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Do you remember the old "Talking Machines?" I have a 1906 RCA Victrola and several hundred 78 RPM records.
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It amazes the younger generation when I crank up the Victrola and play my favorite record, Bob Wills' "San Antonio Rose." I remember how it would upset our kids when I played San Antonio Rose. My wife would jump up and we would start dancin g. We enjoyed doing this when they had their friend over to visit.
You adjusted the volume by opening or closing the doors in front of the speakers.. The needle for playing the records can only be used two records. The needles are made of soft steel that wears instead of the records. That is why you need s o many needles.
You can still buy needles and parts for the talking machines. You buy 100 to 500 needles at a time. I manage to use a lot of them. It amazes me how something 90 years old sounds so good,
If anyone has an old Victrola that doesn't work, it probably would not take much to get it going again. It is a very simple machine.
I bought mine about 26 years ago at an auction for $75. It is still in good condition. I have been offered $700 for it, but if I sold it, Gloria and I couldn't dance to the old "San Antonio Rose." I guess I will just keep it.
Robert is a car inspector at the Crest Yard in Fort Worth. He and his wife Gloria operate "The Colony," a bed and breakfast in the Historic Stockyards of Fort Worth.