pivot pin for the stylus is probably a bit rusty/gunked up, and should really be removed and cleaned. This is a somewhat delicate operation and tough to do without a pin press, but I've been using an old pair of needle-nose tweezers to push the pin out to the point where I can grab it with pliers and then slowly twist and pull it out. A piece of #72 hardened steel drill rod is recommended. New styli come with new pivot pins should you damage/break yours. Personally I don't like these supplied pins as they're not as hard as the originals and bend easily, but sometimes they allow freer movement than the original pin. New diamond styli aren't cheap, but you might do well to replace the stylus and bar if you're removing the pin anyway, and check the gaskets in the reproducer. I'm sure the topic of reproducer rebuilds has been covered elsewhere. I never had much luck with the "dead wax" test, as I find new styli can also leave faint marks on a blank area of a Diamond Disc. VERY rarely have I ever encountered an original diamond on a DD reproducer that was still good. As for adjusting the reproducer height, it's basically accomplished by loosening a set screw and turning the bottom pivot at the other end of the "lift handle" rod. The Edison Disc Motor Manual is graciously reproduced by David and explains how to do this: forum.talkingmachine.info/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=476
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Post by coyote on Mar 1, 2009 21:38:32 GMT -5
Is it just me, or do celluloid BAs hold up acoustically better than Condensite? I have far more BAs that sound great compared to just a handful of DDs that I would consider to be excellent-sounding. Reproducers aside, it seems that even the BA "dubs" sound better (even with the flatness/muffling due to the dubbing process) than the DDs I have of the same recording. It stands to reason that if a BA dub sounds good, the original DD must have sounded even better...at least before repeated playings.
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Post by coyote on Feb 23, 2009 1:52:33 GMT -5
I have three serial number questions: 1. The motor serial number of most Edison machines is obvious, but where is the motor s/n on the Opera? There's a raised number underneath the front edge of the bedplate, but I don't think that's it. I realized that while I had the model plate serial numbers, I didn't record the motor serials. Help would be appreciated...thanks! 2. Would anyone be kind enough to PM me with current contact info for Terry Baer? So far, I've tried three addresses (aol, anheuser-busch, and edisontriumph.com) but all of them are invalid. While the database is still up, submissions return an invalid page. Does anyone know if the site being maintained, or how to contact Mr. Baer? 3. What would you say the serial number pictured below is? It looks like 52483, with an 8 overstamping a 6 (or vice-versa-?), but the apparent "6" looks deeper and doesn't seem to match the font of the rest of the numbers. Thanks in advance for answers to any/all questions. Bill
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Post by coyote on Feb 3, 2009 3:48:47 GMT -5
The theory works for me. Sorry, I wasn't thinking of the historical timeline of 4-min cylinders. Shame on me. This reminds me of the debate over whether a sapphire stylus should be dedicated to black wax or BAs only and not interchanged between them.
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Post by coyote on Feb 2, 2009 12:37:26 GMT -5
A gold-plated one? That's interesting as well. I would have expected that the only finish available was the oxidized one. IMHO, the oxidized bronze (or whatever the metal is; there was a discussion on this elsewhere) trumps any other finish for beauty. It's always a shame when you find any reproducer where someone has polished away the original oxidized finish. As an aside, do you agree with Frow about this model causing premature wear of cylinders? I can see a black wax 4-min being easily worn, but a blue Amberol?
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Post by coyote on Feb 2, 2009 2:09:41 GMT -5
Thanks for the info photo of the "early" model L. It's always good to be able to identify something you've never seen before which is not depicted in the common reference books. MUCH appreciated!!
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Post by coyote on Feb 1, 2009 4:37:33 GMT -5
Could it possibly be an early Model L? I'm only going from the Frow book, which only shows a picture of the later L, but states that the earliest models had a "swiveling stylus-bar mounting" which "tended to cut and wear records" resulting in their being sent back to the factory. Would you consider this to be a "swiveling stylus-bar mounting"? It's a pity the oxidation appears to have been polished away. If this is indeed an early L, it's no bargain for practical use, maybe not even as a show piece at that price. Yeesh.
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Post by coyote on Jan 7, 2009 12:13:50 GMT -5
*sigh* IMHO, this is just disgusting, and there should have been NO reason for taking down John's board. I agree that ProBoards is "familiar" and therefore was a good choice, but IF ProBoards is just reacting without proper justification (no idea, nobody seems to know the whole story), then I'm sure it will just be restarted elsewhere. As a disclaimer, I'm just acting on emotion and disappointment; I have no facts. Scott (MT Phono) said: My thoughts exactly. Perhaps this wouldn't happen if we were into needlepointing or quilting, instead? j/k Oh, no! Not HIM! That's a fate worse than d Eth! Bill
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Post by coyote on Jan 5, 2009 19:02:46 GMT -5
Er, ah...sorry, I didn't mean to imply mine was for sale. I just pulled it out and played it and it's not as clean as I would like, but VG+. Not going to FL, but will be in Wayne in April. Bon Voyage, and good luck with Oh By Jingo!
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Post by coyote on Jan 5, 2009 0:26:16 GMT -5
Luke W: Did you ever find this cylinder? If I have a copy (take 1, mold 22) in great shape (but no OBL). If *I* own fewer than 300 cylinders total, it should be relatively easy to hunt down. Edit note: Change from "less than" to "fewer than." I pride myself on being grammatically correct
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Post by coyote on Jan 4, 2009 13:45:37 GMT -5
I've seen a number of (later) DD machines with the 10" and 12" starting selector buttons, but no gear change (short/long) lever. My Baby Console has these buttons, but only a single spring and no gear change. Why is this? Were there plans for 12" standard play DDs? Apropos of nothing, there is a wooden reproducer holder behind the grille, but I'm assuming this was used in shipping for the original repro and not for an "additional" one.
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