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The Compleat Talking Machine; A Collector's Guide To Antique Phonographs

For over 25 years, the Compleat Talking Machine has served as the definitive repair and restoration manual for antique phonographs. The updated 5th edition delivers practical step-by-step solutions to repair problems, plus includes an identification section with pictures and descriptions of over 300 early machines, and a comprehensive guide to current market values.

Paperback: 272 pages

Publisher: Sonoran Pub; 5th edition (August 15, 2007)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 1886606226

ISBN-13: 978-1886606227

Product Dimensions: 0.5 x 9 x 11 inches

Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #525,548 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #29 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Performing Arts #319 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Recording & Sound #953 in Books > Reference > Encyclopedias & Subject Guides > Antiques & Collectibles

This book was recommended to me by a friend who has a number of old phonographs as a good guide to understanding the problems that might plague old players, both cylinder and disk players, and how to address them.There is a nice background about old phonographs, their invention and evolution, and most of the book is dedicated to problems and repair. There are photos and text to provide guidance to approaching repairs - many of which are not so complicated and can be accomplished by the average collector.It's a good guide to learning how the mechanisms work, the interrelatedness of the pars, and smart ways to fix, find and/or replace parts, misalignment, and other common problems.It's a useful reference for restoration and repair of these intersting old machines, from the mechanical aspects to the restoration and repair of the cabinet finish.

This book was recommended to me by a vendor of gramophone parts. I'd never replaced the mica on a reproducer before, and this made the process painless. Just what I needed. Glad this book is out there!

I bought a working wind up phonograph that needed a little TLC a year ago as a little project. However, I got hung upon a few parts of the repair/clean. What a relief to find this book! It has been very helpful in getting the last parts of my project done. It covers all different kinds of repair and information on how to replace the different parts of a phonograph. I was especially happy with the information about how to clean/ repair the metal wind up mechanism. That was a bear to work with, but the book gave great information and instructions. Highly recommend!

This book is really good at what it sets out to cover which are basic hints and suggestion for how to fix up your older acoustic wind up phonographs. Plenty of helpful pictures and advice. Have applied much from this book to the really world. Good overview of machines from various makes such as Edison, Victor, Columbia etc. Though was a very good value. As many of us know the only way to hear the really old 78's is on a wind up phonograph. Digital transfers of old 78 music to CD and iPod just doesn't sound right to me so I thank Mr. Reiss for contributing his knowledge to us who like to keep the older wind up machines in working order so we can hear music as it was intended to be originally.

This is a terrific resource if you do any work with phonographs. Terrific information, good tips and great practical assistance when one is repairing or refurbishing an old unit. I've already bought this twice as I 'used up' my first book, often at the work bench.

excellent book, easy read suitable for the beginner who wants to start the restoration of his phonograph.Also useful for dating your machine with a series of black and white photographs of various models.

This is really a very thorough book for such a wide subject. Obviously you can't describe all the repairs possible on all the hundreds of different machines out there, but he comes close. I was able to get my Columbia graphanola working. I bought the machine for $80. at a junk shop. Love it. A machine 100 years old that still works. How many things today that you buy will still be working 100 years from now.

It's a good book but not as comprehensive as I would have liked for something touted as the best there is out there. Also not very useful in the steps needed to fix different potential problems, which I also was told this book was good for. As a stand alone, without taking into consideration everything everyone says it is in comparison to other resources out there, it's not as organized as I would like and reads more like a biography at some points than a resource for people looking for concrete details and facts. It's good but not what I was hoping for.

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