Polystyrene 78s and trailer needles

[aussievintage]

There's always something new to learn.  Just found this 78 record sleeve with this warning on it.   I have a couple of these "plastic" 78s, and some are vinyl, but I think some are polystyrene.  Never knew they had tried to make them survive older record players.

 

 

 

[audiofeline]

Interesting.  Do you know what the "trailer needle" is and how it helps preserve the record?  I would imagine many would have been eaten by people playing them on the wrong players. 

 

What's the music on these disks?

 

[aussievintage]

11 hours ago, audiofeline said:

Do you know what the "trailer needle" is and how it helps preserve the record? 

 

I think it must have been a brush or pad to take the weight, and a small needle to track the groove at a lighter weight.  You know, the way a Stanton brush means you have to set a higher tracking force to get the actual tracking force of the stylus.

 

11 hours ago, audiofeline said:

I would imagine many would have been eaten by people playing them on the wrong players. 

 

Yes for sure.   I also see plenty of "modern" laminated 78s nearly worn out after being played on the old steel needle systems.

 

11 hours ago, audiofeline said:

What's the music on these disks?

 

Same stuff from that era.   I guess they were just experimenting.   I have some Jazzart label 78s, apparently made by a store in Melbourne.  Most are on some sort of plastic, and are beautifully quiet and great sounding.  I have one that is on shellac though and not as good.

[VanArn]

I would have thought that a shortage of shellac, particularly after WW2 would be the reason that these records were released using polystyrene as the pressed material. The reference to a trailing needle is an  angle that  puts the needle tip further away from the pivoting point rather than being vertical or digging in. 

[aussievintage]

35 minutes ago, VanArn said:

I would have thought that a shortage of shellac, particularly after WW2 would be the reason that these records were released using polystyrene as the pressed material. The reference to a trailing needle is an  angle that  puts the needle tip further away from the pivoting point rather than being vertical or digging in. 

 

But you can just rotate most gramophone heads to achieve that angle.  Here they are selling something specific.  Maybe some way to exaggerate that angle?

 

As to the shellac shortage, Australia moved to laminated pressings, so the quantity of good shellac needed was much less, and so, experiments with plastic make sense too, especially as some of them performed so much better on modern machines - mainly MUCH less surface noise.  

[VanArn]

 Here is some useful information.  https://vwgc.org.au/d-needles-for-electric-pickups/

[aussievintage]

1 hour ago, VanArn said:

 Here is some useful information.  https://vwgc.org.au/d-needles-for-electric-pickups/

 

Ah yes, I see from the diagram, they are for the electrical pickups that use steel needles, where you cannot just rotate the head to achieve the same angle.   Well done - thanks.