What are Edison cylinder records made of?

He introduced the Improved Phonograph by May of 1888, shortly followed by the Perfected Phonograph. The first wax cylinders Edison used were white and made of ceresin, beeswax, and stearic wax.

Did gramophones use wax cylinders?

The phonograph was conceived by Thomas Edison on 18 July 1877 for recording telephone messages, his first test using waxed paper. In early production versions the recordings were done on the outside surface of a strip of tinfoil wrapped around a rotating metal cylinder. By the 1880s wax cylinders were mass marketed.

How were wax cylinders recorded?

When a handle is turned, the cylinder rotates and also moves very slowly along. The stylus pushes into the wax and, when the cylinder is rotated, cuts a groove. The stylus also moves up and down very slightly as it vibrates with the sound and so the wax now contains a recording of the sound in the groove.

How did they record on wax cylinders?

Performers sang or played into the mouth of a large horn which focussed their sound waves onto a thin recording diaphragm connected to a stylus whose vibrations cut grooves into a master cylinder. Though apparently crude, the process could produce surprisingly loud and vivid results.

Are old 78 records worth money?

“The early blues material from the ’20s and ’30s is the hottest material of all,” Mr. Tefteller said in a phone interview. He said that on average a rare jazz 78 might sell for $1,500 to $5,000, whereas sales for a comparable blues record would start at $5,000.

Is there a market for old 78 rpm records?

There’s a thriving market for classical recordings on 78 – in fact some of the most expensive recent sales of 78s on eBay are of very early (pre-1910) classical works on obscure labels.

What is a wax cylinder recording?

Brown Wax Cylinders (1895–1901) 1899. Brown wax cylinders were the first sound recordings produced on a widespread commercial scale. Physically, these recordings are closest to the commonly understood idea of “wax”—that is, something waxy in a tactile sense, like a candle.