[78-L] Glass versus Vinyl

[marimbamoods at comcast.net]

just wondering - why were lacquer-coated glass-based transcription discs used well after the introduction of vinyl? 


i recently encountered a damaged glass-based disc from 1945, though vinyl discs were in use as early as ten or more years prior to that. given the fragility of the glass type, why were those manufactured at a time when vinyl was readily available? 


are the lacquer-coated surfaces somehow superior to the vinyl surfaces for fidelity or noise levels? that does not seem likely given the smoothness of vinyl, which continued in use for a half-century after its' introduction. 


so, why deal with the delicate handling issues of glass-based discs when hassle-free vinyl was already in use? 


best, david harvey