Reproducer

Reproducer The name given during the acoustic period to the pickup and its assembly; also known as the soundbox. Weight varied, always with the intent of achieving the lightest pickup that would track the grooves properly; in the Victor Orthophonic the reproducer weighed 142 grams (about five ounces). The reproducing piano differed from the music box and the player piano or pianola, being designed to play back the notes, rhythm, dynamics, and tonal characteristics captured in a pianist’s…