Welcome to the Rocky Mountain Rubber Victor Exhibition Page

If you have a Victor Talking Machine with an Exhibition Reproducer, this page is for you!

All Exhibition Reproducer rubber isolators are bad.  Time has worn them out.  Read on, as all is not lost.  You can get a new one! This page is graphics intensive so please be patient.

As we get ready to enter the 21st Century, many of the old machines that defined the 20th century still survive.  My favorite is the Victor Talking Machine, a very popular device made in the early part of the 20th century.   The machine pictured above was made in 1908 and it still works.  It is made out of brass, steel, cast iron, leather, felt, wood, mica and rubber.  One of the items that made this machine special back then  was the Exhibition Reproducer, the disk at the end of the tone arm that actually picks up the sound from the record.   The Reproducer Isolator is a rubber device that attaches the Reproducer to the tone arm.  Below are some pictures of today's original isolators.  They are poor, but these isolators work.  Sort of....

If you are curious, try playing a record.   Is there black dust left on the needle after playing?  A little bit is normal but a big black ball indicates record wear.  I assume you are using a new needle!   Is there any buzzing or blasting?  Again, some of that is inherent in these old machines, but when you compare the original worn out isolators to these new ones, you will see a difference.  And hear it, too!  I have compared using the same record with the same machine the old isolators versus a new isolator.  The difference is noticeable and your old irreplaceable records will thank you.

Here are views of the same original Victor isolators.

The originals were made out of Natural Rubber.   There is a brass insert that the rubber is molded around and this insert connects to the tone arm via a bayonet mount.  These inserts are necessary to make the new reproductions.  Below are the same inserts but with newly molded rubber!

Note the even color and the fact that they are round!  The old worn out isolators are either hard and set, or mush like chewing gum.   The new Rocky Mountain Rubber Exhibition Isolators are made of Neoprene Rubber, not the Natural Rubber the originals were made of.  There is a reason for this.  The Neoprene will last another 100 years without getting hard if given proper care.  Our reproduction isolators also have the tone arm seal which made the Victor Exhibition famous.

The Rocky Mountain Rubber Exhibition Isolator when properly mounted will align the reproducer properly over the record.

Do not confuse our Isolator with the cheap plastic imitations.  The Rocky Mountain Rubber Exhibition Isolator follows the Victor plans closely.  Our Neoprene rubber has the same Durometer (hardness) as the original, we have the standoff from the reproducer as per the original and we have the tone arm seal.

The plastic (thermoplastic elastomer) imitations have none of the above.  Their inserts are flush to the side which attaches to the reproducer and have no tone arm seal.  This causes buzzing and rattling and promotes record wear due to  acoustic impedance in the system.

The price of the new isolator is $18.00 + $5.00 S&H each (Outside USA may be more).  It is necessary for you to send us your old isolator so that the brass insert can be reused.  These isolators are custom made by hand just like the old ones were.  You might find a cheaper imitation, but remember that a Yugo and a Cadillac are both cars, both will get you where you want to go, but only one does it with style.   Our isolator is the Cadillac.

To order your new Rocky Mountain Rubber Exhibition Isolator, call, e-mail or write to:

Rocky Mountain Rubber Manufacturing Co. Inc.

2375 S. Raritan

Englewood, Co. 80110

303-934-5071

Email to johngubbins at (you know the symbol) rmrmfg.com. Sorry about this but spam makes it necessary!

Please Note!!! These Isolators are for Victor Exhibition Rear Mount Reproducers only!!! They will not work for a No. 2, or a front mount machine even if it does have an Exhibition. They will not work on Edisons or Columbias. Please be sure to look at the pictures above and make sure you have the same thing or disappointment may result. In any event, our Isolators are guaranteed to please.

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Page created and supported by John Gubbins. Copyright© Rocky Mountain Rubber