@elliottbnewcombjr Use the 78 EQ when playing 78's; that and the right stylus should help with surface noise.
There are not many LPs from the 1940s, but I suspect you would have to check on the back of the jacket to see what EQ was used. By 1956 most had gone to the RCA Orthophonic (RIAA). As pointed out earlier, Columbia was a late comer but was entirely RIAA by the stereo era (stereo mastering systems were only supplied with RIAA equalization).