A vintage audio find

[turquoisedude]

There are times when you don't go looking for something - it just finds you...
Ever since we moved from the shores of Lake Valdemars in the Laurentians to the plains of Ogden back in 2007, I have bitterly regretted that I left an early 60s Viking console stereo system in one of our former houses. Ever since then, I was hoping to find a decent console system - I have seen plenty but they usually had either a bad amplifier or a totally missing turntable. So this past weekend, after spending the morning shopping for plants in Sherbrooke, hubby let me have a look in the local Sally Ann. I found this, tucked away in the basement furniture and appliance section, and well, I just had a feeling about it...

 

[turquoisedude]

It's a Fleetwood, actually MADE in Montreal! I remember seeing lots of Fleetwood radios and record players as a brat - I still own THE first radio that my parents bought when they came to Canada in 1954. That one is full o'tubes, but this 'new' find is a genuine 'solid state'!

 

[turquoisedude]

Look at those speakers!

 

[turquoisedude]

The amplifier has an 'auxilliary' input set of jacks - hooking up a CD player will not be a problem.
Oh, and there's lots of vintage dust... I don't think the back of this unit was ever taken off!

 

[turquoisedude]

This is really odd. Note the power cord attached to the amplifier and how it is neatly tucked and tied to the bottom of the cabinet. The short extension cord leads to a terminal that will then mate with a power cable attached to the back of the access panel. I remember the power cables that were attached to the back panel of all kinds of radios and tv's - I guess it was a CSA regulation to prevent your average 'handyperson' from electrocuting themselves. It makes me think that this model was produced just when a new set of rules came into effect!

 

[turquoisedude]

And the turntable looks great, but...
When I tested the unit at the Salvation Army, the turntable did not seem to work at all, but as I say, I had a good feeling about it. When I got it home and jiggled the connections, I got the son of a gun working again. The sound was absolutely amazing - my neighbours down the road were shocked to hear the strains of 'Moonglow and Theme from "Picnic"' by George Cates echoing through our valley!
BUT, the turntable tone arm does not advance smoothly beyond a certain point in a record, so it skips. And it doesn't seem to want to work in 'automatic' mode, so it doesn't load or eject records. It will need a little work, but I know where to find decent turntable service in Montreal, so I am going to be able to get this into regular use soon.
AND because it isn't a washer,dryer or dishwasher, guess who has not been on my case??

 

[whirlcool]

You probably are going to want to take that Garrard turntable out and clean the old lubes out and apply new ones. That will make it last for many more years. You'll want to lubricate the motor, the spindle that the idler wheels sits on, the changer mechanism, and the center hub.
There are special lubricants to be used for this. If you have any questions, please contact me. And when working with the cartridge be VERY careful with the tone arm wires. They are very fragile and if they break you'll have to rewire the tonearm, which is a nightmare!

The link is to some basic info about this turntable.

[this post was last edited: 8/22/2011-23:42]

http://www.vinylengine.com/library/garrard/3000.shtml

 

[pdub]

A great find Paul!

I'll bet the sound is incredible just by looking at those speakers and real wood cabinet. Enjoy your newest collectible!

Patrick

 

[rp2813]

Moonglow and Theme From Picnic

One of my all time favorites.  I have it on a 45 in my jukebox, assigned to one of the several slots that the machine tends to get stuck on and play over and over.  I always buy spare copies of it whenever I find them in junk stores.

 

It must have sounded beautiful wafting out of that console.

 

[bellalaundry]

Wow

Such beautiful grain on the cabinet.

 

[retropia]

The cabinet looks like walnut to me; very handsome. Nice find!

 

[maytagbear]

Wow-

A great catch, Paul.

Where did Fleetwood stand in comparison to Ontario's Electrohome?

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[turquoisedude]

Fleetwood v. Electrohome

I think Fleetwood was lower-end than Electrohome.  I seem to remember that when it came down to nickels and dimes, Fleetwood always seemed to win!   

Electrohome had a way better product line, too - TV's as well as radios and record players and even some rebagded Borg-Warner room air-conditioners!

I am trying to remember which company did the 'Viking' rebadging for Eaton's and I can't remember who it was.  My father worked with the major appliances more than the audio/video stuff and unfortunately can't remember either...

 

[petek]

Nice find. I'd love a Danish Modern set to show up around here sometime. Electrohome was definitely a "superior" product to Fleetwood if only for the cabinetry itself which was very high quality.

 

[112561]

More stereo goodness

Keep your eyes peeled!

Wasn't Fleetwood a division of Speed-Queen?