[78-L] Our second phonograph

[S&R Pinsker]

Our first radio had three or four dials, all of which had to be tuned, and a
question mark shaped speaker sitting on top. It was replaced by a Brunswick
Hi-boy w.a 12" electrodynamic speaker. I can still remember that it had a
pair of 45's in push-pull and an 80 rectifier. The other tubes may have been 2A3's.
The phono was a table top Victrola, light brown wood.I learned how to crank it
up and change needles. I was only allowed to handle 10" discs.This was over
80 yrs ago and I still have our small collection. My great-uncle's furniture store
in Suffern, NY was the Victor franchise for Rockland County. Wonder what happened
to the 4 ft high papier mache Little Nipper that used to sit in the store window. The
Victrola was abandoned when the spring finally snapped. Wouldn't make it all the
way thru a 12" disc w/o having to be rewound.

Fast forward about a half-dozen yrs with no phono and the NY Post had its great
World's Greatest Music promotion. If I remember correctly, after purchasing the
first album we got a free record player. A friendly repairman, they weren't called technicians
back then, installed a phono input in our only radio, at that time a Philco table model.
Early on, I discovered cactus needles.  The next "major" addition to my collection came
from the close-out of Decca' 25,000 series classics early in WW2. Jordan Marsh in Boston
had tables and tables of them, in cardboard boxes. 

After the war, we lived in north  NJ. I went to the Lafayette in Newark, intending to buy a
Garrard but the salesman touted me to a GI unit which I suppose we could call "direct
drive" Good deal, 'cause it was a two speed player and I was ready when LP's came out.
GE VR cartridge w. that little one tube pre-amp. It was soon joined by my first Rek-O-Kut
with a Clarkstan arm. They are still up in the attic. Some LP only units followed; a belt
driven ceramic platter with a light weight aluminum outer platter and the Stromberg-Carlson
player w. 2 clock motors 180 degrees apart.

Then a R-K Rondine deluxe w. a Sony version of the SME arm which came with an elaborate 
manual which included an explanation of its design theory. Sheila's prents had given her a
graduation present of a system w. a Rondine Jr and an AR-1 speaker so there are 3 Rek-O-Kuts
now in the attic. The current player is an A-T direct-drive 3-speed. Current cartridges are Shure
97's and RXT-4's. w. two, yes two, elliptical 78 stylii which should last longer than I will. 

I'm not really a 78 collector. I have about 1400 78's; mostly classical but including such oddities
as Cetra's Arabic series and some of their Italian pop stuff that was imported for two stores in
San Francisco and a couple on Mulberry St. I worked for Soria back at the end of the 78 era and
the early days of LP.

Enuf history, if you've read this far, thanks.
Bob Pinsker