|
|
Post by cdbpdx on Sept 12, 2009 19:14:21 GMT -5
Hi. New guy here. I collect 78s and have about 50 or so Diamond Discs and just got a good working S-19 at a garage sale a couple weeks ago and started listening to them. Several of my DDs seem to work OK but on a lot of them, the stylus 'hops' back and forth between grooves. Are these damaged with lateral needles? or is it something else?
I also would like to know if there is an online discography for them. I have several with no labels, though the number is stamped into the disc.
Last, I have 50878 and the L side is She's The Lass For Me, a Harry Lauder song, sung by Glen Ellison. The flip side is Waggle o' the Kilt, but the label is missing. Was this also sung by Glen Ellison or Harry Lauder?
Thanks! CDB
|
|
|
|
Post by matty on Sept 13, 2009 1:31:00 GMT -5
The first thing I'd check is the screw at the back of the reproducer that holds the weight to the top shell. The hole & screw can often get gummed up over time, so it's a good idea to remove the screw, and clean out the hole & screw then lightly oil both to ensure the weight & stylus aren't binding & are free to move. If the weight is restricted in moving properly at that point, the needle will jump grooves. An online discography can be found here- www.truesoundtransfers.de/disco.htmThe flip side of your disc will also be recorded by Glen Ellison. By the time Edisons DD's hit the market, Harry Lauder had an exclusive contract with HMV/Victor which prevented him recording for any other company ON DISC format. The contract didn't cover cylinder recordings of course, so Lauder continued to record for Edison, but they could only be released on cylinder format. |
|
|
|
Post by MordEth on Sept 13, 2009 1:58:29 GMT -5
CDP, You might find the modified spreadsheets here useful—I modified the Truesound spreadsheets to include filters, to make them sortable. This post combines the Diamond Discs and cylinders into a single spreadsheet with 2 tabs. Hope this helps. — MordEth |
|
|
|
Post by larryh on Sept 13, 2009 10:12:53 GMT -5
Another possibility is that perhaps your not setting the arm down so that the needle is centered in the center of the loop it rides in. If you start it with the pin too close to the inside it will tend to hit the loop and then repeat the grooves a lot. But I agree that the rear pivot could be the culprit here also and is important to be free in movement.
One other thing, which if your not very familiar with edisons yet is that the pin on the front of the weight should be riding about in the upper middle of that area between the bottom of the loop and the reproducer. Some times the diaphragms can become damaged over time causing the linkage to make the stylus bar ride too low in that confined area of the "v" at the front of the loop, that would cause excessive repeating as well. The stylus bar under the reproducer should be riding nearly or close to level on its top portion, not the bottom which is sloped in construction. You can just see in when you lower the arm on the record by using a strong light or flashlight to peer under the tone arm and see the position of the needle bar.
Lots of little things to learn here. Either way no doubt eventually you will want to replace the gaskets to the reproducer as old ones will make a much poorer sound result after all these years.
Larry
|
|
|
|
Post by cdbpdx on Sept 13, 2009 14:22:12 GMT -5
Thanks for the helpful info! The rear pivot is very stiff. Probably that is the problem. Having a bit of trouble unscrewing the screw. Not much room to get a screwdriver in there. Does the shell detach from the upper arm? I don't want to force it if it doesn't unscrew or something.
The fellow I bought this from said his father restored the S-19 about 25 years ago and it has been in storage for the last 10 years. I think the stylus alignment is good according to information I've found online. Plays very well and I am really impressed with the engineering of the piece, especially the way the entire horn tracks mechanically and the volume control.
Thanks for the help! CDB
|
|
|
|
Post by cdbpdx on Sept 13, 2009 14:58:52 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by maroongem on Sept 13, 2009 19:31:56 GMT -5
Thanks for the helpful info! The rear pivot is very stiff. Probably that is the problem. Having a bit of trouble unscrewing the screw. Not much room to get a screwdriver in there. Does the shell detach from the upper arm? I don't want to force it if it doesn't unscrew or something. The fellow I bought this from said his father restored the S-19 about 25 years ago and it has been in storage for the last 10 years. I think the stylus alignment is good according to information I've found online. Plays very well and I am really impressed with the engineering of the piece, especially the way the entire horn tracks mechanically and the volume control. Thanks for the help! CDB Hi CDB and welcome to the board! Isn't that screw a bugger to get to? You will have to make your own tool to remove that w/o damaging the finish on the Reproducer or the screw head. I made mine years ago by taking a 7/32nds allen wrench and grinding down the end at the bend so it would fit nicely between the sound tube and the top of the sound cup and then made a hollow ground chisel tip to fit in the head of that screw with the tip being nearly the same width as the screw slot so it won't damage the slot if the screw is frozen. I've had the same tool for well over 25 yrs and it has serviced countless DD Reproducers! Bill |
|
|
|
Post by martin1 on Sept 13, 2009 23:36:16 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by larryh on Sept 14, 2009 16:37:05 GMT -5
Yes the screw is a pain! But I often find that by taking the weight off the reproducer and then soaking the screw end with some WD 40 or similar product and letting it sit a a while, then working the rear pivot back and forth till it loosens up well, then I dry it off and add a bit of sewing machine oil to the pivot. That works well in most cases.
|
|
|
|
Post by maroongem on Sept 14, 2009 21:18:17 GMT -5
Yes the screw is a pain! But I often find that by taking the weight off the reproducer and then soaking the screw end with some WD 40 or similar product and letting it sit a a while, then working the rear pivot back and forth till it loosens up well, then I dry it off and add a bit of sewing machine oil to the pivot. That works well in most cases. The only problem with this method is if there is a considerable amount of hardened lubrication/rust, this will cause further binding of the pivot point over time. It is a short-cut that can have poor results as the mixture of new oil and rust and or old lubrication will make a gummy mess that will prevent good movement at that pivot point. Your best course of action is to remove the screw and polish the shank with some type of abrasive such as steel wool or scotch brite and clean out the well in which the screw goes into. |
|
