Paul Charosh wrote:
> I saw something like this years ago in the home of a friend's
> parents. I believe the plate on that machine said Vocalion --- a company I don't
> associate with machines of this period.

Perhaps it said Aeolion, which might have been a dealer's plate because
there was an RCA dealer in Aeolian Hall at that time.

> I also think the changing
> mechanism was a bit different

It probably was a lift-ring type.

> and looked less like what might be a recording arm.
>

It does look like one, and it took a few seconds for me to realize that
it wasn't. I first wondered why it was sitting on the spindle because
radial recording arms usually can't get in that far. (Lathes, of
course, sit on the spindle, but this wasn't like a lathe.) Then when I
noticed the bin I figured it out. The tag at the back told me that
there were no parts missing such as the lift-ring that other changers of
the time used.

> I dismissed the idea of changer here, however, because the storage
> compartment was filled with home-recorder discs.
>
> I gather now that this GE model served both purposes.
>
> Paul
>
>
>

That microphone you have from the RCA might work. There should be some
pin jacks for a mic on this GE. The knobs over to the right (part of
which are cut off of the picture) probably switch between phono play,
recording from radio, and recording from microphone. That switch and
its connection to the radio is complicated. Another thing to check is
if this is a two-speed machine to play Program Transcriptions. I have a
special General Electric 3-pocket album with printed descriptions on the
pockets that would have had a sample of a regular 78, a Program
Transcription, and a pre-grooved recording disc. It would have come
with a machine like this if it plays 33s.

Mike Biel [log in to unmask]