Frequently Asked Questions
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What
are 78 rpm records?
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Between which
years were them produced?
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Which singers have recorded?
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What
purpose does it serve to collect them?
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Where can I find them now?
- How
should I clean them?
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How can they be reproduced?
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Which is the
best way to preserve them?
- How
much are they worth?
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Does carlosmb buy 78
rpm records?
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What about phonograph
cylinders?
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Does
carlosmb buy or sell phonograph cylinders?
What are 78 rpm records?
Generally speaking, the “78 rpm records” term refers to those
recordings that generally play at 78 rpm and that were produced
between the end of XIX century and the first half of XX century.
After saying this, it is necessary to point out that many
different speeds were used and that in some countries, 78 rpm
records were still produced many years after that (for economic
reasons). They are also known as “shellac records”, “gramophone
records”, “bakelite records”...
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Between
which years were them produced?
As said before, the first recordings were made in Spain in 1899
and finally this format was abandoned in the early 1960s. In
some countries, 78 rpm records were sold some years before that
date. Likewise, they remained in catalogues for many years.
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Which singers have
recorded?
The companies recorded the musical genres that grew up in that
period as well as the previous ones, therefore there is a wide
selection of recordings of many different styles, some of them
in his most interesting period.
If our main interest is focused in ópera or zarzuela, we will
find names like Enrico Caruso, Miguel Fleta, Tito Schipa,
Beniamino Gigli, Rosa Ponselle, Riccardo Stracciari, Claudia
Muzio, Mattia Battistini, Conchita Supervía, Aureliano Pertile,
Feodor Chaliapin, Fernando de Lucia, José Mardones, Francisco
Viñas, Titta Rufo…
Likewise, among the classical instrumental players, some of the
most well known are Jascha Heifetz, Yehudi Menuhin, Pablo de
Sarasate, David Oistrakh, Arthur Rubinstein, Claudio Arrau,
Arthur Schnabel, Pablo Casals…
If our favourite music is flamenco or spanish song, we will
enjoy Conchita Piquer, Juanita Reina, Estrellita Castro, Gracia
de Triana, La Niña de los Peines, Antonio Chacón, Manuel Torres,
Niño de Marchena, Manuel Vallejo, Juanito Mojama, Manolo
Caracol, Juanito Valderrama, Tomás Pavón, Cojo de Málaga, El
Gloria, Niño de Cabra, Ramón Montoya, Niño Ricardo, Melchor de
Marchena, Sabicas, etc.
An so on…
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What
purpose does it serve to collect them?
Basically, there are two reasons to collect 78 rpm records.
Firstly, it is the attractive of the record as a physical object.
We will find gorgeous labels, where we will appreciate the
changes on the design and the different influences of the
artistic movements throughout the XX century.
Obviously the musical content is the most important reason.
Because of the wide lifetime of this format, we will find many
recordings in every single musical genre. Likewise, many of
these recordings have not been reproduced in modern formats yet
(micro-groove, vynil or CD) so if we are interested in a
particular recording, we will need to find the original 78 rpm
records. It should be pointed out that many of the reproduced
recordings do not achieve a good audio quality. Fortunately,
there are some record labels that have released many interesting
recordings of the past with very high audio quality.
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Where can I find them
now?
Appart from carlosmb, there are no shops specialized in 78 rpm
records in Spain. You will find 78 rpm records from time to time
at flea markets, garage sales or some internet sites.
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How should I clean them?
As a general rule, we should clean every record with much care.
If there is some superficial dust, just clean it with a soft
towel. If it is dirtier, you can use some distilled water and
neutral soap. Apply this in circular motions for a few seconds
with a moistened cloth, and dry out quickly. Finally, I always
recommend to wait a few hours before playing the record or
placing it inside a sleeve.
Do not wet the label, or damages could be irreparable. If you
need to remove a sticker, you should use a special solvent like
the ones used in restoration processes.
Do not immerse records in water, the internal damages could be
severe, specially with laminated records.
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How can they be
reproduced?
78 rpm records can be reproduced with vintage phonographs or
with electric turntables.
In the first case, each time that we play a record will be a
special moment: we will turn up the crank, put a new steele
needle and finally we will enjoy the recording through the horn.
But this practice will have negative consequences: the audio
quality will be quite deficient, the speed variations will be
very limited, the grooves will be damaged by the diaphragm
weight and the steele needle, etc.
For many reasons, I always recommend to play 78s with electric
turntables: it could be played at the correct speed, the stylus
weight will be very light, there can be used stylus of very
different sizes, the signal could be digitally processed, etc.
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Which is the
best way to preserve them?
Records should be kept in a cool and dry place, out of direct
heat and sunlight. Always store records cleaned and vertically,
in individual sleeves or albums (see our
SUPPLIES section).
Considering the balance between the ideal requirements and the
practical requirements, a temperature of 60-70 ºF and a 50%
humidity will be fine.
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How much are they worth?
The economic value is very controversial, there are some records
with a very limited production and highly sought after, but
there are also many others with thousands of copies out there
and a very limited demand. The reputation of an artist does not
mean that his records will be valuable, I usually receive phone
calls from people saying that they own “some valuable records,
including a few of Caruso”.
Despite the risk of giving a general valuation formula, prices
for the following records will be between a few euros and a few
hundreds (in some special cases):
- Opera and Zarzuela. Mainly acoustic pressings, although there
are some electric records quite demanded.
- Spanish regional music. Records with asturian or galician
songs, jotas, flamenco (see
ABOUT CARLOS MARTÍN BALLESTER section).
- Spoken word, politicians, speeches, publicity…
On the other hand, those records with very little or almost no
value are:
- Symphonic records, but there are exceptions.
- Language courses.
- And finally, those records with the most popular tunes: there
were pressed many thousands, plenty of them are still available,
and the demand is very limited.
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Does carlosmb buy
78 rpm records?
Yes, of course, we do buy many thousands records each year,
carlosmb stock over 100000 78 rpm records. This is the largest
archive of records recorded and pressed in Spain.
Please contact us if you would like to receive a valuation of
your 78 rpm records collection, even if there are just a few
items. We will ask for a few details and in a short period of
time, you will receive an answer. We usually make excellent
offers when a collection is of our interest.
After saying this, behind this brand there is Carlos Martín
Ballester, a noted collector of flamenco 78 rpm records and
phonograph cylinders. To know more about him, including the
records that he is still searching for, please visit the
ABOUT
CARLOS MARTÍN BALLESTER section.
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What about
phonograph cylinders?
Using a basic terminology, the phonograph cylinder was the
earliest medium for recording and reproducing sound, immediately
previous to the 78 rpm record, although they coexisted for a few
years. When the phonograph cylinder appeared in the market the
recording industry started as well.
They are also known as “wax cylinders”, “edison cylinders”,
“cylinder records”, etc. When the tin foil medium was overcome
by the wax cylinders, by the end of XIX century many cylinder
makers started producing and selling phonograph cylinders in
Spain.
Let´s point out some of the most representative labels in Spain.
Madrid was the most important phonograph center in Spain. The
Hugens y Acosta had the richest catalogue, with many interesting
cylinders, machines and parts. There were also other makers like
A. Hugens, Viuda de Aramburo, Álvaro Ureña, Sociedad Anónima
Fonográfica, Antonio G. Escobar El Graphos, José Navarro, La
Primitiva Fonográfica, Julián Sola, Gabinete Fonográfico
Villasante, Fábrica de Grafófonos, Fono-Reyna, Comisariato
Internacional Comercio, La Fonográfica Madrileña, Bazar de La
Unión, J. Oliva…
The most known producers in Barcelona were Centro Fonográfico
Comercial de Manuel Moreno Cases, Corrons, Grandes Almacenes de
El Siglo, Sociedad Artístico Fonográfica, El Fonógrafo, Depósito
General Fotográfico y Fonográfico, Roselló…
There were some interesting labels in Valencia: Gabinete
Fonográfico Hijos de Blas Cuesta, Gabinete Fonográfico Pallás,
Hércules Hermanos, Gabinete Fonográfico de Puerto y Novella, A.
Molina…
We are aware of the existence of the following producers in the
Basque Country: Centro Fonográfico Universal Enrique García,
Casa Erviti, Viuda de Ablanedo e Hijo…
In Zaragoza these two laboratorios produced cylinders: Gabinete
Fonográfico La Oriental, Lacaze Óptico…
Likewise, there were two labels in Asturias: Societé Edison de
Eladio Carreño and the Gabinete de Emilio Zurita.
As far as we know, there was one cylinder seller in Salamanca:
Prudencio Santos Benito.
In Granada there was a very interesting store: Casares.
Outside Spain, the main phonograph makers were: Edison, Pathé,
Columbia, Lioret, Lambert, Albany, Edison Bell, Sterling,
Clarion, Maison de la Bonne Presse, Efraín Band, Phrynis, etc.
In this
cylinder photo gallery you will find a few nice
phonograph cylinders that were recorded in Spain, with their
respective boxes. Please note that these photos are just for
informative purposes only, as there could be some people who
haven´t seen any cylinder before. Therefore, they are not
available for sale.
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Does
carlosmb buy or sell phonograph cylinders?
Yes, if you inherited a collection or if you own just a few
cylinders and you are considering to sell them, please contact
us to receive an excellent price offer.
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