Sliding down the 78 rpm slippery slope....help


I was in a local antique shop and they had an Amphion New Phonola Model X 78 rpm player for sale. It had been restored and was in a gorgeous cabinet. The front opened up to reveal the speaker cloth. There was a big crank on the right hand side...it came with a bag of "needles" that looked like sharp pieces of metal. Unfortunately the antique guy only had what looked like a trashed country 78rpm recording to demonstrate the unit. It worked fine and actually was pretty loud. So....the guy wanted 500 bucks for it...anyone know anything about these? He claimed it was from the l920s....if I had some rare jazz 78s would I play them on this contraption or would it trash them?....I live an a 100 year old house...it would look pretty cool in the den....anyhow I need some guidance....I am a vinyl guy deciding whether I need to become a shellac guy....
ntscdan

Showing 2 responses by aceto

Elizabeth is right as usual. Those needles have a thin coating which reduces friction. You can imagine the tremendous heat and impact tracking at that speed. That is why they sold needles by the box, so you could use one for each double side of the large '78s. By the end of the second side the coating had fractures. If you used it again, it would explode the tip, resulting in that once famous level of noise.
The table is worth about half of what he wants, unless it is really mint. But use it as decor only. If you really want to live it up, read my reply to the 78 question a few down in this queue. I am all the way down that slope now.
If you are not compelled to get one of at least three tables in current production, then at least know that the cartridge is the critical component, so that you do not share needles, as it were. Mayhap you have a ' Golden Arm'