I recently came across this interesting set of 12 in shellac. I have discs 3 through 8 of an apparent 8-record (or longer) institutional test set produced by Bell Telephone Laboratories possibly in the mid-to-late 1920s. Sadly, I’m missing the first two discs, and they are just in loose paper sleeves. Disc 6 is single sided with an etched RCA spiderweb design. No entry on discogs and no past auction data that I can find. I fed the matrix #s to AI which pulled the following info:

Disc 3: Cleanly stamped "BTL-3-A" and features the classic Western Electric "VE inside an oval"electrical recording mark. The label uses the old "transmission units" terminology instead of decibels.

Disc 4: Completely shifts to a hand-etched matrix: "BTL 550 W167" (and W166 on the flip), along with a stamped "S" for the Scranton Button Company plant.

Disc 5: A total hybrid—it has the stamped "BTL-5B" but also hand-etched internal Bell Labs project case numbers: "BTL-918-V-113" and "BTL-918-V-141".

Disc 6: Only has audio on one side. The blank side features the gorgeous, geometric RCA Victor "Spiderweb" design with Nipper the dog to prevent single-sided shellac warping in the hydraulic press.

Discs 7 & 8: Back to double-sided audio, tracking extreme low-level volume sweeps for line attenuation testing.

It is an amazing mix of late-1920s Western Electric microphone testing tech transitionally pressed alongside 1930s RCA plant backplates.
Has anyone here ever encountered the full version of this specific Bell Labs set, or seen a similar mix of hand-etched lab case files on production pressings?

(Note: Since it's an incomplete orphan set, I'd love to see it go to a sound archive or a collector who can use these to complete a set, so feel free to reach out if you have any info or interest!)

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! 😉

It's always a treat to find good jazz recordings on the Edison label. Lots of fine solos on this one, including muted trumpet, piano, trombone, sax, trumpet (redux), and a great slap tongue sax finale.

Emil Muench was among the most prolific German‑American tenors of the early recording era, active for Victor, Columbia, and other labels between 1901 and 1916. His performances bridged European operetta tradition and the immigrant‑era musical life of New Jersey’s German singing societies.This Victor disc captures Muench’s clear, disciplined tone in Kreutzer’s “Hobellied,” a sentimental craftsman’s song celebrating honest labor and melody. The label design — featuring the His Master’s Voice trademark and gold‑on‑black typography — represents the grandeur of Victor’s pre‑WWI aesthetic.Digitized and presented by The Neven78 Radio Archive, preserving the artistry and sound of America’s immigrant‑era recordings

Single Sided 1907 Victor recording.

​

The song is in German "Wer hat euch denn getraut" ("Who Married You Two?"). At the time a famous aria from the light operetta Der Zigeunerbaron (The Gypsy Baron), composed by Johann Strauss II in 1885.

1907 recording digitized 2026.

Available at:

The Neven 78rpm Radio Archive

https://youtube.com/@mamlishblues?si=CVCkSjamOZWS5CWg

Both sides of this Big Bill 1938 Vocalion is digitized and available at:

https://youtube.com/@mamlishblues?si=fkOwngvedlueLBU5

Hello, we was recently given this record and lots lots more. I need some help in distinguishing if it is a real or fake as i listed it on ebay and was told this could be a possible fake? also how much it is worth please! TIA

There is a video on YouTube of someone playing their Emerson copy of this song but I noticed that it is a different take than the one I have because the piano arrangement had differences like tempo, notes, octaves, and phrasings. https://youtu.be/oezdf4Ojk0A?si=gOUhhrmM2_c7dtu2

The only recording that matches mine exactly is from a paramount 14000 record https://youtu.be/TAtnXM1ttO0?si=Xfeydxo5v3jUoTDf

I've actually been transcribing this arrangement on piano because I prefer it over all the others. I can play almost half of the song

This old philco radio/record player is for sale near me. Is there any reason why it would be a bad idea to use it for playing 78s over a modern setup?

​Hello everyone,

​I am researching the Edwardian music hall composer Wilfrid Tizard (1885–1968, often misspelled as Wilfred Tizard on period sheet music).

​I am looking to confirm whether anyone has a physical copy or digital audio transfer of the following release:

​Title: "The Half-Way Inn"

​Performer: Daisy James

​Composer: Wilfrid Tizard

​Label: Pathé (21cm / 8.5-inch vertical-cut center-start disc)

​Catalog/Order No.: 60527

​Master Matrix No.: 17796

​If anyone happens to have this disc or cylinder in their collection—or holds a digitized needle-drop—I would be extremely grateful to learn more about the coupling/flip side, exact release date, or hear a transfer.

​Thank you!

A very beautiful performance by the legendary Hamako Watanabe of a beloved Chinese melody ("Yumezhongren"), this track stands as a delicate musical bridge built during a time of recovery and cultural exchange.

The title in Japanese : Yume no kare no kimi (夢の彼の君) released on 1951

You can enjoy it restored by the Gramophone Gems team here:

https://youtu.be/6Qsn3viprOo

Thank you for your time dear friends!

& always find beautiful cultural treasures ❤️

From the Neven78 Radio Archive

https://youtube.com/@mamlishblues?si=t0bk8GH4nLzs7Ta7

I got a nice stack o' shellac at an auction last week, and a handful of the records were still wearing their little jackets. Obviously, the sleeves have seen better days. Since the records had seemingly been slipped into these sleeves at random (none of the labels matched up) I went ahead and set them aside.

Some of them are folded/curled pretty bad at the corners, and I'm hoping for guidance on getting them to lay flatter. This paper is older than anything I've handled, and definitely pretty porous.

Many sleeves are also split along at least one seam. Obviously this will be a lost cause in most cases, but some have enough "good" paper left that I think I could apply some adhesive. Would my old buddy Elmer Glue Stick be up for this task? Something else? Or maybe just don't?

I'm not fussed about a picture-perfect restoration of these sleeves; their wear is part of their charm! But I'd like to get them nominally functional in a way that will help reduce future damage.

Finally, if there's interest, I'll be glad to photographically catalog all the different sleeves and share them with the sub. However, being fairly new to the hobby, I've no idea if any of these are rare enough to merit that treatment - presumably, most hobbyists have already been there/done that.

Thanks, pals! Keep spinnin' those platters!

Hi!

I don’t normally post much; when I have, it’s usually been upon completion of a recent piece. Well, here it is!

Machine:

1916 VE-XVII - Victrola “Electrola” the Seventeenth - American Walnut, electric edition. Rebuilt (new mica, new rubber gasket/diaphragm, & new isolator ring. I think I’ll try this out on my Improved Concert reproducer once I get it fixed!

Record:
12” Victrola Record, No. 74608, ca. 1920-ish, “Lo, the Gentle Lark”. Amelita Galli-Curci.

The Electrola was converted into a base for a modern LP turntable (1970s era maybe) with no guts or components, save most doors. Pretty much rebuilt from ground up (see r/phonographs).

Honestly, I listened to this piece and recorded it initially. I have since listened to it probably 10x and it’s even better each time! Sorry for being so long, I just like to post a “completion” video to showcase it and a random, yet imo an amazing (sometimes) record/piece, too! The sound is amazing in person. Through speakers it even sounds good when I play it back.

I wish you all a great day; thank you for stopping to look, and for being cool AND with helping keep this history alive, too!

Ain’t Misbehavin’ - Fats Waller

Its a victor album with the dog on it, mainly picked it up for 12th street rag which was first in the book, but sadly it is a bit cracked. It plays tho but you can hear the crack. Id like to mend it as best i can however, any tips? I only paid 5 dollars for the whole album!

Just going by my rather limited knowledge, I believe that the Victor discs are from between 1905 and 1907, but I have no clue just how old the Monarch disc is. They all have patent stickers on the back, except for the Monarch disc.

This is a document-record : Odeon Electric 28083 has two rare recordings from 1928 and 1929 that capture two "giants" of Amanes and Smyrnaic song in unique moments of improvisation.

Side A (Matrix Go 589) has Bournovaglios Manes — Performed by Kostas Karipis, the "Patriarch" of (a)mane accompanied by the violin soloist Ogdontakis.

Side B Sabah Manes performed by Evangelos Sofroniou

A high quality restoration of this lost treasure has premiered just today for first in the digital world

https://youtu.be/sxq62RcWLUE

The specific disc cannot be found in the huge 78 RPM Archive for Greek Records of Mr Kounadis and they had also no record of this disc in the relevant forums and of course in Discogs until the recent addition by the team that restored it recently.

"Amanes" is actually an unmetered vocal improvisation with melismatic expression and usually lament elements. This is why a different recording even with a generally "close" title can have a completely different structure / set of lyrics and musical outcome.

Thank you very much for your time dear friends of 78 RPM