question on a possible philco phonograph/ recorder? - Printable Version

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question on a possible philco phonograph/ recorder? - Guest - 01-04-2010

Hey,

My grandmother has an, apparently, working radio/phonograph/ lp recorder cabinet that she's had since she was a kid. since I do some recording work and mentioned that I'd like to try and record something using that medium (i've done a little work with some wire recordings, but mostly I'm familiar with 4 and 8 track cassette & reel to reels), she's letting me use it to try and record.

In anycase, I've only seen the cabinet (which is the size of a fairly large chest of drawer, if memory serves) several times the last of which was a few years ago, and since it's in her basement and she's not very mobile, (and I'm several states away and can't check for myself) she's unable to tell me anything other than that she's pretty sure it's a Philco. (no model number etc.)

anyways, I'll be visiting home in a few months and want to try to have as much information on it as possible, so I can work efficiently and care for it correctly, and have some idea of what I may need to do any minor repairs in the relatively short time I have to use it since I haven't worked with equipment like this before... but the only thing I seem to have found on like referencing a philco model that was also able to record was on this forum here:

http://philcoradio.com/phorum/showthread.php?tid=1946

if any of you has any information on a model # (or, hope springs eternal, something akin to a manual) or any other information that would point me in the right direction to be able to do this that would be greatly appreciated! (and maybe point me in the direction of a good vendor of Blank cardboard discs etc.? I know she has some blank ones still, but I'd like to try and have some room for recording trial and error as I learn it's capacities)

I apologize if the information is easily available and I just missed it somehow, but I've been searching for a while now and have come up pretty empty handed...

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Re: question on a possible philco phonograph/ recorder? - Ron Ramirez - 01-05-2010

I honestly do not know where you might find recording disk blanks.

In the previous Phorum post you linked to, did you write to the fellow who listed his email address?

45honcho Wrote:Well I have good news You can still buy blank records to record on. We restore and sell record cutters all of the time. Obviously, we have to test them before we send them out. We have several blanks that are Philco brand and they work fine. The best ones to use are the cardboard base discs. They won't ruin your cutting needle. The aluminum discs are heavier, but much more delicate to work with. You need to have depth set correctly to use these. The acetate on the NOS Philco discs we use is perfectly fine. They are stored in all different temperatures and no problems. If you would like the recording done for you, contact me at tse1968@45honcho.com and I would be glad to help you out.

He works with phonographs all of the time, so I believe he would be in the best position to help you out.

Your grandmother's set is probably a 1941 or 42 Philco with Beam of Light reproducer and the optional record cutter attachment. As far as I know, Philco did not install record cutters into any of their postwar sets.

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