I maybe should find a Harley forum and ask this there, since it's a question only the chronologically mature may be able to answer :) I inherited some old old 78 RPM record albums. From the titles they would be fun to play and somewhere I have an old Dual turntable that if I'm lucky has a 78 RPM speed on it. But I think those old 78's used a real needle, kind of a pointed steel thing. If I try and play them with a state-of-the-art 1976 Shure diamond stereo cartridge will it damage them? I'm guessing that the steel needles were a lot harder on the vinyl than a light diamond cartridge but there is a lot I don't know about phonograph needles.
Thanks.
I think the old 78's are made of wax where the "newer" records are vinyl. You would think one would scratch just as easily as the other. Perhaps the grooves are different sizes? If no one with more knowledge than me says otherwise I would take the least favorite record and try it.
Quote from: Langanobob on May 14, 2009, 03:00:16 PM
I maybe should find a Harley forum and ask this there, since it's a question only the chronologically mature may be able to answer :) I inherited some old old 78 RPM record albums. From the titles they would be fun to play and somewhere I have an old Dual turntable that if I'm lucky has a 78 RPM speed on it. But I think those old 78's used a real needle, kind of a pointed steel thing. If I try and play them with a state-of-the-art 1976 Shure diamond stereo cartridge will it damage them? I'm guessing that the steel needles were a lot harder on the vinyl than a light diamond cartridge but there is a lot I don't know about phonograph needles.
Thanks.
Funny!
Depending on the record player you should be able to adjust how much weigh is on the needle. Set it to it's lightest without the needle jumping grooves, and your less likely to damage either the record or needle.
Thanks guys, good ideas about testing with a not so great record and keeping the pressure light. I'll give this a try, assuming the old turntable is old enough to have a 78 speed on it and also assuming I can find it.
Back in the day ('60's and '50's), we had "record players" which were call "record changers" by the music geeks. Nothing so sophisticated as a turntable with a diamond stylus. There was a spindle on which you could stack 4 or 5 records. The machine would play one record, and then drop the next one onto the spinning table. As the new record hit the spinning one below it, there was some "clutch slip" as the new one came up to speed, and they tended to be dusty, so your typical 78 record had a hard life. The table could be set for 16, 33, 45, or 78 RPM, and used the same needle for all. If you just want to hear your records, and they are not collector's items, your turntable should be fine if you have a 78 setting.
In a coincidence of reading an online tech forum, there was a how-to article about ripping 78s to a Mac and what to use for a needle. Check out the article here (http://www.macworld.com/article/140616/2009/05/rip_78s.html).
I'm into "newer" vinyl, so I'm not sure, but I believe that depending on the vintage, you might need a spherical stylus. Post you questions on this forum, and you'll get the answers that you need:
http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/bbs.html (http://www.audioasylum.com/audio/vinyl/bbs.html)
Thanks again everyone and thanks for the links. "Stylus" is a term I never would have dredge up on my own. I also would never have come up with the concept of recording at a different speed and correcting it with software. I knew this forum had a lot of bandwidth [thumbsup] This digital electronic age never fails to amaze me.
iDuc, thanks for the memories of that stuff. I am old enough to remember it, that's why I still have the old Dual in a box somewhere ;D
I love vinyl and I wish I had kept mine.
For Christmas, my dad got a "record player" that records vinyl onto CD's. His girlfriend's son gave it to him. It was perfect for Dad, who still pregnant doges that he can't play his old reel-to-reels anymore. It would be interesting to get into his old reels, though, cause back in the day, he and my uncle hung out with musical types, from old Memphis blues guys to Black Oak Arkansas, etc. Maybe I should look to see if they have any such gizmo to record reel-to-reel to mp3 or something.
QuoteIt was perfect for Dad, who still pregnant doges that he can't play his old reel-to-reels anymore.
I just tried an ebay search for "reel to reel" and got like 1019 hits or so. Not all were players but a lot were. Would make a good surprise for Dad...
Back to vinyl, or shellac as I guess the good 'ol 78's were made from. I dug out the old turntable and it's a Dual 1019 with four speeds: 16, 33, 45 and 78! So I don't have to be concerned about adjusting the speed with software, although that sounded like fun. It does need a good cleaning and I have the sense not to fire up the pressure washer although that would be fun too. I called the needle store from gojira's link and they open tomorrow so I should have some CD's burned by early next week. Thanks again to all for the help.
Edit: I ordered a 78 RPM needle plus a cartridge and another needle that will play "modern" LP's from J&S Needles in Seattle. The place was very helpful http://www.yelp.com/biz/j-and-s-phonograph-needles-seattle (http://www.yelp.com/biz/j-and-s-phonograph-needles-seattle)