Re: [ARSCLIST] Bargain of the week.

[George Brock-Nannestad <pattac@xxxxxxxx>]

From: Patent Tactics, George Brock-Nannestad

Hello specialists,

I have looked closely at the eBay item and its description, which is quite 
accurate. I have never heard about Frank Driggs, but it is quite clear that 
for a record company to let a thing like that disappear without a trace means 
that they did not (any more?) have their best interest at heart. They would 
not be interested in having original material turn up without their control.

As the seller says, there are only a few mothers around. I expect the 
original negative to be in some US vaults still, and there would be one 
mother for each pressing plant. In the present case, looking at Rust 1978 p. 
1631, we see that this 1937 recording not only had Victor numbers, but 
European as well (perhaps Japanese, South American and Australian as well - I 
am not sufficiently versed in catalogue numbers). The reason a pressing plant 
needs a mother and not just a stamper, is that the stamper had to be made 
specially for the press used, and that was done galvanotypically and locally 
from the mother. HMV in Hayes had one type of press, Electrola in Germany 
another, Voix de son Maître a third, and there was Italy, etc.. So very few 
were made.

The sound quality from a mother is astounding and in the feeling of presence 
even better than a vinyl pressing. Here, paying close attention to vertical 
tracking angle really pays off. This one is obviously a silver-plated copper 
mother, which has a reasonable probability of being flat. If there is no 
corrosion, this is the best you can really get. Playing a negative is 
problematic at best, and bifurcated stylii are not made in such a variety as 
elliptical or line-contact for grooves.

So, I would say that for someone wanting the ultimate, the starting price of 
USD1200 is not unreasonable. Most of us cannot afford it, but someone will.

Let us rejoice in that there are more where this came from.

Kind regards,


George

---------------------------------------

> --- Roger and Allison Kulp <thorenstd124@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> >
> http://cgi.ebay.com/Original-METAL-MOTHER-FATS-WALLER-Tea-for-Two_W0QQitemZ3
> 00160540173QQihZ020QQcategoryZ306QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
> 
> 
> That would be a fun thing to have, but not for that kind of
> money!  Maybe knock a zero off...  I'll be interesting to see
> what it finally goes for.
> 
> 
> David Breneman         david_breneman@xxxxxxxxx
> 
> 
>        
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