A brief history of the turntable

The history of the record player, alternatively called a gramophone or phonograph, begins in the 1870s. The phonograph as we know it was first invented by Thomas Edison in 1877. The phonograph, however, owes its origin to research conducted by Edouard Leon Scott of Martinville, who created a device called the phonautograph in 1857. Edison’s invention was improved upon by Alexander Graham Bell (the inventor of the telephone), which in turn led to the creation of the first proper phonograph by Emile Berliner.

There were thousands of improvements from the 1880s to the 1980s – a whole century of innovations. By the end of the 19th century, the phonograph, or gramophone, had become widely accepted commercially. This invention completely changed the way sound and music were perceived. Previously, music was limited to live performances that were not universally accessible. With a turntable, one could listen to their favorite piece of music, anytime, anywhere. It really sparked a democratic revolution in the creation and appreciation of music.

Colloquially, turntables are often referred to by different names, from ‘decks’ and ‘turntables’ to ‘turntables’ and ‘record changers’. The original word, phonograph, was created by inventor FB Fenby in 1863. In the early 20th century, there were several terms in common use for the record player, each of which was a trademark of its manufacturer. Chief among these were the ‘Granophone’, the ‘Gramophone’ and the ‘Zonophone’.

Recording equipment

The first phonograph invented by Thomas Alva Edison recorded on a sheet of aluminum foil wrapped around a cylinder by moving the stylus up and down. But it was Emile Berliner’s gramophone, invented in 1889, that set the template for the record player as we know it. He used a zinc disk coated with a compound of beeswax and benzine to record sound through a spiral movement of the stylus. This design was more efficient than Edison’s and eventually became the predominant one.

Popularity

The popularity of the record player can be gauged from the fact that by the end of the 19th century, virtually every major city in the US had ‘phonograph rooms’. These were small shops where one could order a selection of music/sound of their choice, kind of like today’s jukebox. The invention of a process for making duplicate, mass-produced copies of a phonograph record in 1890 further increased the popularity of the device.

Innovations, improvements and gradual darkness

The turntable underwent constant improvements over the years. A couple of decades after its invention, it quickly established itself as one of the most important entertainment devices in a home. Early models used a crank mechanism for power, a method that was eventually superseded by electricity.

It was in 1940 that vinyl was introduced as a recording material. This provided more space for recording. A long-playing vinyl record could contain an entire symphony, a fact that further accelerated the device’s adoption. By the late 1950s, it was a permanent fixture in most American homes.

The record player was widely used until the 1970s, when expensive, accurate, high-fidelity players became widespread. However, the introduction of the eight-track player and the much cheaper cassette player in the 1980s dealt it a deathblow. The introduction and widespread adoption of CDs as a means of recording music was the final nail in the coffin for this device.

However, the history of the turntable is still being written. Despite the popularity of digital music, turntables are still in use and are even gaining popularity. Offering higher fidelity and sound quality, these players have become the de facto choice of music connoisseurs.