Detective D
Well-Known Member
When you think of an antique record player do you think of this?
Truly an antique! But wait, this is not the first recorded sound device.
Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. The original recorded sounds were put onto cylinders. Bell would take the design and improve on it immediately after. The first cylinders were wax covered cardboard. Around 1900, they were upgraded to celluloid, a type of very early plastic. These were orders of magnitude more durable then the wax pressings that would wear out in as few as a dozen plays. Durable enough in fact you can still find them for sale in working condition over a century later.
The flat disc phonograph was invented by a German, taking the same principle as the cylinder and turning the circular recordings into a spiral that wound outward instead of the left to right the cylinders had.
I wanted to post this as I had the pleasure of listening to a fully functional early 1900's player this last weekend at a local flea market of all places. It cranked right up and played wonderfully. Surprisingly loud for what I was expecting as well, easily could hear it from 30 feet away.
You can find cylinders for sale on ebay on a regular basis. They truly were a durable media, despite modern critics saying otherwise. As if our cassettes will play as nicely in 100+ years!
Truly an antique! But wait, this is not the first recorded sound device.
Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. The original recorded sounds were put onto cylinders. Bell would take the design and improve on it immediately after. The first cylinders were wax covered cardboard. Around 1900, they were upgraded to celluloid, a type of very early plastic. These were orders of magnitude more durable then the wax pressings that would wear out in as few as a dozen plays. Durable enough in fact you can still find them for sale in working condition over a century later.
The flat disc phonograph was invented by a German, taking the same principle as the cylinder and turning the circular recordings into a spiral that wound outward instead of the left to right the cylinders had.
I wanted to post this as I had the pleasure of listening to a fully functional early 1900's player this last weekend at a local flea market of all places. It cranked right up and played wonderfully. Surprisingly loud for what I was expecting as well, easily could hear it from 30 feet away.
You can find cylinders for sale on ebay on a regular basis. They truly were a durable media, despite modern critics saying otherwise. As if our cassettes will play as nicely in 100+ years!