Prices for the discs ranged from $1.15 to $4.25, but later were changed to $1.35 to $2.25.

The Disc Phonograph and the Edison Discs were designed to be an entire system, incompatible with other discs or disc players.īy the end of 1912, three basic models of the Edison Disc Phonograph had been designed, ranging in price from $150 to $250, and the company salesmen took them around the country. A diamond point was obtained for the stylus. The finished 10' disc weighed ten ounces, heavier than most, partially due to the 1/4' thickness of the record. A phenolic resin varnish called Condensite was applied to the core, and then the disc was stamped in the record press. This material always remained absolutely plane (flat), which was essential as it formed the core of the disc record. Ten-inch records would run for 5 minutes per side at approximately 80 r.p.m.Īlthough Edison associates initially worked on the project in secret, when Edison discovered it, he took control of this new project and gave it much of his personal attention.Īylsworth molded phenol and formaldehyde mixed with wood-flour and a solvent into a heat-resistant disc. In this manner, the stylus would bob up and down in the groove, rather than from side to side or laterally. Another difference from competitors' discs was that the vertical-cut method was to be used for the grooves.

The aim was to produce a superior-sounding disc that would outperform the rivals' shellac records, which were prone to wear and warping. Jonas Aylsworth, chief chemist for Edison, and later after his retirement in 1903, a consultant for the company, took charge of developing a plastic material for the discs. The Edison Company had been fully devoted to cylinder phonographs, but, concerned with discs' rising popularity, Edison associates began developing their own disc player and discs in secret. Columbia Records, an Edison competitor, had stopped marketing cylinders in 1912. After this, discs and disc players, most notably the Victrolas, began to dominate the market. Metal parts were nickel-platedĬost : Introduction $150 in October of 1917, then $160 from January 1918 to $175 September of 1918Ĭylinders peaked in popularity around 1905. In April-May 1918 an unspecified number of cherrywood cabinets were made.

Finished in mahogany or oak golden weathered or fumed. Cabinet: Straight turned legs with casters.

Edison record players for sale