ABSTRACT
The predecessor firm to the two companies named Edison Bell Consolidated Phonograph Co., Ltd., owner of the Edison and Bell-Tainter patent rights.
SEE EDISON BELL (LABEL)
SEE EDISON BELL (LABEL)
As early as 1910 there had been experiments in the Edison laboratory directed at the production of a flat disc record. It was put on the market in 1913, as the Diamond Disc, to be played with a diamond stylus in the new Diamond Disc Phonograph. The disc with the earliest recording date was “Dir che ci sono al mondo” from Zaza, performed by Carmen Melis. It came from a session of January or February 1910, but was not issued until 1913 (#83001). The machine had a heavier reproducer than the one used on cylinders, so a hard surface disc was needed; this was achieved with a plastic named Condensite. The records weighed one pound each, and measured a quarter-inch thick. There were 150 turns (grooves) per inch. At 80 rpm, the 12-inch Diamond Disc played 7 1/2 minutes, andthe 10-inch record played five minutes. There was no warping, and no perceptible wearing of the surface, even after hundreds of plays. Outstanding audio fidelity for its time brought the Diamond Disc great acclaim; it was the medium of the remarkable tone tests that Edison used to demonstrate the quality of his product. Considering the longer playing time of the Diamond Discs, their price was competitive with standard discs: $1 for 10-inch records, while standard records were selling for $0.60.
