Dear Friends,  Another few cents thrown in about where to find the
proper equipment for playing 78s.

You should be able to find in your local want ads section under audio
equipment an ad for a Dual turntable, or a better Garard turntable.
The Dual Turntables have a heavy cast turntable which will guarantee
that you not get wow, flutter or other nasty things with your sound.
Most of these turntables also offer a speed control to adjust any speed
(16, 33, 45, 78) by + or - 5%.  You should be able to get one for less
than $50.00.  They are high quality and offer reliable service, once
they are cleaned up and lubricated properly.

The only down side to them is that they have an umbrella spindle for
playing multiple records, and the small rubber pads which were used for
holding the stack of records up while the bottom record dropped onto
the turntable usually disintegrate over the years, and by now they
probably have fallen off the spindle.  But, you probably wouldn't want
to stack 78s anyway! (If you get one and want to try repairing the
spindle, you may want to try a tiny piece of one inch diameter tubing
cut down to size.)

A good source for needles and cartridges is garage-a-records.  They
have cartridges, needles, etc. for all occasions.  I have dealt with
them in the past and have had good success.  Their prices are
reasonable also.  Their web site is:

    http://www.garage-a-records.com/

Mike Walter