This or That

[vitanola]

Ok....I’ll Proceed!

First one.
Because my grandma had electricity in the house and she bought
it on sale.


Razor or electric shave?

Viva tonal machines were more commonly acoustic, with spring motors.

Your grandmother may have purchased Columbia because of the prominence of their excellent foreign language "Green Label" series of records.




The Viva-Tonal records offer a clarity of reproduction and an extended treble. The bass is not as "Boomy" as the victor Orthophonic, but is still deep and rich. The surfaces of the Viva-Tonal records are simply splendid, far better than the grainy Victor pressings of the period. The Viva-Tonal machines have a great clarity and detail, but they are apt to be a bit hard on records. The Orthophhonic machines tend to have big, rich bass response, but the upper register is a bit lacking, except for the last series of these machines, which use all metal folded horns. These late machines are probably the best all-around players among American made acoustic phonographs. A proper machine of this type reproduces music more accurately than does almost any pre-war electric phonograph.

 

[vitanola]

As far as men are concerned, saddle shoes are for kids or golfing. I cannot choose because I have never owned them.

If I had to, I'd say "Scruffy". for they'd be great at the camp up north, I suppose.

Speaking of shoes, high shoes













or low shoes?

 

[2jakes]

Thanks for clarifying that saddle shoes are for kids & golfing.
I learn something everyday.

If I had to pick on the shoes, I probably go with the high shoes,

Btw: I prefer my saddle shoes “scruffy” & wear them all the
time, even when I’m not golfing and no longer a kid except
at heart.

Bristle or sable brush for painting?

 

[vitanola]

Sable. I actually have quite a collection of varnish brushes and striping swords.

Now if your grandmother was looking for a bargain in phonographs the Viva tonal would have been it in 1928, but only in an all electric combination radio-phonograph. the cheapest all-electric machine in 1928 would have been the Columbia-Kolster 950, a very attractive "Secretary Desk" styled cabinet fitted with an excellent electric phonograph and a powerful radio, all for a $420.00 list price. The Victor offering at that price point was distinctly inferior both in cabinet and performance. On the other hand, Victor DID offer wind-up mechanical phonographs priced between $95.00 and $350, whereas Columbia discontinued the manufacture of mechanical phonographs entirely in early 1928. Of course in early 1929 the entire market was revolutionized by Victor's introduction of the entirely satisfactory RE-45 radio-phonograph combination which sold for just $295. Brunswick responded with their S-31, Edison with their C-4, Columbia with their 940, all initially priced at $295, and all very good reproducers (though the Victor machine was the best performer of the group by a slight margin). Columbia was in some financial difficulty, their distribution network, weak since 1923, was collapsing. The list price of the 940 was dropped to an astounding $195 in November of 1929.

Saddle shoes are a bit modern for my taste, anyway.

Business Coupe or Opera Coupe?

 

[vitanola]

Oh, Heavens no! I do not pretend to know your grandmother. Not at all. I do, however, know the situation of the Columbia Phonograph Company in the late 1920's. By 1928 or 1929 the only market areas in which they were dominant were Ethnic, Race, and Old Time music. One finds that Columbia machines of this era appear in places where these sort of records sold well. On the other hand they are scarce if not rare many large industrial cities and medium sized towns where Brunswick and Victor machines are very common even today, unless the area had strong demand for the specialty products that I mentioned earlier.

I did not know that there existed such a creature as a "four door coupe"! According to the SAE: "A Coupelet is a machine which seats two or three. It has a folding top and full-height doors with disappearing panels of glass.

A Coupe is an inside operated, enclosed car generally fitted with one or two doors, seating two or three.

An Opera Coupe is a coupe with one or two doors seating two or three with occasional seating for a fourth passenger, often in a rear-facing foldig sear.

Convertible Coupe A roadster provided with a detachable coupe top." But again I am terribly out of date on the matter.

 

[Fading Fast]

Opera Coupe

Body by Fischer or Body by Darrin?

 

[vitanola]

Fisher. I appreciate the DeLuxe custom cars, but love production models. Besides, my first car, a Flivver,

had a Fisher body, just like this one:

 

[Fading Fast]

I think we have an opening (if I'm jumping over someone, my apologies, just want to keep this going).

Apple pie or Apple strudel*?

Extra credit: with or without ice cream or whip cream (notice I snuck a third one in there?)


*Inspired by Bushman's dessert post

 

[vitanola]

If I have to bake it; Pie.
If someone else bakes it; Strudel

Whipped cream on either, if the cream is not too sweet.

Horn speaker

Or cone speaker?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Second.

Slow mover-engine or fast mover-engine?

 

[Fading Fast]

Second.

Slow mover-engine or fast mover-engine?

Is there a context to this - for a race car, a combine, a power drill? High torque / low torque?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Is there a context to this - for a race car, a combine, a power drill? High torque / low torque?

Ok, other term:
Low rate of rotation-engine or high rate of rotation-enigne?

 

[Fading Fast]

Ok, other term:
Low rate of rotation-engine or high rate of rotation-enigne?

Thank you for the additional color, but to me, the answer depends on the job the engine is doing. I guess, ceteris paribus, low-rate-of-rotation is better - less wear and tear.

Willian Powel and Myrna Loy or Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Second.

Leather jacket or denim jacket on late summer-evenings?

 

[Bamaboots]

Late summer evenings in AL require no jacket, the choices are color of t-shirt and which mosquito repellent to use but I'll take leather any time I get the chance to wear it.

Of repellents, DEET or DEET free?

 

[Trenchfriend]

Free.

A slice of classic (grey)bread with leftover ONIONS or leftover MUSTARD?

 

[Fading Fast]

Free.

A slice of classic (grey)bread with leftover ONIONS or leftover MUSTARD?

Other than when you open the container, when isn't mustard left over?

That said, mustard (an under-rated condiment, IMHO).

Staying with bread,

Croissant or Brioche?

 

[Trenchfriend]

I take the croissant, with nut-nougatcream inside.

Blue neon-tube or blue row of LED's in your cupboard?

 

[vitanola]

I take the croissant, with nut-nougatcream inside.

Blue neon-tube or blue row of LED's in your cupboard?

Neither!

I don't go much more modern than Mazda lamps.








Poppy seed filling or Cheese filling?

 

[Fading Fast]

cheese, as my girlfriend would say, "the answer is always more cheese, now, what was the question?"

Poppyseed or sesame seed bagel?