SH Spotlight Ever see an old 1929 electric phonograph with a steel needle in action? Take a look.

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Steve Hoffman, Oct 12, 2017.

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  1. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Looks to be a 1929 model. The arm is VERY heavy and the needle (cut from steel) needed to be changed after EVERY play or it would damage the record. But, when you listen to the great sound, it is truly amazing for something so old and crude to work so well. Not a fan of Nazi era German music but this is the only example of something that sounds good on all of YouTube. Notice the great dynamic range of the record. Take a look and listen.



    Yes, that arm is as heavy as it looks. That screw on the lower front of the arm loosens the steel needle, it drops out, you insert another, tighten her up and go.
     
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  2. Ken K

    Ken K Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sayreville, NJ USA
    That 78 DOES sound amazing! So hard to believe something so heavy and sharp didn't cut right through the disc itself. Very warm and clear audio. Recorded with a single microphone I assume?
     
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  3. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    No, electric hookup machine to recorder, like making a tape dub. No speaker involved..
     
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  4. Ken K

    Ken K Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sayreville, NJ USA
    That IS amazing! I noticed very little surface noise too. All the subtleties of the music could be heard clearly. Nice natural room acoustics as well.
     
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  5. DK Pete

    DK Pete Forum Resident

    Location:
    Levittown. NY
    The clarity, for what this is, is nothing short of amazing. The considerable lack of surface noise is the biggest surprise of all.
     
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  6. Wounded Land

    Wounded Land Forum Resident

    That is mindblowing. Awesome.
     
  7. Gary

    Gary Nauga Gort! Staff

    Location:
    Toronto
    TELE
    FUN
    KEN

    :cool:

    I'm also amazed that even ONE play didn't damage the record!

    Recorded all in one shot, of course. That was a smooooth band (old expression)
     
  8. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    Has more dynamics than most rock music including the Beatles. Those German technicians knew audio, they were also forced to become party members. Must have been hard for some of them (but probably not all of them.)
     
  9. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    When I saw the heading it reminded me of my first record player. An electric kiddie player with a resonator in the big plastic tone arm and STEEL NEEDLES. That would have been in 58/59. I guess it was another way to keep selling an obsolete product to children.
     
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  10. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    I remember those in the 1960's. 1920's technology was good enough for kids.
     
  11. the pope ondine

    the pope ondine Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    telefunken awesome
     
  12. JamieC

    JamieC Senior Member

    Location:
    Detroit Mi USA
    Worked great on 78s and those little Golden 5" records but ripped the hell out of any sort of regular 45.
     
  13. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    Had to look up Adalbert Lutter out of (slightly grim) curiosity... he survived the war, living until 1970. My grandparents had some Paul Whiteman, Glen Miller and Benny Goodman on 78 I remember sounding particularly good on an old art deco/streamlined tube system of some kind. Very full and warm. They had to get everything from saxes to vibes to vocals to come across and I guess the top labels did. Blues and Western music were usually done much more on the cheap and by smaller labels.
     
  14. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    For those who care (maybe one of you) here is the orchestra leader Adalbert Lutter behind the Telefunken mixing desk. Ol' Adalbert was no Nazi, just a bandleader.


    adalbert Lutter.jpg
     
  15. Kassonica

    Kassonica Forum Resident

    Incredible depth on that recording :)
     
  16. rpd

    rpd Senior Member

    Location:
    Nashville
    I have one in my dinning room

    And a big box of nails...I mean needles
     
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  17. spice9

    spice9 Senior Member

    Location:
    New York, NY
    Just my 2 cents but I would never glorify ANYTHING from the Nazi era. Disappointing that our host chose to.
     
  18. Sax-son

    Sax-son Forum Resident

    Location:
    Three Rivers, CA
    Weren't the the ones who invented magnetic tape as well?
     
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  19. Sax-son

    Sax-son Forum Resident

    Location:
    Three Rivers, CA
    1929 was not exactly considered the Nazi era in Germany. I would have to have been after the beginning of 1933 to consider it that. In addition, I think the Nazi's frowned on popular dance band music as well.
     
  20. yasujiro

    yasujiro Senior Member

    Location:
    tokyo
    Yes, they did, while it seems they abandoned the tradition in circa 1960 judging from their classical recordings like karajan on DG.
     
  21. Steve Hoffman

    Steve Hoffman Your host Your Host Thread Starter

    The MUSIC, around 1938, not the machine. That's 1929.
     
  22. RubenH

    RubenH Forum Resident

    Location:
    S.E. United States
    Veering into "should we appreciate Wagner?" territory here... so I'll just state that the recording - and playback technology - is quite impressive. Thank you Steve for posting.
     
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  23. Doug Sulpy

    Doug Sulpy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    As awesome as that sounds, it would probably sound even better in person on a good machine. I have an acoustic Victrola from that same era, and I remember putting on a Blind Willie Johnson 78 and standing there amazed. It was like there was a tiny little Blind Willie Johnson somewhere inside the box, singing. It sounded nothing like modern reproduction, and nothing like the CD. Hard to explain.
     
  24. The boys in the crew have got a present for you. So don't make a fuss just get on the bus.

    You'll love it! It's like a Telefunken U-87.
    With leather? :yikes:
     
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  25. t: 17346218, member: 1505"]Just my 2 cents but I would never glorify ANYTHING from the Nazi era. Disappointing that our host chose to.[/QUOTE]

    :crazy:

    [​IMG]
     
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