"Phonospace" or "How Do You Display Your Collection?"

[Valecnik]

57 minutes ago, Mainspring said:

What is the trick to setting up a cartridge to play diamond disks?

 Esoteric Sound offers an optional vertical/lateral switch ...mounted at the rear of the turntable platform (using it requires either an amplifier that can be switched to mono mode or an inexpensive AY connector to join the two outputs from the turntable).  I'm told it's quite easy to do yourself also if you have some basic understanding of electronics, which I don't.  In these pictures you can see the switch on the upper right.  Also added is a link to a laterally cut recording so you can see it plays them too with the flip of the switch.

 

 

 

Edited February 7, 2021 by Valecnik
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[chucka]

 

For vertical cut records using a stereo cartridge, connect Right Ground and Left for the Ground Lead and Left Ground and Right for the Hot Lead.
Possible problems are that one of the Ground pins is actually connected to the metal case of the cartridge.

In this case just make sure that this ground pin is the one which goes to the ground lead.

 

The stylus size on DD's is 3.7mil, later they were increased to 4mil

 

Chuck

[phonogfp]

Bruce,

 

Your video of your "cave" demonstrates that it takes only a very few machines to play (and play well) virtually any record a collector is likely to own.  I have often mulled the point of which machines I would keep if limited to a half-dozen.  You of course have a massive collection in Minnesota, but your home in Prague is fully equipped to handle your needs.  Congratulations on a beautiful, well-thought-out assembly of outstanding phonographs!

 

George P.

[billfeiner]

Thanks to everyone who has responded to this post and shown their great collections. How else can you see all these great machines without having to travel around the country (and the world). Here are some pictures of my collection, I hope other members will respond with views of their collection. Sorry, for some reason I can not get 2 of the pictures to spin in the correct position. Thanks for looking.

 

  Bill Feiner

 

 

 

[Fran604g]

Wow Bill, a spectacular collection!

 

Cheers,

Fran

[phonogfp]

Spectacular is the word for it! 

 

Bill, you don't have room for another phonograph - not even a Q!

 

Wonderful collection - - thanks for sharing it.

 

George P.

[Valecnik]

22 hours ago, phonogfp said:

Bruce,

 

Your video of your "cave" demonstrates that it takes only a very few machines to play (and play well) virtually any record a collector is likely to own.  I have often mulled the point of which machines I would keep if limited to a half-dozen.  You of course have a massive collection in Minnesota, but your home in Prague is fully equipped to handle your needs.  Congratulations on a beautiful, well-thought-out assembly of outstanding phonographs!

 

George P.

Thanks George for the kind words.  Your point about this tiny room "having it all" is correct.  There's also the A-250, Model E Triumph and Victor V in the living room but the TV is there too so I have some competition.  Thankfully I can always retire to the cave, close the door and hear pretty much any 33, 45, 78 or 80 rpm disc and most any standard cylinder.  Thanks to the ~2ft thick poured concrete ceiling between the main and second floor, there are no complaints from the bedroom above either.  ?

 

Your "attic" though is the stuff dreams are made of!

 

 

[melvind]

@billfeiner I love your collection! Great pictures. Thanks

 

@Valecnik Great little room there in Prague! I hope to see it one day if we ever get out of this pandemic. I have a record for you next time we get the chance to see each other.

[Valecnik]

2 hours ago, melvind said:

@billfeiner I love your collection! Great pictures. Thanks

 

@Valecnik Great little room there in Prague! I hope to see it one day if we ever get out of this pandemic. I have a record for you next time we get the chance to see each other.

Dan, thanks a lot.  You're welcome to see it and more once this pandemic subsides.  One drawback about the cave is that it's not great for social distancing.  Capacity, if we stay 6 feet apart is about 1.8 persons.  ?

 

Billfeiner..... WOW .... Just Wow!  I gotta go look again at all your pics but a bit more slowly!

 

[billfeiner]

6 hours ago, phonogfp said:

Spectacular is the word for it! 

 

Bill, you don't have room for another phonograph - not even a Q!

 

Wonderful collection - - thanks for sharing it.

 

George P.

George,  every time I bring another machine home, my wife asks the same question- "Where are you going to put that one? I always tell her that there is always room for one more. I don't know how much longer I can honestly say that. Thanks for everyone's comments, I love everyone's posts so far. Dan, I really love all of your advertising pieces.

 

 Bill

[alang]

Bill Feiner, I can also just say WOW! What a great collection of awesome machines and related items. On every photo I saw something I absolutely loved and felt I had to comment on it, But after seeing all the pictures I gave up on that thought, just too much awesomeness? Congratulations to such an extraordinary collection and thank you so much for sharing it!

 

Andreas

 

[Phonohound]

Everyone has such great collections.   Hoping for a time soon when we can all share them in person once again.

 

Bill, great collection..   Is your Kinetoscope now complete with the arms you molded from mine?  Looks great.

 

Scott.

[billfeiner]

2 hours ago, Phonohound said:

Everyone has such great collections.   Hoping for a time soon when we can all share them in person once again.

 

Bill, great collection..   Is your Kinetoscope now complete with the arms you molded from mine?  Looks great.

 

Scott.

Hi Scott. Yes, my 2 Projecting Kinetoscopes are both complete. Soon after I visited you in Wisconsin, I was able to acquire an original lower reel arm. I used that one as a pattern to sand cast a lower arm for my second one and another for a collector here in St. Louis. I did use the some of the patterns that I made at your house to cast other small parts. Thanks again for your help. If you still need a upper reel holder, let me know. I have cast 3 of these and the next time I am casting  I will cast you one. It will not be until the warmer months as I do this outside.

 

 Bill

 

 

[chucka]

I ran out of functional display room years ago. You all remember the old adage "your eyes are bigger than your stomach", well that fits me.

So here are some pictures of the main collection room. There is more in 4 more rooms around the house, my wife gave up trying to reign me in

years ago.

 

 

Chuck

 

[melvind]

Lots of great stuff in a small space! Nice pictures.

[phonogfp]

Ditto to what Dan said!  I admire all the Graphophones...

 

A very impressive collection, Chuck!

 

George P. 

[Fran604g]

I have to echo George. What a nice collection of Graphophones! And 2 G-Gs no less!

 

Thanks for sharing Chuck...now on to those 4 other rooms ? 

[electrolaman]

Well most of my machines are all electric but seems silly to post this separately in the other electric phonograph forum section, so here goes. my house and collection that I have on display as of February 25, 2021. There are a few more down at my business not ready to come home..... although I have no idea where thy are going in the house. LOL!!!

Edited February 25, 2021 by electrolaman

[melvind]

Wow, what a collection of both machines and advertising. I love the Electrola lit sign and the large Nipper cutout and many others. A super collection!

[phonogfp]

Thanks for posting your beautiful collection on display, Carlton! 

 

I think it's fascinating that although most people would categorize us as "collecting the same thing," the pictures of these various collections plainly show the divergent interests and affinities of the owners. 

 

George P.

[mattrx]

On 2/7/2021 at 6:59 AM, Mainspring said:

What is the trick to setting up a cartridge to play diamond disks?

I found this thread very helpful and was able to wire a cartridge for my lateral 78's, and one for my vertical discs.

 

https://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=7302&hilit=vertical+cartridge+diagram&start=10

[phonogfp]

Out of courtesy to those who in the future may be searching for methods to wire a cartridge for lateral and vertical discs, I'd recommend starting a new post with this topic in the subject line.  Otherwise, this information will be buried in this thread and difficult/impossible to find.

 

George P.

[KiltedTailor]

Hey Ho! New to the "hobby" bloke here with a Thought or three-- first, a world class set of collections is all that I see.  Next, I would hope these things are destined for some museum when the owners are not amoung the living. These are too fine to be lost to the uncaring and unknowing

[phonogfp]

Well, there are two general schools of thought on the topic of legacy planning.  I used to think that a museum would be the ideal solution, and it may still be, but it needs to be the right museum.  I've been to the Smithsonian and the Henry Ford; expecting to see tantalizing antique phonographs and related artifacts that I know to be in the possession of those institutions.  I've been disappointed.  

 

I've also been privy to stories about what has happened to certain historic phonographs in museums after-hours - - the result of hiring temporary summer help who have been careless.  These are not rumors, but first-hand accounts from people who are in a position to know.

 

None of this is meant to disparage the efforts of excellent museums and historic sites such as those mentioned above, the Thomas A. Edison National Historic Park, the Edison/Ford, nor a number of others.  But the fact is that antique phonographs are usually not the main focus of the larger museums (such as the Smithsonian and the Henry Ford).  (On  my last trip to the latter, there was a large display of antique office equipment, but exactly ONE antique phonograph on display.)  There is a general expectation that once an item has been consigned to a museum, it will be available for the enjoyment of large numbers of people, but many museums simply don't have room for large numbers of phonographs, so only a handful are put on display every few years in rotating exhibits. 

 

Collectors on the other hand have a vested interest in restoring and preserving the machines and records in their collections.  Advanced collectors who have invested thousands of dollars in single examples generally guard these artifacts from harm and carefully preserve them for the next owner.  I suspect that no student interns have ever carelessly damaged the phonographs shown in the collections shown in this thread!

 

When I'm through with my phonographs they will be sold, and my expectation is that those who purchase them will be interested in preserving them.  Through venues such as the APS Forum (or who knows what may exist in 15-20 years!), these phonographs can be seen and heard by people all over the world.

 

George P.

 

 

[Neilvanstem]

Okay these are in my front room. I did not move anything out of the way to sort of pose them. I did not even dust. Here are most of the machines in my front room. Neil