These stories are fascinating! Here's mine:
When I was about 8 or 9 years old, my dad would take me with him to my
grandmother's house while he mowed the lawn and did yardwork. There was a
separate building that my grandfather had built for the kids bedrooms, because
the original house was only one bedroom to begin with. He later added onto
that.
This back house consisted of four bedrooms, one for my dad, one for his
brothers, and two for his four sisters. I used to love to look through these
rooms, because at that time they were full of old junk as all the kids had
gotten married and moved out. Among these things was a tabletop oak Columbia
Grafonola Favorite. My grandmother was strict and did not let her daughters go
out to dances, so she bought the Grafonola so they could listen to music at
home. There were boxes of records, all predominantly in Spanish as that was my
grandparents' first language. There were songs, comic sketches, etc, all bought
from a man who would come to our town regularly from Los Angeles. I learned to
love playing records on the little machine, not knowing I was probably using
the
needles too many times!
My grandmother passed away, the house was rented, and all the lovely jumk was
absorbed into my uncle's garage, to rot away over time.
In the late 70s when I was in high school, a friend went to help his buddy
clean
out their garage, and as payment was given an Edison Standard model A cylinder
phonograph and a bunch of records. I was completely fascinated with it, and
asked him if he was going to keep it. He wanted $50 for it, which was a fortune
to me, and even though another friend said he should give it to me since it
didn't cost him anything anyhow, he kept it. I never forgot that little machine.
Fast forward to 1982, and I was living in San Francisco. I met a teller named
David Chess where I banked, and we got to know each other over time. He showed
me a Victor III that he owned, and he told me he collected phonographs when he
lived in Akron, Ohio. I remember it was like a light went on in my head - "You
can collect these things?" His first was a Victrola XI which he got at an
auction for $4.00 after another bidder's wife said "Aww let the kid have it".
Then there was an Edison Fireside model A that he got for $35. It had a model
C
reproducer, and he had read an ad by Karl Frick stating he sold reproducers.
David sent away his model C, and for a price, Frick stuck a Model S weight on
it
so it would play 2 and 4 minute records. Another Frick Freak. The III he had
bought for $50, as I recall. It was his influence and guidance, more than any
other thing, that got me started collecting.
One day I saw a Victrola VI in a music shop. I asked the owner what he wanted
for it, and he said $100.00. I had a decent German violin for which I had paid
$25, and he agreed to a trade! I got it home and called David immediately. He
came right over, not having forgotten to bring records and needles. He wound
it, It thumped. "The spring is broken", he said. My heart sank. I sent it off
to
Frick, and he sent the motor back in working order, We played it and all was
well. That summer I attended my first CAPS show, when it was held in a tiny
sweatbox of a conference room at Griswold's Hotel in Fullerton, California.
There i bought my first cylinder phonograph, a beautiful little Edison Standard
model A, in the new style case. It was $238.00. I bought several wax cylinder
in
mint condition for $5 each from Ed Linotti I believe. I still have the first
four I ever bought.
We got the machine to my house, and it didn't play correctly. The speed was too
slow no matter how we cranked up the speed control knob. I thought it needed a
new belt. I made one, but the sound didn't change. Then I opened the cabinet
again, and David said "What's that?" There was a strip of wood on the bottom of
the inside of the cabinet which lay directly under the spring barrel. David
thought if I removed it maybe that would work. I did, and the machine played
perfectly. Many of you probably realize it was a piece of packing material used
to stabilize the motr during shipping. In almost 100 years, it was never
removed! I wonder how people ever enjoyed music with it in place??
Since those early days, I have bought and sold many machines. I have had an
Amberola I, two Victor VIs, a Pathe Le Menestrel, maroon Gem model D, a
Columbia
AB, a mahogany Standard B and a mahogany Home B, and many other machines. My
fascination seems to be the chase and capture. Then I use the machine for
awhile, and sell it to buy something else. At this time I have 7 machines, an
Edison Fireside with cygnet horn and model O reproducer; an Amberola VI (very
quiet one too!), an Orthophonic 4-40, an Edison Diamond Disc A-200, Edison
Amberola X, Victrola IV, and a scarce Columbia Style 24 table model grafonola.
I
have had as many as 14 machines at once, and as few as 2. I have many
cylinders, discs, diamond discs, needle tins, foreign cylinder boxes, etc. And
yet there is always something new to acquire! I've been btten by the bug, and
there's no cure!!
John Robles
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