Some notes on the Columbia Lyric reproducer

The early Columbia floating reproducers were clearly inferior to the Edison reproducers with overhanging weights. An attempt was made to improve the sound with the Lyric reproducer found in the Type AZ, and the spring contact Lyric reproducer found in many of the later B series machines.

The spring tension certainly introduced greater volume and to some extent more clarity, but it also introduced a higher degree of blast into the reproducer. To ameliorate this problem, at least some reproducers were fitted with a stepped mica diaphragm in which a thicker layer of mica was built up toward the center of the diaphragm.

As diaphragms have been seen with only the outline of the thicker mica still visible, it appears that at least in some instances the additional mica was glued to the diaphragm and fell off over the years.

To my knowledge, this special diaphragm has not been reproduced. The only solution I have found to this conundrum is to attach a small circle of mica to the existing diaphragm with a little shellac. This alleviates the worst of the blast.