New Hat

I can barely wait until the weather turns a little colder so I can wear my new hats!

1922 Swanson portable

Another player has joined my hoard (re: collection). This is an 1922 Swanson Portable turntable. It was attractive to me because of how it projects sound. The arm of the turntable is actually made of hollow wood with a little valve that can adjust the volume. This makes the machine lighter (no heavy internal horn to lug around), but it also lends a super-charming sound to acoustic recordings. Of course, in this video, I play one of my daughter's favorites, Gene Austin's 1925 "No Wonder (That I Love You)," which is actually an early electric recording. She starts singing, adding a bit of cuteness to what was designed as documentary.

I noticed this player does not sound AS good with electrically recorded 78's, which gives me an excuse to buy yet another player.

Amberola!!!!!

After about a year of bidding unsuccessfully, I finally scored an Edison Amberola. This version is a late model player from about 1914. It plays blue and purple celluloid cylinder records, meaning I'm still on the hunt for something that plays even older stuff ;-).

It also amazes me how well it sounds, considering its age. I can bet that my modern turntable won't last this long. I'm also pretty sure that the pop music of 2011 will not sound as steady in 100 years.