Who Else Has a Collection of 78 RPM Records?

I have a 2 sided 78rpm that contain songs my grandfather recorded in the 1940s. He performed under the name Paul Ondre (Ondrejcek). The label on each side says “audio blank” and the song titles are written in pencil. I put two of his songs on youtube. I’m looking for recommendations of an affordable turntable that will allow me to play and record the songs digitally. I see some for less than $100.

Who cares?

Thanx for the info pryso. Very informative.

@dover , I'm not at all sure when these were recorded but given the collectors age I assume they are all after the war. Thanks for your assistance! Interesting Web site. I had no idea Rec-o-Kut was still alive.
My father had an old Rec-o-Kut with this huge ESL tonearm. It was a monster. 

Hi mijostyn,

Here are some resources I found.

For cleaning:  https://www.loc.gov/preservation/care/record.html

Unfortunately 78s are not that simple for decent playback.  They had variations such as speed (not all 78), groove width (thus different stylus widths), and EQ (nearly all were produced prior to the RIAA standard), among others.  Here is an overview:  http://midimagic.sgc-hosting.com/mixphono.htm

For various styli options and reasonable priced EQ devices, see this:  https://www.esotericsound.com/index.htm

Of course it all depends on how many records you have, how much interest you have in getting the best out of them, and how much time and $ you want to commit.  Have fun.

I have a small amount of 78's to pass along to someone close enough to come get them here in Plainfield, NJ, 07062.

@mijostyn
Yes - 65um is 2.5mil.
There some useful info here on stylus size for 78's.
https://www.esotericsound.com/CartStyli.htm
I went for 3.0mil because most of my 78's are pre 1940's

Ah, the engine that saved the world but not Packard. 

@dover , I got the Ortofon 2M 78 which has a tip diameter of 65 um !

My wife received her fathers collection. It's very nice. All when he was in England during WWII and then stateside.. A lot of jazz, early blues, tropicals, and big band stuff. a few country western and opera (?) no idea

Most are in books. We fire the Victrola up every now and then..They sure are tough on the oldies though.

The actual records are as perfect as they can be.. 75-85+ years old now.. I'm looking forward to listening to them as soon as my new phono stage is done. Mono setup, Stanton wide tip.

He use to use vinegar and distilled water. A glass tank, fish tank bubbler, a piece of plexiglass with a slit in it and a coat hanger. He's spin the record. Never messed up the index and he would get a new (old) one and clean it up.. Smart fella.. He worked on all manner of  American planes stationed  in England. Every P series. I still have his notes.. Tune up a Merlin anyone? :-)

Regards

I have a small collection - I use the Kirmus for cleaning. Just water.

Only suggestion I have is that after doing some research I purchased a Nagaoka NMP3.0mil stylus to use on my Nagaoka cartridge becuase most modern 78 styli off the shelf are 2.5mil which is a bit too small for the early 78's. The larger stylus can help to reduce noise.

I dont play them much but have some interesting stuff like Rachmaninov conducting Rachmaninov, early jazz etc. For a couple of hundred dollars to explore these records I thought it was worthwhile.

I have a few 78's left over from my father's collection and my early childhood. I haven't, though, had a turntable that could play them in decades. Honestly, I have no genuine urge to play them or even clean them.  I'm just not that much of an enthusiast. I just keep them around because I like having them. It doesn't help that you can access plenty of pre-LP/45rpm recordings on the internet.  Sorry mijo.