Rare Edison Needle Cut Reproducer & Storage Box P1, P2, P3 Portable, Solid Brass

Description

Rare Edison "Needle Cut " Reproducer and Storage Box
Solid Brass Construction - Common Tone Arm Size
Accurately Restored - Excellent Full Range Sound - Top Quality
Original Edison Aluminum Diaphragm circa 1929
For Edison P1, P2, Other Portables ~ Also fits Common Victor Victrola Tone Arms
You are purchasing one of the rarest of all Edison reproducers ever made. What makes it so hard to find is the fact that it was manufactured only during the first part of 1929. Some folks refer to the this as the "Edison Lightning Bolt" or "Edison Electric" because of the lightning bolts that decorate the nickel plated cover. But make no mistake, the storage box, albeit a good bit worn, clearly identifies it as the "Edison Needle Cut" reproducer. The included box is even harder to find than the reproducer!
All of the work you see was performed by me, Walt Sommers, and my son, owners of Gettysburg Antique Phonographs. This reproducer was carefully and accurately restored and is in excellent overall condition as whown. Although designed for use on the Edison P1, P2 and [so-called] P3 it can be used on many phonographs including the (pre Orthophonic) Victor Victrola. (Note: "P3" is a reference used by the collecting community and is not as an actual designated part number used by Edison.) You will need an adapter of some sort if you intend to use this on an Orthophonic machine. I can help with this, but please contact me BEFORE you buy this if that is the case.
This is a solid brass reproducer and is in superb physical condition with only light superficial oxidation and a few superficial scratches. If you look closely at the pictures you will see light surface wear that is consistent with an original part of this age. The original aluminum diaphragm is in excellent condition as shown. New soft white silicone rubber tubular gaskets were installed to replace the original white gum rubber gaskets that had hardened from age. A ll of the bearings (six on each
side of the needle arm) have been replaced with new high precision .0625" diameter
chrome ball bearings. The adjustable needle arm pivots and bearing cups
were inspected and have been cleaned and polished. These details are
shown in the accompanying pictures. Note that the needle arm is
perfectly centered in the final installation. Edison used a massive rear plate on this reproducer that is isolated from the rear of the casting using a large rubber gasket. I replaced the old original hardened rubber gasket with a supple rubber part that we custom make and punch in the shop. I estimate that the rubber we use (synthetic) is softer than the original rubber and likely performs much better. That is tough to prove but reasonable based on what we know of the rubber compositions used in the past.
A FEW GENERAL NOTES: The term "Needle Cut" is a reference to the fact that the reproducer was to be used to play Edison's short-lived line of electrically recorded lateral cut records. These records, while in many ways arguably superior to the rest of the recording industry of the era, did not sell very well. Perhaps that was caused in part by the Great Depression of 1929 or perhaps the old man was too late to the game [again]. Regardless, during that brief period Edison contracted with outside companies to manufacture this (and at least one other) reproducer as well as three different portable phonographs (i.e. the P1, P2 and one unnamed). These companies also made complete portable phonographs and reproducers for a multitude of small unheard of companies as well as major manufacturers including Columbia and (as of late 1929) RCA~Victor. For example, the majority of the components used in the "Edison Needle Cut" reproducer were also used by Columbia for one of the the "Viva~Tonal" reproducer designs. During the past two years I have studied and photographically documented the similarities and differences between the Edison Needle Cut and smaller (brass) Columbia Viva~Tonal reproducers. The castings themselves are in some cases virtually identical but there are significant dimensional differences with the hardware, needle arm geometry, diaphragms, etc. This is not a suitable place for detailed clarification but there is a great deal of misinformation that has been published in so-called phonograph society literature and in online forums and user groups over the years stating that they are identical. But the actual available facts show significant and technically important differences when you actually sit down and measuring samples of each type and then listen to them. (I used a group of eight Viva-Tonals and my only two Edison Needle Cut reproducers for the study.) Even though Edison was indeed farming out some of his manufacturing processes, the old man did not cease to embellish his products with his own innovations and improvements. Gotta love the old man! Long live Thomas Edison!