My Old Cabinet Stereo

[countryguy]

I thought I'd post a few pics of the cabinet stereo I inherited from my mom. I remember her buying it when I was in high school (mid 70s). It is a Monteverdi by Lloyd's. It has the AM/FM stereo, turntable and recordable 8-track tape deck.

Gary

 

[countryguy]

Pic #2

 

[chuffle]

What a nice console...

...from a different time. Do you listen to it much?

I had forgotten about recordable 8-track tapes. My parents bought a Zenith Allegro stereo (it was wedge-shaped) in the mid 1970s, and it had an 8-track tape recorder. I remember recording some of my "albums" on 8-track tape, so that the lazy bum that I am wouldn't have to get up and flip the record over!

I never tire of seeing (and hearing) console stereos, there's just something about them - perhaps it is a trip down memory lane, for most folks that I knew as a kid in the 1960s had one. My parents had two, one that I vaguely recall in the early 1960s (might have been an Admiral or Motorola), then a Zenith (which went away when they bought the Allegro)

I own two, both posted on the vac site (sorry to bore you all, if you have been over there and already seen 'em). The Zenith pictured below, in my TV room, is the Zenith that I grew up with, though not the one that my parents owned. I found this one on Craig'sList Pittsburgh a number of years ago, and bought it from a guy who was getting married and who's fiance didn't care for his collection of Danish-style furniture. This particular model is called "the Mendelssohn."

The photo isn't the best, for my TV room is small and cozy.

 

[chuffle]

And then in my reception room...

I have another Zenith, another Craig'sList Pittsburgh find that I purchased last month. It is a "Molina" model, and was purchased in 1968, for $650. I have the sales receipt, the owners' manual, hang tags, and a catalog detailing all of Zenith's console stereo models...the original owner kept all documents.

The thing is massive, weighs a ton, and took three of us to move it from Pittsburgh to my house here in the country.

One thing that I did when I bought the first Zenith, was to purchase a tiny FM transmitter from CC Crane, that I hook up to my computer. I then broadcast favorite music from online (I use Live365) to both the console in the TV room upstairs, and the new one downstairs.

I hope that you enjoy yours!

Joe

 

[chuffle]

One thing that I forgot to mention...

The "beast" in my reception room is so heavy, it has heavy-duty casters hidden underneath. I wonder how many folks back then hefted the thing around in order to clean?

Joe

 

[countryguy]

Mine has casters on it also which makes it very easy to move around. I rarely listen to it. The record player does not work very well. I think that is because it was not used for so many years. The turntable needs help in order to turn - maybe a lose belt? We only recorded a few 8-tracks with it so that we could play them in my dad's car.

Gary

 

[paulg]

Monteverdi and Zenith

During my TV-repairman days I had to service LLoyds, Monteverdi, Zenith among a myriad of other brands. I remember Lloyds as being quite reliable and quite nice overall.
The Zeniths were super but we fixed a lot due to their popularity.
Is "The Molina" a touch-control Zenith? I remember those louvered-speaker stereos always being part of the very top-end units.
I remember one service call on one of those Zenith stereos. The output transistors would fail over and over. The (rather good) bench techs couldn't figure it out.
I went to the home and really tore into the unit. What happened was that the crossover in the speaker box is stapled to the interior cabinet. It fell off probably due to vibration, swung down on its wires which caused the crossover terminals to lie against the metal speaker frame intermittently shorting it out. Affixing the crossover back to the cabinet wall with screws stopped that trouble.
Not sure if your unit is designed the same, but something to check if you're bored some rainy day...

 

[paulg]

Monteverdi changer

That is an idler-drive BSR changer. You probably have grease-to-glue syndrome. It is repairable albeit tricky for those not used to record-changers. Find an old-timer in your neighborhood to do the work.

 

[chuffle]

Gary...

I know you are in Canada, but there is a place in Ohio that does turntable repair, and also sells repair parts. My one turntable works, but needs a new idler wheel. The other turntable does not work. I keep thinking of taking a road trip to Ohio and have them repair the thing - someday.

Joe

http://www.west-techservices.com/p7.htm

 

[countryguy]

I don't really need the turntable to function as I have a component turntable connected to my stereo system. In fact I have been thinking about taking all the stereo guts out of the cabinet and just using it as a storage cabinet.

Gary

 

[chuffle]

The Zenith Molina...

...aka "the beast," isn't touch control. I did some internet research on this model, and if I remember correctly, the touch control came out in the early 1970s. Mine's a little more, ah, traditional.

 

[twintubdexter]

hey Joe...(chuffle)

Your Zeniths are really nice. That unit in your cozy TV room looks great but I would kill to get that one in your downstairs space. That console looks beautiful against those hardwood floors. That cabinet is very attractive too.

I passed up this Zenith that was on the San Diego Craigslist awhile back an I regret it. The cabinet style wouldn't fit in with my furniture but I've always wanted one of the Zeniths with the motorized pop-up reel to reel recorder...so very cool huh?

Joe 2

 

[chuffle]

Joe 2:

Oooohh - according to my literature, the model that you posted a picture of is "the Handel," and it sure is a beaut! It runs 68 1/8" wide, one inch wider than my console in the reception room.

If I had one extra room in my house, I'd snap that up in a heartbeat!

Thanks for sharing!

Joe 1

 

[whirlcool]

Ah, the famous Zenith "2G" tonearm! Zenith sure advertised the heck out of that. Weren't those changers made by VM?

The earlier Cobramatic changers tonearms were extremely heavy. I remember loaning a friend a few records of mine and he played them on his parents stereo that had a Cobramatic unit in it. The records came back a few days later totally worn out! The next time I was at his house, I looked at the tonearm and it had a tracking force equivalent to a desk top Western Electric telephone! The tracking force seemed to be in pounds rather than grams!

 

[chuffle]

To the best of my knowledge...

...which isn't all that great...

The turntable on "the beast" pictured above was made by Zenith, while the 2G turntables on the next tier of consoles was made for Zenith by VoM.

I could be venting hot air, but I'm "almost" sure that I read that info in a couple of places.

Joe

 

[paulg]

A bit of VM trivia

Actually fellas I don't think your Zenith changers are VM at all. I think yours are both Monarch.
Zenith engineered the 2g Microtouch tonearm and VM installed them on VM's changers for Zenith.
Along the way, one of the VM engineers defected and opened his own phonograph company, Monarch. Zenith bought some Monarch changers along the way.
The flip-up 45 RPM spindle is my signal that this is a Monarch changer.
You've got a great Zenith stereo. Not sensor-touch but be glad, those were buggers to fix. Yours will probably work forever.
I've forgotten about the pop-up open-reel unit. Although Zenith and VM were good friends, I actually think that open-reel was Wollensak (but I could be wrong about that).

 

[chuffle]

Paul...

That's an interesting twist to the info that has been in the back of my mind. I always find it fascinating, what one can learn from others here on the forum.

Thanks for your comments!

Joe

 

[twintubdexter]

don't know nothin bout no Zeniths...

...but that deck does look very Wollensak. I know that the reel recorder in my Magnavox is Panasonic. Don't cha all just love this Super forum?...everything from classic cars to Aunt Tillie's stuffed cabbage rolls...it's my favorite thing on the internet.

 

[whirlcool]

I think that was a Wollensak recorder in the photo above. I had the infamous Wollensak 5900 which you mounted on the wall and the recorder along with the two wooden speakers that came with it was about 7 feet wide.

Doesn't this look similar to the Zenith model?

 

[yogitunes]

Great pics....I love console stereos.....we had one with a TV/Stereo combination......with many speakers for great sound

I would love to get a hold of a reel to reel....

 

[paulg]

Whirlcool nailed it

Boy - you found that Wollensak ad right quick! This gang sure knows its stuff!

 

[paulg]

Magnificent Magnavox

Yet again I will mention that I love Twintubdexter's Magnavox.... forgot the name... er.. big display and stereo unit.
I just refurbed a Mag/Collaro phono for my friend Tammy. I've got my glass of wine and will now listen to Belle Barth as a test.
Sorry - I have no Rudy De La Mor vinyl to spin... Or did he record only 78's ?? (ducks and runs).

 

[whirlcool]

Wollensak was kind of a strange company. I knew them most from their 1500 & 1700 series audio visual products. And they also made cameras.

Back in 1967 I bought a Wollensak 5900. That was the one that hung on the wall with the two speakers next to it in a oiled walnut case. It looked more component than portable (which it was not). It was rather rare, I have never seen another one except in advertising. This product was directed at the home audio enthusiast rather than commercial use. It sounded great! I had it until I went away to college and while I was gone my mother sold it in a garage sale she had! I bought it at Allied Radio on Western Av in Chicago. Now THAT place was HiFi heaven!
Anyway, here is a photo of the 5750 which was a notch or two down from the 5900.
The tape unit was the same, but the 5900 had completely separate speakers that were not hinged and they were normal oiled walnut bookshelf speakers. A beautiful design.

 

[whirlcool]

I even uncovered an old Wollensak television advert! The 5900 I spoke of is in the ad, but not mentioned. You can see it at 00:30-00:40 of this commercial.

http://1m1f.com/video/wDjfdNQvpTI/T...0-Stereo-Reel-to-Reel-Tape-Recorder-1966.html

 

[jaxsunst]

Was that a tall cabinet Maggie? Would love to see more pics.

 

[paulg]

That Wollensak is a beaut

Now there is a tape deck that one saves money to buy and then treasures/enjoys it for years.
My friend Rich was a technician for Allied on Western Avenue in the 1960s. He too was an open-reel fan. He took such pride in his hifi. And he always kept his open reels running. He and I worked together in the 1980s.

I have two open-reels, a VM and a SONY which I almost never use. Both were saved from the Salvation Army and both work fine but some tapes play better on one than the other. I am no expert of open-reel but if I find a fun title in a junk bin I want to play it. The fidelity is amazing - particularly on the SONY. I've never touched a Wollensak - maybe because they never broke?? However everyone I knew that owned one kept it many years and loved it.

Perhaps the azimuth is off on one of my open-reels, but I have bigger fish to fry... you know what I mean.

 

[whirlcool]

I was a big reel to reel guy in the 60's. A couple of my friends and I used to make "reel shows" like radio shows and swap them amongst each other. As part of the theater series of classes in high school we all took a radio history and production class. We practiced on these reels and spent hours and hours working on them. I am sure our parents were happy because this kept us off the streets and out of trouble!

Not too long ago one of these friends contacted me on Facebook (before I closed my account) to tell me he still had some of those reels in storage. They were on Mylar instead of acetate, so they should still be listenable. But he didn't have a reel to reel either.
I had probably 30 or 40 7 inch tapes in my collection, but over the years they got lost in my many moves. I always wanted to get a Roberts tape deck, but never did.

I remember you could buy the the latest album on either vinyl or tape. I bought quite a few on tape.

I went to school out of state, and while I was gone my younger sister and brother got into everything I owned. By the time I graduated college and moved back home, just about everything I had collected had either been sold or given away. My father used to tell me "You're a big boy now, you don't need all that crap!".

My Wollensak did have trouble with the FF/Rewind bar getting sloppy in it's working. It'd get a lot of play in the travel back and forth. Wollensak fixed it twice under warranty. I don't think that their last designs were as robust as their 1500-1700 units were. A lot of schools had those in their audio/visual departments and they were built like tanks!

 

[drewz]

Joe,

That "Molina" model while Zenith kept changing it's name over the years was made up till 1980 as the TOL Allegro console. This cabinet was the Flagship of Zenith Console Stereo's, I remember it in the Zenith showroom when I purchased a Zenith console stereo for my mothers & fathers anniversary in 1980. I wish I could have afforded that one like yours but it was close to $1200 or more, and I was only in high school so I purchased one for around $600 for them and I still have it today.

 

[twintubdexter]

so nice...

That Wollensak 5750 is just such a wonderful design...clean, great speaker cloth color and the 2-tone champagne back panel just finishes it off. Such a nice thing to look at!

 

[whirlcool]

And the speaker system that came with the 5900 (not swing out speakers, but true bookshelf speakers) were two way speakers and sounded very nice.