[78-L] Spiked Edge Victor Test Pressing

[J. E. Knox]

Greetings from FixitLand!

Clifford Bolling wrote:

>> I have a 1932 Victor test pressing featuring MELODY by the Leo Reisman Orchestra.  The edge has 'spikes'.
>> 
>> It looks like it was done while the 'wax' was still soft enought to easily cut away.
>> 
>> What was the reason for this?  A couple of the spikes still have traces of the recording session info scratched
>> into them.  You can see this disc on YouTube at:
>> 
>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMVXT7OVlng
>> 
>> Weird.


To which David Lennick replied:

> I'd definitely not want to be in the room when one of those was flung off a 
> Capehart.

That was my line of thinking too...perhaps this was intended to prevent playing on a changer. (Remember that changers of the time flung the played disc into a bin.) Or someone wanted to be extra EXTRA sure the test-cut grooves couldn't be played. I've not seen such a thing on a test pressing or any other record before, let alone done at the pressing plant.

Weird indeed!

Take care,


—
Joe
—
“MMEEOOWW!!”—Douglas Fur and Kimberly Fur