[78-L] When is a microgroove not a microgroove?

[Michael Biel]

I would not have considered a 7-inch 78 from 1952 as being microgroove. 
Victor prefixes show that they cut 78s wide-groove or universal groove
in the small sizes.  The "Universal" groove was a v-shaped groove that
could be played with a variety of styli size.  Because of polishing of
masters and stampers you could not otherwise expect that the groove
would have a sharp V at the bottom.

Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com  


-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Re: [78-L] When is a microgroove not a microgroove?
From: David Lennick <dlennick at sympatico.ca>
Date: Tue, May 08, 2012 12:21 am
To: 78-L Mail List <78-l at klickitat.78online.com>

On 5/8/2012 12:15 AM, David Breneman wrote:
>
>
> From: David Lennick<dlennick at sympatico.ca>
>
>> I have 4 7-inch 78s pressed (uncredited) by Decca, given as premiums by the
>> Quaker Oats Company or something like that..the theme and 3 stories in the
>> Sergeant Preston of the Yukon series, issued in 1952. You would think they were
>> microgroove, but a .7 stylus gives a very hissy output..I thought this was poor
>> pressing material, but I tried a 2.0 mil truncated elliptical stylus and the
>> sound was perfect. Discs are near mint, so this doesn't seem to be a matter of
>> the discs having been chiseled out. How come this, how come?
>
>
> Weren't the 7" 78s from the 50s and 60s, such as children's records, also
> cut with 3 mil grooves? As a kid, I was taught to always use the 78
> stylus on a slip-over cartridge for any 78, no matter what the age.
>
> _______________________________________________
Seeing as these discs run as long as 4'31", I'd say they definitely
aren't 
standard groove, but the labels don't give any indication. Bell 7" discs
from a 
bit later usually say to use an lp needle and sound great if they
haven't been 
destroyed by the average 78 chisel (or "universal" point). I didn't try
a 1-mil 
stylus since the 2.0 truncated sounded so good.

Dance and folk records (10" and 12") continued to be cut standard
groove, as 
did Chappell and other music library recordings which remained in
production 
through 1968.

dl
_______________________________________________
78-L mailing list
78-L at klickitat.78online.com
http://klickitat.78online.com/mailman/listinfo/78-l