[78-L] Edi-Crapophone

[Michael Shoshani]

On Sun, 2010-01-31 at 11:37 -0600, Mark L. Bardenwerper, Sr. wrote:

> I have a 150. No. 4? I can't find any reference to there ever being a no. 4.


Edison Diamond Disc models had either letters or names followed by
numbers, generally two or three digits.  C-250 (later C-19) was the
flagship model; you have a C-150, as do I. The A- and B- series was
before 1914; After that the models either started with C- or with a
letter denoting the cabinet type. William and Mary was W-250 (later
W-19), while the Heppelwhite was H- something and the Jacobean was J-19.

I believe the London models (named for the New London, Wisconsin cabinet
factory, not the English capital) were London No. 1, London No. 2, etc.
but I'm not entirely sure. We just moved and my copy of George Frow's
"The Edison Diamond Disc Phonograph and the Diamond Discs" is in one
book-box of many.

TAE, Inc, also never sold any model in a skeletal open cabinet. Such an
arrangement would have been dangerous both for the machine (grease and
oil attracts dust and grit) and for hapless users (small fingers and
gears do not mix). Plus, no housewife would have such a
mechanical-looking thing in her living room.  The only Diamond Disc
machines that I know of that were built even remotely close to this were
Thomas Edison's personal ones in his laboratories at both West Orange
and Fort Myers; these had open frames of heavy 2x4 lumber construction,
and turntables covered with untrimmed felt. Edison was after utility
more than beauty; both such machines, in fact, have gouges in the 2x4
frame where The Old Man bit into the cabinet in order to hear the sound
through the bones in his head, because he was functionally deaf and
couldn't hear through the horn even without a sound-modifying ball -
which his machines did not have.  (I presume both machines still exist,
but I could be wrong.)

Michael Shoshani
Chicago