The Edison Amberola Phonograph
The Amberola 1-A was a deluxe Edison phonograph, the first to feature the inside-horn cabinet style pioneered by Victor. Priced at a whopping $200 in 1908, it was intended for the well-heeled buyer who would appreciate having a fine piece of furniture instead of a dust-collecting, intrusive horn in their parlor. The first 500 were made with a lyre-shaped grill; later 1-A’s and 1-B’s had a rococco grill. The 1-A had a mechanism similar to the Opera or School phonograph, with a moving mandrel and stationary reproducer, however it was a unique machine in that it plays both two and four minute cylinders. (The ‘M’ reproducer has a flip-over stylus to allow it to play both types of records without changing.) Metal parts have the same fancy oxydized treatment as the Edison Idelia. The cabinet has four drawers, each housing 25 cylinders. This is one of the most impressive Edison phonographs ever made, both in appearance and sound quality.