Edison B-80 belt driven Diamond Disc phonograph (HD)

[Idelia412]

I have a B80 belt drive Edison with a matching cabinet too,except I have a cutout on the front at the top that looks like the grill on a B80. Have you seen that cabinet style? I like the feet on your cabinet.

[gmmix]

The sound produced by this machine is of much greater quality than I would have supposed. Many belt-driven phonographs have a slightly "uneven" sound. Your machine evidences none of this. Thanks for this video.

[RoninAvenger]

I love these haha

[XduchaX]

does make a diff at 2.50....was ever any agreement with Columbia nd Edison? A Phonograph in Every Home; gr8

[radioman56]

awesome i have a parts no case great to see this playing so great

[CD122344]

Too bad Caruso never made an Edison disc - what a sound. What is the name and number of that record?

[Phonophan79]

The record in this video is listed in the description. Disc #: 50137-L titile: EL CHOCLO - TANGO / artist: NATIONAL PROMENADE BAND / author: M. SARRABLO

[riqzster]

@CD122344 I'd bet any money Caruso wanted to. But 6 years prior to the advent of the Diamond Disc, the Victor Squawking Machine signed him to a lifetime contract.

[CD122344]

@riqzster Actually, Caruso never signed a lifetime contract with Victor. His first contract(1904)was for 5 years and for a certain number of records. They gave him a yearly fee($2000) not to record for anyone else for those 5 years except G&T(not mentioned in the 2nd contract )Columbia was after him and willing to pay more. Caruso negotiated well. It seems that all of Caruso's contracts were similar. I don't think Edison could have afforded or would have paid what Victor was giving him.

[riqzster]

@CD122344 Well, maybe I'm just being silly. The "lifetime contract" thing was from a Victor advertisement from 1906. Gee, do you think they could have been lying? Ernestine Schumann-Heink once told an old friend of mine (who used to work for Edison) that Victor thought nothing of cheating their artists. Never heard of Columbia offer. Would have been an improvement. But somehow I get the feeling that if it were up to Theodore Edison, Caruso would have been a Diamond Disc artist. I wish he were.

[CD122344]

@riqzster I don't think they lied but maybe stretched the truth a little. I picked-up my info from a great book "Caruso Records(A History and Discography)" by John R Bolig. Many things that have come down to us about Caruso don't seem to be true based on his research - the first 10 recordings for example. Another great book I just bought is"A Phonograph In Every Home" by Allan Sutton - both published by Mainspring Press. These are a must!

[CD122344]

Closing the lid eliminiates much extraneous surface noise!

[Phonophan79]

Oh, definitely! You can hear the difference when I close the lid around 2:50 but for video purposes an open lid is more entertaining. :-)

[bretttiktin]

it has a new grill cloth too

[bretttiktin]

I have an edison b-80 too! I love it so much!!!!! mine is restored even the wood down to the repuducter a new belt etc new dimond needle

[gramophoneshane]

Must have missed this when you posted it. What a great little machine. Have you ever tried a later reproducer on it, and does it make any difference to the sound quality?

After watching this I regrete not buying the machine & cabinet I saw even more :(

BTW: Did you ever get the cabinet unlocked?

[esroberto1]

Pretty fabulous sound! I wondered what these were like in use... thank you so much for posting these videos! Next, I get to see an Edison LP played by proper equipment, thanks to you!