Gasket for Silvertone Tru-phonic Phonograph

Greetings, I am very new to the purchase of an antique Silvertone tru-phonic phonograph player and was reading some of the previous posts on this type of phonograph. One post stated that the reproducer (I am assuming this is the metal arm and head attachment with a needle in it ) should have the gasket replaced. They were having an issue with the arm/needle being too heavy on the record so much that it stops the turntable. I am having the same problem and am wondering if I need this "gasket" as there is no gasket in this arm. What does this gasket look like, where can I find one if this is indeed the problem, and about how much do they cost. Thanks to anyone willing to share info.

Melanie

Hi Melanie:

If your Truphonic sound box (reproducer) looks like this one.....................




...................the gaskets referred to hold the diaphragm in place.

The diaphragm, which is a very thin aluminum disk, sets inside the shell of the sound box, and is connected to the needle bar, which in turn, is connected to the needle via the thumbscrew. When a record is played, the back and forth movement of the needle as it tracks the groove causes the diaphragm to vibrate. This moves air in the tone chamber (tonearm and horn) and that's what generates the sound.

If the rubber gaskets holding the diaphragm in place have turned rock hard, then the movement of the diaphragm will be restricted, and the added resistance to the needle's movement can cause the record to slow down.

Along this line, needle bar, itself, is held in place with set screws. If the adjustment is too tight, the needle bar's movement can be restricted to the point where it will not track a record properly.

This type of sound box--from the later 1920s--can be very tricky to work on, especially if you have no experience with it. For one thing, the case is made out of pot metal, and can easily crack apart if you're not careful. Also, the aluminum diaphragm is EXTREMELY fragile and can easily be torn or dented. I'd recommend sending it to a shop for an overhaul. This is not cheap, but it's worth it in the long run since it will reduce record wear, and in most cases, vastly improve the sound quality of your phonograph.

I'd suggest you get in touch with Great Lakes Antique Phonograph -- http://www.victroladoctor.com/ for starters.

Truphonic phonographs were sold exclusively by Sears and Roebuck, starting around 1926. They were designed to compete with Orthophonic Victrolas, Columbia Viva Tonal models, and other acoustic (as well as all-electric) phonographs that were specifically designed to play electrically recorded records (introduced in 1925) with greater fidelity than the older models could.

If you have a chance, please post some photos of your machine.

Joe

Thank you for taking the time to respond. I am attaching a couple of pictures (currently no needle in picture). Perhaps it's not the "gasket" then. I guess I will start with replacing the needle. I just thought the arm was too low to the record and weighed too heavy on the record. Thank you again for your comments.

I can see what the problem is right away.

The sound box is in the wrong position for playing a standard (lateral type) 78 record. It is positioned so the diaphragm faces the front instead of the side. This type of arrangement was used for playing Pathe' records in which the groove was modulated up and down (or vertically).

Most 78s you'll come across were recorded with a lateral cut groove, in which the groove is modulated back and forth, or sideways.

This is the correct position for the sound box when playing these records:


Video showing this player -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jadoZCGOE2s



The way it is now, the needle is just scraping against the groove and wearing it out, without moving the diaphragm. (There might be some sound, but not much.)

Using your photo, above, here's an illustration of what I'm talking about:



I suspect that somewhere along the way the tonearm was replaced or perhaps broken and repaired. It's also possible that some type of adapter or extension was originally fitted to the tonearm for playing lateral cut records. (The earlier Sears phonographs produced prior to 1926 had a different type of tonearm which was designed to play both lateral and vertical cut records, using an adapter for each type. )

Some additional information:

Lateral Cut vs. Vertical Cut records for phonographs:
http://www.ebay.com/gds/Lateral-Cut-vs- ... 449/g.html

Sears Tru-phonic portable showing correct position of sound box -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3ta6szgJKU&spfreload=10
(It would sound a lot better if the sound box were restored.)

Joe

Joe, thank you, thank you, thank you. I shall try your suggestion. I would have never known!

Melanie

ms_boogie wrote:Joe, thank you, thank you, thank you. I shall try your suggestion. I would have never known!

Melanie

Hi Melanie:

You're more than welcome.

The important thing is to not play any more records until you have the tonearm replaced, assuming that the sound box cannot be repositioned to the correct playing position. (In the photo you provided, the wear to the Decca record really stands out.)

Sears Tru-Phonic tonearms and reproducers come up for sale from time to time on eBay as well as parts suppliers, such as Phonographs.org -- http://www.phonographs.org/store/

Another source is the parts suppliers. Here are a few I've used in the past:

Great Lakes Antique Phonograph -- http://www.victroladoctor.com/
Victrola Repair Service -- http://www.victrolarepairservice.com/
Antique Phonograph Supply -- http://www.antiquephono.com/
Hawthorn's Antique Audio -- http://www.thoseoldrecords.com/index.html

By the way, an original catalog illustration of your model appears on this page -- http://www.ianhouse.com/dismuke_misc/19 ... ears01.htm

Hope this helps.
Joe

Hello Joe,

The head actually does rotate to the correct position so that is good. As soon as I get some new needles I shall attempt to play a better record. And yes, the record is not in good shape (auction find....should have looked closer....sigh). I will be on the search for better records. Thanks so much for all your help.

Melanie

ms_boogie wrote:Hello Joe,

The head actually does rotate to the correct position so that is good. As soon as I get some new needles I shall attempt to play a better record. And yes, the record is not in good shape (auction find....should have looked closer....sigh). I will be on the search for better records. Thanks so much for all your help.

Melanie

Hi Melanie:

Many thanks for posting this. At this time, VERY LITTLE information is available about specific Tru-Phonic models, other than what is found in catalogs of the period -- 1926-circa 1933. The ones I've seen all had what I would now assume to be the later style tonearm crooks that could not be turned or adapted to play vertical cut records. By the mid to late 1920s, only Edison was producing vertically cut records, so there was little incentive for manufactures to produce phonographs capable of playing both lateral and vertical cut records.

If you have a chance, could you post another photo of the machine showing the reproducer turned to play lateral cut records. One from the side would be very helpful. I'd love to see what it looks like.

Joe

Here are a couple more pictures. I hope this shows a little better on how the reproducer can rotate.

Hi Melanie:

Many, many thanks for posting those photos! Your model looks to be all original, so it confirms that the "universal style tonearm" designed to play both lateral and vertical cut records WAS fitted to some of the Tru-Phonic phonographs (sold exclusively by Sears). I had asked about this on other forums, over the years, and either never got a response or was told that no information is available, etc.

Joe