New phonograph toy from Ohio

[travis]

Thanks for the compliments

I don't remember the serial number off hand. I think 2847. I don't have any covers for the amplifier. I plan to send the tone arm to be restored in the next couple weeks. After the new year, I'll have time to replace the wiring to the motor.

This came with a shoebox of new steel needles. What should I use as a needle for the electric pickup? Or the acoustic? I am very excited to get to this once the tone arm has the work done.

 

[miele_ge]

here is some video of the record changer in operation

Pardon the video quality - this is my first attempt at this. But it gives you an idea of how it works.

 

[miele_ge]

I usually use steel needles with no trouble.

Just make sure the ones you have are really "new" and have never been used. If a used needle is removed and reinserted into either of the pickups it will cause record damage. I usually use newly made steel needles or ones that are still sealed rather than take a chance on damaging a favorite record.

You will want to find a cover for the amp and especially a ventilator stack for the ballast tube before using it. I can ask around for you.

Who is doing the tone arm restoration for you if you don't mind me asking?

Alan

 

[travis]

I had contacted Shenandoah Restorations. My arm bracket needs to be replaced, the reproducer rebuilt, and the tone arm polished or replated. I didn't even know there was an amplifier cover.

 

[miele_ge]

I dont't know of Shenandoah restorations...

The back bracket is a very easy repair - I did it myself on mine and I am not what anyone would call handy with tools. The arm itself is brass with a very thin gold wash on it. Unless it is badly worn, I would just gently clean it with mild soap and water. I had one machine that I bought on ebay - somewhere between the time the photos were taken and I got the machine, they decided to polish the arm and in the process removed all the gold - it is shinny but not the right color at all! Eventually, I want to find a donor machine to get another one. Rebuilding the reproduceris a bit tricky - especially if it is one of the older ones made out of pot metal. Whenever I get a new machine, I always like to do as little as possible with it to keep it as original as possible.

You should be able to get the machine playing accoustically with very little effort. Do you have the book "Look for the Dog?" It is a great reference for all the Victor products and even has repair notes that were used by the service techs of the day to explain how to repair/maintain the motors, reproducers (sound box), etc.

Best of luck with your machine. It is a very rare example - less than 3,500 of this model were made as opposed to ~90,000 of the other "Credenza" models. I only know of 5 or 6 of them left in existance.

Please try to keep it as authentic as possible.

Regards,

Alan

 

[miele_ge]

Here is a photo of the amp/power supply with the cover on it

There is also a safty interlock which prevents line current from going to the machine, unless the door covering the terminal strip is closed and latched as I *think* there are some hefty voltages there that could be dangerous.

 

[travis]

Nope, I don't have that cover.

My tone arm bracket was repaired with an ugly bolt years ago. I have a gold pot metal reproducer that's cracking. I had planned to replace the already broken tone arm bracket with a reproduction. The tone arm was either going to be cleaned or replated.

If you hear of anyone with an amplifier cover let me know. I didn't realize that I was missing something.

 

[sudsmaster]

I have a tabletop Victrola VV-X. Nothing special, although the cabinet is solid oak, not the more common (I think) mahogany veneer.

In any case, last year the neighborhood had a blackout. They aren't that common here, but it lasted for a few hours. I was kind of pleased to give the VV a few cranks and put on some old 78's, making music to break the eerie silence.

Kind of like living off the grid, albeit for just a few hours.

 

[frontaloadotmy]

Alan

Your VE 10 - 70 E is quite fabulous too.
I had no idea that there was such a fancy home
record player of that time. Amazing that it changes records
automatically.

 

[rp2813]

Oh yeah, Rich. When the power would go out, I'd crank up the Victrola for the same reason as you. If I had a Credenza model that could sit snugly up against a wall I'd likely still own a crank phonograph, but the classic floor model Victrolas with bonnet tops take up a lot of space to allow room for the lid to be fully opened, and I didn't use my VV-XVI enough anymore.

As far as needles are concerned, I would think finding a stash of multi-use "Tungs-Tone" ones would be a great way to go, if they are compatible with Orthophonic models.

 

[tolivac]

Klipsch speaker-Paul Klipsch belived strongly in horn speakers-the 3 way corner hon systems-still made today-use a 3Way horn system-the "folded" horn is for the LF-hence the corner placement of these speaker stems-the triangular cabinet-the LF radiates from the back of the enclosure.the mid range and tweeter horns sit on top of the LF enclosure-these systems are a JOY to listen to esp when driven by a TUBE amp.A freind of my Moms had a pair of these driven by Dynaco St70 and a PAS3 preamp.The system had a Thorens TT.Was listening to this for a few hrs and in sound bliss!Would love such a unit today-Anything you played thru these speakers was reproduced with unbeleivable realism.A pair of those K-Horn speakers go for $6000-12K today.It is said many of these are imported from the US to Asia.They are still built in the Klipsch factory in Hope,Arkansas.

 

[sudsmaster]

I forget the name of it, but my VV-X came with a nearly infinite supply of tungsten. It's on a little wheel attached to a normal needle mount. You just advance the wheel a bit when the wire gets too close to the mount, and then make sure it gets played on an acoustic 78 to hone the tungsten to the correct shape. I think I get 10-20 records' worth of playing before I have to advance the wire again, which is usually less than 1/16 of an inch, if that. More like 1/32. The tungsten is so mild I find I can play later electronic 78's without noticeable harm, as well, as long as the tungsten has gotten honed on an older 78 first after some wire advancement.