The Victor-Victrola Page   

VV 8-36 / VE 8-36

RARITY: ¤¤¤   VALUE:  ¤¤¤

The VV 8-36 was a large Orthophonic Victrola introduced in the spring of 1928. It was produced solely for the "export" market, with most being sold in Canada and Latin American countries.  It was a virtual "clone" of the VV 8-35  which was produced for the domestic US market, the only differences being wood trim and the shape of the top and lid.  Like the 8-35, the 8-36 had a lower-profile and a more modern-looking cabinet than its predecessor, the Credenza. It did not have front doors covering the record albums; albums were stored with their colorful spines exposed on shelves located on both sides of the machine. At the time this model was introduced, the price of Victor's Electrolas (electronically amplified phonographs) had dropped significantly; these newer machines provided better performance than the acoustic models. Consequently, the popularity of acoustic phonographs such as the 8-36 was rapidly diminishing during the latter half of 1928.; the 8-35 and 8-36 were amongst the last large acoustic phonographs that Victor ever produced. 
Interestingly, the 8-36 utilized a re-entrant (folded) horn design as did many other Orthophonic models. However, the 8-36 (and a few other late acoustic models) utilized a stamped steel horn, rather than the usual pressure-formed wood horn. It still used the same exponential horn design as had had earlier Orthophonic machines, but the use of steel proved easier to shape and assemble during production, and also had the benefit of providing exceptional volume and performance. These machines have a very lively sound quality with improved high-frequency response when compared to their wood-horn counterparts.
The VV 8-36 was available in a choice of a mahogany or walnut finish, and included an automatic brake and 4-spring motor. All 8-36's are identical in features. Approximately 1,800 spring-wound versions and 250 electric motor (VE) versions were produced. Selling price depended on country of destination. Picture at left shows a walnut finish with the record albums missing.

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