Edison Amberola 30 - Exceptionally nice for sale

Following the Great Factory Fire of 1914, Edison introduced a new series of internal horn phonographs, the Amberola 30, Amberola 50, and Amberola 75. The numbers reference the original price in dollars.

These machines didn't have quite the heavy duty construction of earlier Amberola models, but they did offer a relatively inexpensive, reliable way to play Edison's 4 minute Blue Amberol records, employing a diamond stylus and a smooth, direct drive motor.

The Amberola 30 was a good seller, and consequently isn't rare today, but it does offer modern collectors a nice, compact, attractive mechanism to enjoy Blue Amberol cylinders.

This is an exceptionally nice clean example, and we have also performed some restoration work on it to help it run reliably for yet another hundred years.

The golden oak case is in very nice condition, and appears to have been partially refinished at one time. The bane of these cases was veneer peel. The veneer laminate almost always cracks and separates with age. This is one of the very, very few cases I have ever seen with no veneer peel.

Cosmetically, the only thing we'd talk about is some paint flaking off the bedplate, not uncommon on these phonographs. The grill looks to me like a high quality, wood grained reproduction.

Mechanically, we have taken the motor and upperworks apart and cleaned, inspected, lubricated and adjusted everything.

You may encounter a description on a venue such as ebay stating that the seller has oiled and serviced (whatever that means) the machine. This simply doesn't cut it. The bushings and critical parts accumulate an accretion of dried out old grease and oil over the years. New oil doesn't dissolve this kind of film. Everything must be scrubbed clean and relubricated.

On this particular model, for example, dirt accumulates on the mandrel shaft and slows down and impedes the speed of the machine. In order to access the part that should be polished, a gear must be dropped down, but in order to drop down this gear everything in the motor must be removed. Care to guess how many ebay sellers have performed this action?

We also pulled and regreased the mainspring, a big job, but important for smooth running and to keep the spring from sticking to itself as it unwinds.

The reproducer is in good condition, no echo indicating a chip on the diamond stylus, and the motor runs smooth and quiet. You can hear it play by clicking on the link to the mp3 file, or you can see and hear it play by viewing the youtube video below.

Price includes a bonus ten original Edison Blue Amberol cylinders.

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Lynn Bilton
Box 435
Randolph,OH 44265
330 325-7866

We buy, sell, and repair antique phonographs and music boxes.

Pick-up and delivery possible in many parts of the midwest,south, and northeast.