Anyone have a victrola

Fmpnd,

You have two of them that is pretty cool. I can imagine that they do attract some interest and attention when you have company.

" I love how they look and I am always amazed by both Edison and his genius and that something over 100 years old with no electric parts still plays so reliably"

I'm in that camp as well.

I remember Quentin Collins playing his soothing music on his ornate Victrola in the 1890's sequence back on the old daytime soap "Dark Shadows" when I was a kid. I think I"ve always been fascinated by them (and audio equipment in general) ever since.

Yes I own a 1916 model VV-VI. It is all original and still works great (yes we can make quality equipment here in America). This is a table-top model made with solid mohagany. I have 200 needles, you are supposed to change the needle after each record (sure glad I don't have to do that with my dynavector 17D2 on my main system). I also have about 12 records from the time period 1909-1920 (smile and the world smiles with you from 1909 sounds good on this machine). So when the power goes out I play a few pieces of nearly 100 year old vinyl and am amazed every time with the fact that the unit still works as designed and sounds remarkably good for what it is. Anyone looking for info on Victola can visit the Victor-Victrola page on the net.

Hey Dwr... I also have two of them and a bunch of the old thick 78's. My prize record is a copy of "Yes, We Have No Bananas", from around 1923. That one will put a smile on your face.

Mapman, you sure are bringing back memories for me too. WOW, I had almost forgotten about Dark Shadows.

I know that what is "expensive" is a relative term. However, given what many of us in this hobby are willing to spend on cables, let alone amps and speakers, many of these old Victrolas (not the original cone shaped horn units) are not all that expensive. You can get a pretty nice table top unit from the early 1900s for $250-$400 most of the time. Especially now, given the economy and the fact that our society is aging, many people sell them at garage sales or on the net. You just have to do a little research (see the post above with the link for a start) and try to avoid the junk or fakes.

My wife and I were on vacation in Seattle about 6 years ago and went to Widby Island (sp?). We were in a little antique shop and she saw the table top unit we now have. She knew I has always wanted one and told me to just buy it (it was $400). What shocked us was the outrageously good original condition it was in. I hesitated because of my concern about damage during shipping (I live in Michigan). So, I took the lid off, wrapped the lid and bottom in thick towels, packed them in two big duffel bags and carried them on the plane storing them in the overhead compartment. It was heavier than heck and a bear to carry but worth the effort as I never let it out of my sight so it didn't even get close to getting damaged!!! Too bad we can't do that with full range speakers!! ;-)

Take care!!