Needles


Understanding needle use- Steel Needles

There is a lot of misunderstanding about the use of needles for vintage gramophones. The common misconception is that 'needles wear records', whereas initially the opposite is actually true. For the most part '78' records are made of ground slate and shellac. As a new steel needle (with the weight of 250 grammes or so of soundbox pushing down on it) runs several hundred feet to the centre of a record it has its sharp point worn off. As a result if used a second time it presents a blunt end to the bottom of the groove and a broader profile to its sides. Repeating the process will result in groove wall damage as the needle  increasingly occupies the space in which it once had room to move freely. At this point the needle will begin to damage the record.

In the 'old days' needle manufacturers often printed on their containers that needles should be used once only. This was a little dramatic, but they were trying to sell needles! These days two sides would be deemed acceptable use for all but the most valuable sides.

I sell three grades of needle- Loud, Medium and Soft. Loud Tone needles were only ever made for outdoor or dance hall use and are not good for record care. Soft tone are really for those in flats who fear their neighbours' wrath. As a general rule I would simply recommend Medium Tone.

Packets of 100 quality new British needles; £2.50 plus 50p p+p or £12 for five packs postage included. You may buy packets in any combination of tones.

If you are sending a cheque, the address is below! However, for these small purchases you may find it easier to use PayPal (see the Payment page if you don't know what this is).  

The address for PayPal payment is howard@gramophones.uk.com

Needles Packet of 100 Steel needles


Understanding needle use- Fibre Needles

Back in the old days a devoted gramophile would only consider using such needles on his records. The reward was little or no wear to the disc but a quieter rendition and softer tone. Being wooden, fibres are prone to tip wear.

Many converts to the 78 hobby hear about fibre needles and wonder why they are not used universally if they do no damage to records. The answer is that records which have already been played with steel needles will likely have fine scratches on the floor of their grooves which will quickly wear the fibre needle's tip blunt, and thus useless. Used on worn, 'steeled' records the sound from a fibre will quickly degenerate to a muzzy incomprehensible noise. As a result 'fibres' are only really suitable for records which are either unplayed (doubtful, these days!) or have very little prior wear. 

Fibres best  A sample of fibre needles

Genuine fibre needles are available direct from Mr.D. Williams 0208 224 9204 at £18 for 100 pre-pointed needles. These are real, period shop stock. You will need to own a fibre-sharpener to re-point your needles after every play!


NEEDLE TINS

There is a very big hobby in itself in collecting needle tins alone. The world's finest collections number over ten thousand tins without duplication of graphics.

Tins in the UK fall into two categories. Ones sold by HMV, Columbia and Songster account for well over half of the whole output and generally sell in antiques shops and markets for between £2 and £5 apiece according to condition. Here below is a box of such tins;

Common needles

I sell tins like these for £4 apiece on a first-come first-served basis.

Anything else will probably command a higher price to a knowledgeable buyer. Condition is very important and age is another factor. Tins made before WW1 and in the early 1920's are generally harder to find and if German in origin may have particularly appealing graphics, as this German Kosmos Extra tin below. 

T1

I tend to put my tins on Ebay unless I am contacted by a new collector as most of my existing buyers already own all the commonly found makers' products. 




(c) Howard Hope 2010 - Part of the Phonograph webring - Web-site designed in Woking