Phased-out, being replaced by plastic compounds that wereĮasier to press and resulted in less surface noise. To improve fidelity, the use of brittle shellac material (much of it developed during World War One), both phonographs and recordings Within a few years, a number ofĪdvancements were made to enhance the sound quality and convenience of talking machines.īy the mid-1920's, with the advent of advanced technology and electronics Machines, with rather poor sound quality. Hidden behind "tone doors" on the front, portables,Įlectrically-powered versions and a host of others (a few examples shown below).Īt first, these phonographs were considered to be novelties simple crude
Of large and small phonographs with external horns, some with internal horns As a result of the legal skirmishes, Mr.īerliner moved his operations to Montreal Canada, and sold machines under the Through aggressive and savvy management, Victor eventually became the dominantįorce in the phonograph marketplace, relying on the 78 RPM Berliner recordĭesign as the basis for their products. Inventor Eldridge Johnson, who had been one of Berliner's early business Machine Company of Camden, New Jersey (who later made the "Victrola") was just Regal, Sonora, Silvertone and many others. On the business horizon in the early years, including brands such as Columbia, Hundreds of phonograph companies popped-up
Many entrepreneurs jumped onto the phonograph manufacturing bandwagon in theĮarly 1900's, with every company making a slightly different product trying to avoid patent infringementīattles between phonograph companies were ongoing for many years, as each design feature was challenged andĭefended by competitors, all vying to sell more phonographs. The lower cost, ease of storage and continually improving performance made the Berlinerĭisc the dominant audio reproduction medium. Quality wasn't the greatest in early years, but over time,
Most disc records were made from a shellac-based compound, whichīecame brittle after pressing, but provided acceptable durability given To a printing press, and it offered the advantage of having music available onīoth sides. Inexpensively duplicated by pressing them from a master disc, similar Since Edison's designs andĬoncepts were strongly protected by patents, and his cylinders were relativelyĮxpensive to produce in large volumes, a competitive and improved design wasįlat disc record was designed and manufactured by Emile Berlinerīeginning in 1892. His phonograph cylinders and players for many years. Plenty of good reading material is available online. Technology of cylinder records goes way beyond the scope of this website, but Pre-dates the flat record (below right) by almost 15 years. In fact, the copyrighted brand name "Victrola" is still in legal useĪntique phonograph collectors are primarily interested in the machines andĬylinder record (right) was the original invention of Thomas Edison in 1877, and The RCA Corporation bought Victor in 1929,Īs a marketing catch-word on some of their products up until the late 1970's īut those machines are not true "Victrolas" in the antique-phonograph sense. Or yard sales (such as the one shown here) date from the 1950's or 1960's, and have nothing toĭo with this hobby or this website. Most common radio/phono consoles that you come across in basements That's the difficult part of thisĮxplanation. Understandable, as these old machines appear as ancient as the pyramids to Rare antique phonograph that has some real collector value. "RCA Victor" or "Victrola" inscribed on it.
#50s rca victor radio portable
On the left) or a portable record player in their parents' basement, they may find the words To someone who is 25 years old and finds an old radio/phonograph console (like the one This website, and will provide introductory information about antique phonographs in general.Ĭonnotations. In Uncle Fred's basement, this page will get you started, and will help you Even if you aren't interested inĬollecting phonographs, and simply want to unload an old Victor or Victrola that you found Understanding what "Victrolas" and antique phonographs are all about. History of recorded sound, WELCOME! This is the first step in You are new to this hobby, are less than 50 years old, or have never studied the