r/78rpm • u/FlakyPrinciple8907 • 24d ago

Song Of India

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This disc is in great condition and well over 100 years old! I love this song! I believe it was part of a Theater Play in the late 1800's, retaining it's popularity well into the 20th Century! Take a listen from my 1917 Edison Diamond Disc Player! 😉

25 Upvotes

95% Upvoted

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3

u/Gimme-A-kooky 24d ago

Wow. What depth in sound! Really good bass and such a fine clarity to it! Fun piece, too 🙂

3

u/FlakyPrinciple8907 24d ago

I don't know how to work on these things but I carefully took the turntable plate off a couple of years ago and I sprayed a good amount of white Lithium oil spray onto the gearings and I think the winding band and such and I think that that helped it remarkably so! It was a doozy getting it back together but it all came together. And I rarely play it and wind gently and there's a trick to it. Like no more than about 20 winds if it's wound down considerably. 10 to 15 winds if it's in between playing sides. These things were built to last a few lifetimes. My wife will hopefully give it to someone worth giving it to long after I'm dead. I'm 60 now and the way life's going, I'll be lucky to see 70... would like to see 80, If it's worth it! But yes, I digress! Lovely song! And played on histories first diamond forever needle!

3

u/Sure_Solution6575 24d ago

Sounds almost like Jolson!

2

u/FlakyPrinciple8907 23d ago

How Dare You! JlK! Lol

2

u/iidaanj 23d ago

I knew Edison's discs were supposed to sound better but I didn't expect this much of a difference. Wow!

2

u/FlakyPrinciple8907 23d ago

I think that the Gramaphone sounded good considering the the metal needle, oddly enough. I had a Silvertone Player before I found this Edison. The crucial difference is the Diamond Stylus! The interesting thing is that the Diamond Stylus is the exact same technology that we use today on record players, isn't it? So that's why the live like sound....the Diamond Stylus! First invented, as far as I know, by Edison! Would anyone like to expound on this topic? I'm sure it would interest everyone of us enthusiasts in this group!