The Victor-Victrola Page
VV 8-12 / VE 8-12 X
RARITY: YY VALUE YY
Click here for the Production and Value Analysis Page
The
8-12 was an Orthophonic Victrola introduced in 1927, replacing the discontinued
VV 8-4. The 8-12 had a much thinner profile (less cabinet depth) than previous
large Orthophonics, making it much easier to fit into a room. This was
accomplished by folding the exponential horn vertically rather than
horizontally, as had previously been done on all large Orthophonic models.
While this design reduced the cabinet's depth, it also changed the form-factor
and efficiency of the horn, resulting in somewhat reduced high frequency
response and a different overall sound quality, sometimes described as slightly
"hollow". Nonetheless, the 8-12 had a beautiful design, and sold well. The VV 8-12 was available only with a mahogany
finish (although some custom finishes were produced on special order, as shown
on right),
and included an automatic brake and a 4 spring motor. Very early 8-12's have
gold-plated hardware; all later versions use an antiqued bronze finish. Otherwise, all
8-12's are identical in features. The 8-12
was discontinued in 1928.
The original 1927 selling price of the 8-12 was $235.00. An estimated total of 21,749 hand-wound Victrola 8-12's were produced.
The 8-12 was also available with an electric motor option (VE 8-12) for $35.00 extra, and a total of 5,522 of these machines were produced.
The current collector database shows the earliest existent VV 8-12 to be S/N 568 and the latest to be S/N 22245.
The earliest existent VE 8-12 (electric) is currently S/N 573 and the latest is S/N 5826
| Manufacture Date | Serial Number Range | Feature Notes |
| 1927 | 501-8300 | |
| 1928 | 8300-22250 | |
| VE 8-12 Electric: | ||
| 1927 | 501-2400 | |
| 1928 | 2400-6023 |
Do you own a Victrola VV 8-12? Please take a moment and enter some basic information about your machine into the collector's database by clicking here. No personal information is required.
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