Thomas Edison's 4 Minute Blue Amberol Phonograph Cylinder Player 

If you're curious; yes that is where the term "put a sock in it" originated. Before close horn machines (the ones with doors to adjust the volume) one had no other way to decrease the volume, so people would throw a sock or rag in the horn. It really does work quite well.

The sound quality is quite good considering it's sorcery-free (meaning no gunpowder, engines, or electricity). Don't worry about wearing out the blue amberol cylinders by playing them on a wind-up phonograph...they are rated for 3,000 plays before half loudness.

I'm always fascinated by mechanical sound reproduction. My grandmother had a cylinder phonograph, and it blew me away! Just too cool.

That's amazing databits, 100 years later. We take everything for granted now but just imagine how this was received all that time ago, Music without a singer in the room, music without an orchestra in the room. It must have seemed like witchcraft

The Billy Murray recording dates back to 1916. Called the Denver Nightingale, Murray was one of the most prolific recording stars of the acoustic era.

What a good sound quality. No electronics nice

I agree with Edwin the records are made from celluloid. The device holding the record is called the mandrel not turntable.

Another fun fact: John Phillip Sousa is credited with the derogatory term, "canned music". It comes from the cylinder format, and the canister in which a cylinder is stored.

Excellent choice of Billy Murray! My favorite acoustic era artist. Take good care of that cylinder for me, it sounds great; nice and loud, with no pops and clicks and no hissing. From that first tinfoil phonograph in 1877 until the demise of the Edison company on black Tuesday 1929; Edison himself truly believed that the vertical cut cylinder was the best form for recorded sound. I'm working on a home gramophone record engraver based on your ideas with a genuine antique spring driven motor, but I also have plans to make an acoustic recorder; although the acoustic will not be able to record adequately on a plastic plate, I will have to make wax blanks for that, ha ha. Love your videos, and thanks for the inspiration and motivation to get this started.

Got a little hint of an echo there, means your diamond is in need of replacement.

Edison never recorded using vinyl. Those didn't come about until 1948 when 33 and1/3 records were first released.

Amazing! I'm reading the Edison biography by Morris now. What an incredible - if unusual - person.

so glad there's no copyright strikes on this. 😜

Just bought several of these at an Antique Store in town !

Your Amberola Model is fantastic looking great sound off it we love da cylinder I must buy one theses machines I have all horn phonographs I have few RU-vid videos up thanks for sharing your knowledge. Troupee..

Billy Murray was everywhere.

You're rather lucky there: this is a very early production model of the 30 - note the pinstriping on the bedplate, and the single set screw on the reproducer carriage. (My first machine was a 30 of slightly later vintage, given to me as a birthday present over 40 years ago: it has been my guinea pig for restoration techniques over the years, until I finally got it into a presentable cosmetic condition). Incidentally, that Murray recording is also a favorite of mine: I have the Diamond Disc from which the cylinder was dubbed.

Nice. Thanks for sharing !

Alternate title: How to play music on RU-vid without a copyright strike.

Also, these are not vinyl records. The records are made of celluloid! Not Vinyl.

Edison Blue Amberols were dubbed from Edison Diamond Discs.

I have one of those older 2 minute/4 minute phonographs. Made some vids of the cylinders playing.

hi there....some great demonstrations on here from different collectors all over the world. Would you believe it....I m currently saving up for one of these!! ...half paid for in fact...so got that adventure to look foreward to. I have had an Edison Standard machine for a number of years....which plays the very breakable 2minute cylinders...then aquired a Gem which alas has a faulty mandrel thread....but came with an incidental box of mostly four minute blue amberol cylinders. Meanwhile very well presented video here....fine machine. ..and great song!! many thanks for posting!

I have one just like that, but an older model!

These are good record players

That song on that cylinder record sounded pretty good for how old it is

Curious if you put the tone arm of a regular record player on this what it would sound like. Kind of like what the mythbusters did when recording sound on clay.

Incidentally, I notice that the little grille on top is upside down: it should sit fairly flush with the bedplate.

Edison made different types of cylinders over the years. Blue Amberol celluloid is one of the types. The Amberola 30 in this video is designed to play only 4 minute celluloid cylinders. Other types of cylinders were wax Gold Moulded and Amberol. If you try to play wax cylinders with the diamond stylus of the Amberola 30, it will destroy them. Confusingly, even though the record box says "Amberol" it can't be played on an Amberola 30!

Thank you for this delightful demonstration. I have some experience of earlier Edison machines (two Standards, both with 2/4-minute gearing, and a Gem) and have found these a little frustrating because the motors are rather noisy and the speed constantly fluctuates. (This may be partly the result of wear and neglect, of course, but it is clear that the problem existed when the cylinder phonograph was new, since Edison and others were constantly pushing the r.p.m. higher and higher - from about 100 in the early 1890s to 160 by 1902 - in the attempt to achieve steadier running.) I have often wondered whether Edison ever achieved any improvement in this respect, and from this example it seems clear that he did; the pitch seems uniform and I cannot hear the motor at all. Amberola 30s seem to be fairly easy to find; I see I shall have to look for one! Thank you again.

Was there ever a problem with wax cylinders melting during the summer months?

I have one of those cylinders . It was mixed in with the standard wax ones from my great grandfather’s Type C. I tried to play it on the C. I hope I didn’t ruin it. It is labeled “3786 - Forget Me Not - M. Romain”. I have no use for it and no way to play it. If anyone wants it let me know. Otherwise I will just take it to an antique shop.

I want to see someone release new music on wax cylinders.

Mine looks exactly the same except it has 8 "slots" on the front of the cabinet instead of 9. . Do you know what model I have? Is it an older or newer model than yours.

The roller you place the recording on is called a 'mandrill'. It looks slightly tapered, perhaps to guide the needle and its arm in one direction?

It isn't vinyl.

Databits, we have 2 Edison Amberol records. One is blue. Would you like them? We just looking ti get them ti someone that would appreciate them.

Ok and... where is the optical output port? 🤨

Can you tell me The measurements of the records like the length and with

I have that exact same record that you play at 5:10

do you know where to get a new reproducer/stylus for one of these?

do you have any idea of what you're talking about?

The cylinder players were not called record players! They are called Phonographs!

I just got a model 30 Amberola recently and it worked good at first, but now it seems to slow down in the middle of each cylinder. What might be the cause of that problem and is it repairable?

does it have bluetooth ?

Aren't you worried about a copyright hit?

Seems like you started it a little sloppily there.

These aren't vinyl. They're wax or celluloid.

Edison definitely backed the wrong horse with his cylinder format. Nightmare to store, far too delicate, difficult to mass produce and the problems he could see with the disc (angular velocity) didn't make any difference at the fidelity we are dealing with. He was also far too strict about who he'd allow to record on the format.

Tengo uno igual, saludos desde Costa Rica.