An experiment with alternatives to steel needles

[gmogle]

Your typical metal needle produces a loud and full sound from your record.  But the price you pay is generally a lot of surface noise and inevitable damage to the record itself.

I remembered having read that needles made of bamboo, or of some other "woody" source, worked well and were often used in place of the metal needles.  So, I conducted a (very un-scientific) experiment.  My yard lacks bamboo, but does have a bougainvillea, a lime tree, and a lemon tree.  All three have very substantial thorns.   I grabbed a few thorns from each of the three, and, (after applying band-aids to the gashes on my arms), wound up the Victrola, put a record on the turntable, and prepared to listen.

First, the bougainvillea thorn: the smallest of the three.  It worked surprisingly well.  I had been afraid that the weight of the soundbox would crush it, but the thorn held up like a champ.  Sadly, however, the sound, while nice, was very soft.  Too soft.

Next, the lime thorn: it needed a bit of shaving to fit into the holder.  It produced a nice sound.  Perfectly loud, and with more of a "woody" than metallic sound, as one would, of course, expect.

Finally, the lemon thorn: This thing is a monster, well able to withstand the weight of the soundbox.  Nice taper to a very sharp point.  It produced a very mellow sound, and louder than the lime.  Surface noise seemed much diminished, and no ill-effects appeared to have been inflicted on the record.

I switched a few records, trying a 1907 Caruso, a 1920's acoustic recording, and a later 1920's electric recording.  Same results.

So, if you're tired of the grating of steel needles, maybe give a couple of thorns a try.  

Cheers.

[BenL]

There was a plethora of “fiber” needles, as they were known in the trade during the acoustic era. Bamboo was the most common, but other materials were also used—such as cactus and various types of thorns, including rose and hawthorn.

 

I’ve experimented with rose thorns myself, but they tend to wear out pretty fast. They need to be cut in a specific way, along with sharpened. That’s why specialized fiber needle cutters were sold—to shape the tip similarly to that of a steel needle.

 

I use fiber needles when playing my rarer records, though I generally prefer steel needles for regular use.

Edited yesterday at 02:57 AM by BenL

[Henry]

Since we have a shortage of lemon trees in Pennsylvania, an alternative for us is the honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), which produces an abundance of thorns sprouting from its trunk and branches. In my experience, the thorns will make it through one side of a 10” record, but beyond that it is chancy.