Phonoland

Anyone seen defective Diamond Discs....ones that have unevenly pressed grooves that cause the reproducer to move about 1 inch side to side, or warped discs, or even those that are so thick the horn has to be adjusted..alot of variations...some are so loud they sound like gravel roads.

Yes. Some DDs are bad. I think there were quality control problems at the Edison factory sometimes.

You'll find the very early etched label disc's don't sound too bad, but with the outbreak of WW1, Edison could no longer get the right ingredients for his records, so you get some etched label disc's that a hardly audible. Some aren't too bad, but it's really difficult to visually inspect them to see if they are good or not. You just have to play them to find out.
By 1921 when the paper label disc's came out, they were vastly improved as far as surface noise goes, but you still get some that are pretty bad for the first couple yrs. By the mid 20's they are actually pretty good, but the electrically recorded disc's are by far the best sounding with hardly any surface noise at all.

I have come across an occasional disc which swings the weight/stylus from side to side, but none that were so bad as to hit the limit loop with the pin. There's also a big difference in the thickness of Edison disc's, though I've never had to adjust the horn height to play them.
Usually a warped disc is a sign that they've been stored in damp conditions, which can make the thick core of the disc swell or twist.
You probably already know this, but you never clean a DD with water, as it will damage the record. Alcohol is the only thing recommended to clean Edison Diamond Disc's, but I still try not to saturate the surface with that either. Use the least amount you can to do the job.

Note several things about Diamond Discs:

- Some of those discs with almost no sound on them were the results of unknowing people trying to play them on steel-needle players. Others were damaged by adaptors sold with the idea of playing Diamond Discs on steel-needle players. Both put too much force on the grooves.

- Water does dissolve the materials the Diamond Discs are made of. So beware of alcohol containing water.

These are the "78s" that are damaged by water, plus some of the World War II records made of substitute materials.