A “78” was an early phonograph record — a brittle, 12-inch flat disk, put in a phonograph player and played at a speed of 78 RPM. It played several minutes on each side, then had to be turned over to play the other side.
It was succeeded, some sixty years ago, by the “LP”, or long-playing record, played at 33-1/3 RPM: a disk of the same size, made of more flexible plastic, with more finely spaced grooves, that could play up to a half hour of music on a side. LPs were used to introduce high-fidelity sound reproduction, or “hi-fi”, and stereophonic sound.
Many, but not all, great music performances in every genre that were originally produced on 78s have since been dubbed onto more modern media. 78s are highly collectible, since their brittleness made them prone to breakage, and some performances have never been reproduced in any other format.
It was also interesting to note that the stylus used for 78 RPM (Revolutions Per Minute), was tapered at a wider, more pronounced cut that those for 33 1/3rd LP’s and 45 RPM’s.
It was often said for those who dub these rare gems that once you use a current stylus on a 78, you had to change the stylus when you went back to LP’s. Astatic, Electro-Voice, Shure, and others once produced over 150 different stylus for these players.
By the 1960’s, 78 RPM records were relegated to children’s music, but by the middle of the decade even those migrated to 45 RPM platters.
Back in the day, a record albumn really was pages of 78 RPM disks, the later ones with sections in an order so the changer could get through all one side of them. I destroyed a whole albumn one day by holding it upside down and they all fell on the concrete sidewalk. The 78’s were not vinyl, but an older, hard, brittle plastic. The 45’s were singles, the 33 1/3 were LP and the 16 2/3 were voice things like language and learning. Some LPs were a couple inches smaller in diameter, for shorter works like operettas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record
I have a beautiful old cabinet Victrola from somewhere around 1916 to 1918, I can never recall the exact year it was manufactured, which is powered by a hand-cranked spring. The cabinet itself is the resonator for the sound (somewhat akin to Bose wave technology) and the fidelity is surprisingly good. Most of the 78s I have came with it when I bought it, but not many of them are by people who are still famous today.
Most 78s were actually 10” or 11” wide, and over 1/8” thick (as they were, as noted, made of a more brittle material than vinyl, and also the needle would tend to wear through the disc as it was played over and over).
The gentleman who submitted the idea has thousands of 78s, from the turn of the century up into the late 50s. If you’re ever in the area, look him up. He’s always happy to share the gift of music.
Saucy: In fact, it was used most for “Books For The Blind”, in order to fit more sound on each side of the disc. That way, the expected visually-impaired listener didn’t have to turn and change the record as frequently.
simpsonfan2: Actually, all you need is a free program called Audacity. “Reverse” is an included function.
tbonepolar over 13 years ago
1st post xD i don’t know what a 78 is
peter0423 over 13 years ago
A “78” was an early phonograph record — a brittle, 12-inch flat disk, put in a phonograph player and played at a speed of 78 RPM. It played several minutes on each side, then had to be turned over to play the other side.
It was succeeded, some sixty years ago, by the “LP”, or long-playing record, played at 33-1/3 RPM: a disk of the same size, made of more flexible plastic, with more finely spaced grooves, that could play up to a half hour of music on a side. LPs were used to introduce high-fidelity sound reproduction, or “hi-fi”, and stereophonic sound.
Many, but not all, great music performances in every genre that were originally produced on 78s have since been dubbed onto more modern media. 78s are highly collectible, since their brittleness made them prone to breakage, and some performances have never been reproduced in any other format.
MrRess over 13 years ago
I have some Les Paul 78’s
Jolly1995 over 13 years ago
…..way out in the blue….
jkoskov over 13 years ago
It was also interesting to note that the stylus used for 78 RPM (Revolutions Per Minute), was tapered at a wider, more pronounced cut that those for 33 1/3rd LP’s and 45 RPM’s.
It was often said for those who dub these rare gems that once you use a current stylus on a 78, you had to change the stylus when you went back to LP’s. Astatic, Electro-Voice, Shure, and others once produced over 150 different stylus for these players.
By the 1960’s, 78 RPM records were relegated to children’s music, but by the middle of the decade even those migrated to 45 RPM platters.
DavidGBA over 13 years ago
Back in the day, a record albumn really was pages of 78 RPM disks, the later ones with sections in an order so the changer could get through all one side of them. I destroyed a whole albumn one day by holding it upside down and they all fell on the concrete sidewalk. The 78’s were not vinyl, but an older, hard, brittle plastic. The 45’s were singles, the 33 1/3 were LP and the 16 2/3 were voice things like language and learning. Some LPs were a couple inches smaller in diameter, for shorter works like operettas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record
Yukoneric over 13 years ago
I have a whole box of them. D’ya think they’ll make a come back?
Dry and Dusty Premium Member over 13 years ago
If I recall correctly, weren’t the 33’s larger than the 78’s?
It’s also hard to find replacement parts for old style record players, even the needles are hard to come by!
BTW Gary, that’s a beautiful song, my mom used to listen to that all the time when I was a kid.
Dry and Dusty Premium Member over 13 years ago
simpsonfan2, AH YES, the “secret message”. Thanks for the memory! :-)
MisngNOLA over 13 years ago
I have a beautiful old cabinet Victrola from somewhere around 1916 to 1918, I can never recall the exact year it was manufactured, which is powered by a hand-cranked spring. The cabinet itself is the resonator for the sound (somewhat akin to Bose wave technology) and the fidelity is surprisingly good. Most of the 78s I have came with it when I bought it, but not many of them are by people who are still famous today.
tedcoop over 13 years ago
Most 78s were actually 10” or 11” wide, and over 1/8” thick (as they were, as noted, made of a more brittle material than vinyl, and also the needle would tend to wear through the disc as it was played over and over).
Saucy1121 Premium Member over 13 years ago
@simsonfan 16 rpm was used for spoken recordings.
David_J Premium Member over 13 years ago
The gentleman who submitted the idea has thousands of 78s, from the turn of the century up into the late 50s. If you’re ever in the area, look him up. He’s always happy to share the gift of music.
mrprongs over 13 years ago
I played regular records on 78. Made every album a Chipmunks album.
darat over 13 years ago
So is every plugger in his 70s? I inherited some 78s and actually have several turntables; but I sure can’t say I listen to them often!
anserman38 over 13 years ago
Another name for the LP is ” A 12”
wanderwolf over 13 years ago
Saucy: In fact, it was used most for “Books For The Blind”, in order to fit more sound on each side of the disc. That way, the expected visually-impaired listener didn’t have to turn and change the record as frequently.
simpsonfan2: Actually, all you need is a free program called Audacity. “Reverse” is an included function.