how victor talking machines got its name

Devoted to discussion of all-acoustic record-playing machines, such as Edison cylinder players, Victrolas, Brunswick Ultonas, and the like. When the Big Blackout happens, this will be the only audio evidence of our civilization (as it is).

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THEVICTROLAGUY
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how victor talking machines got its name

Post: # 29839Unread post THEVICTROLAGUY
Sun Apr 27, 2014 4:02 am

at the turn of the century Emile Berliner had invented the disc record, unfortunately he had no machine readily available to play the new disc. his phonograph was treadle powered, in fact the first Berliner machines were built in a converted sewing machine factory. Berliner approached a young machinist in Camden new jersey named Eldridge Johnson. Johnson had a one man machine shop producing custom orders.

Berliner commissioned Johnson to design a spring powered disc phonograph, which he did. Johnson eventually began building the entire phonograph for Berliner and formed " THE CONSOLIDATED PHONOGRAPH COMPANY ". Johnson and Berliner were immediately sued by zonophone for what they claimed was an infringement on their spring motor patent. the two went to court and Johnson won the law suit. Johnson immediately changed the name of the company to VICTOR talking machines.

Johnson went on to hold the largest most profitable phonograph business in the world, Johnson is also the inventor of the classic mica diaphragm disc reproducer known as the Clark-Johnson sound box.

" VICTROLA " : the suffix "ola" associated with any phonograph means the machine has an internal horn, a victor talking machine has an external horn, the victor Victrola is self contained. so the victor Victrola, Columbia grafonola, Edison amberola, etc. all designate a self contained phonograph with an internal horn.

Johnson is the founder of JVC ( JAPANESE VICTOR CORPORATION ), which was initially set up to market the victor talking machine in Asia, as well as HMV in Europe.

NIPPER : nipper was a fox terrier who got his name from a propensity for biting people, the original painting of nipper shows the dog listening to an EDISON CYLINDER PHONOGRAPH. this was quickly changed when Berliner saw the original painting which now hangs in London, in the original you can see how the Edison machine was simply painted over to producer the painting we all know, nipper looking into the horn of a victor talking machine. the artist named francis barraud inherited the cylinder phonograph and the dog from his dead brother. his brother had made a voice recording on an Edison cylinder, barraud noticed that when he played the cylinder, nipper would cock his head and listen, obviously recognizing the voice of his dead master. it is said the painting was originally shown and offered to Edison, however, Edison is reported to have said " DOGS DON'T LISTEN TO PHONOGRAPHS ", so the painting then went to Berliner, then was acquired by Johnson for victor. HIS MASTERS VOICE is the most recognized trademark in the world.

Eldridge Johnson also invented the plating technique for making stampers from wax masters, originally using lead, then copper then graphite to coat the discs to allow them to be plated with silver, then nickle. Johnson also invented the application of the paper label to the disc during the pressing process rather than being glued to the disc after pressing.

a new electric motor was invented to replace the crank on the Victrola phonograph. this motor attached to the side of the machine and wound the spring via a electric powered gear box . the device was an instant hit, and was manufactured by a company called MOTOROLA.

Johnson sold the victor talking machine company to the radio corporation of America (RCA) in 1929 for $ 40,000,000 in cash. instantly making him one of the richest men in the world, five months later the stock market crashed and RCA struggled for years to keep victor talking machines going, eventually converting to all electric machines, the first electric machine being named the ELECTROLA.

He established the Johnson Foundation for Research in Medical Physics at the University of Pennsylvania in 1929. The foundation, now called the Eldridge Reeves Johnson Foundation, is associated with the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.

Johnson died at the age of 78 on November 14, 1945, at his home in Moorestown Township, New Jersey after suffering a stroke days earlier.

On February 26, 1985, Johnson posthumously received the 1984 Grammy Trustee Award, given to persons who made a significant contribution in the field of recording. This award is on display at the Johnson Victrola Museum located in Dover, Delaware. Johnson is buried in West Laurel Hill Cemetery, Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania.

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Steve E.
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Re: how victor talking machines got its name

Post: # 29889Unread post Steve E.
Wed Apr 30, 2014 1:00 pm

I did not know a lot of that! thank you!!


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