[78-L] Recordio Instruction Booklet

[Michael Biel]

From: "Milan P Milovanovic" <milanpmilovanovic4 at gmail.com>
> BTW, some older friend of mine, told me that listening to
> acetate or other home recorded discs, during those 1940s
> era was limited to the device equipped with so-called
> curved needle. Do someone know anything about that?

If you notice in the instruction book they show three types of playback
needles, all straight but with precision points.  When Presto introduced
the lacquer disc in October 1934 they stressed that unlike the uncoated
aluminum discs that had to be played with fibre needles, the lacquer
disc could be played with a steel needle, although they strongly
recommended shadowgraphed needles and no more than two ounces pressure. 
Broadcast turntables originally used steel needles, including the first
lightweight arms made by Brush around 1937.  RCA and Western Electric
introduced broadcast tonearms with permanent jewelled styli shortly
after, and we have several times discussed the "jewel-lite" reproducer
introduced by RCA around 1940 for the Magic Brain changer and also used
on their regular changers.  It was a slide-in crystal cartridge with a
sapphire stylus which had nothing to do with the electric eye arm that
Philco introduced in 1939, which used steel needles.  Most phonographs
still used steel needles until the introduction of microgroove, but most
changers recommended jewel tips so they wouldn't wear out, and many of
those needles were bent angled or curved.  

> Is it wrong to listen to acetates with contemporary diamond
> 2.7 mil elliptical or conical needle? Best wishes, Milan

Certainly that is how they should be played now.  Never use old heavy
equipment and old fashioned needles. The same is true with the uncoated
aluminum discs -- we occasionally have questions as to whether those
should ONLY be played with fibre needles because that is what the labels
say to use.  Once someone said he was looking for an old thumbscrew-type
cartridge in order to use a fibre needle!  With lacquer discs there
might be more variables in groove size and wear than found in commercial
pressings because of the softness of the materials, the different
recording points, the type of recorder, and the skill of the operator.  

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com


From: <78records at cdbpdx.com>
>> I have posted images of a 1946 Recordio instruction booklet here:
>> http://78records.cdbpdx.com/RECORDIO/InstrBk/
>> Tells how to record your own 78 rpm records on an old Wilcox Gay
>> Recordio player. You can also download a copy of this booklet in
>> pdf format from the web page. Thought this might be of interest. CDB