It was in the late 90's when I had to move into a small room. My stereo was in storage, so I decided to get a classroom phonograph. I used to go to Pop's Resale in Lexington, Kentucky so I knew that Pop would not cheat me. Anyways, I got a Califone. It had a 6" × 9" speaker in it and it sounded fantastic. Eventually I moved to a better place and I get my stereo out of storage and the Califone went to the garage. A year later, I pulled it out of the garage and it was rusted. Ah, well... Happy Easter to you and yours.
I just got one of those yesterday, Califone 1030AV, total cost was $49, excellent condition. Has a 10 watt amp and the 6 X 9 speaker, killer sound and very loud, good bass. Add a Baja Marimba Band LP and you got a party.
get a power bank that has AC power plug and take that with you if you want to try something out. I've done that when selling a TV, I brought a battery bank so they could see that it worked and wasn't cracked. Some car jump packs have AC power
When I got my Technics SL-QL15 linear tracker turntable, it needed a new stylus. For that thing, it was worth getting a decent stylus for it. As for units with built in speakers, you could shine a flashlight into the grill to as that will help to get a good look at the condition of the speaker(s).
Almost sure a modification of this unit changing speeds, and adding some braille to the controls was the Library of Congress talking books phonograph. Speeds 33 rpm, 16 rpm and 8 rpm. The look was almost identical as best as I can remember... finding one of those might be tough. I believe LOC insisted on return of the gear and books for destruction but a few float around.
From time-to-time, older talking book machines show up on Ebay, flea markets, etc. The best ones are the old gray wooden tube models from the '60s, but those are getting harder to find. I was all the time seeing the plastic-cased solid state models, but those are also not as common as they were a few years ago.
My Grandma still had her moms 1960s Vintage Harman Kardon Stratophonic Music System Sc4 record player and FM tuner! She told me I could have it, I just needed to replace the stylus, and now it still runs and sounds great!
on older record players, the amp also needs to have the resisters checked to make sure that they are in tolerance. carbon composition resisters will drift up in value as they age, and for the ones that are out of tolerance have got to be replaced. tube amps are more forgiving than solid state amps when it comes to resisters that have drifted up in value.
According to an audio gear critic: when buying a vintage turntable, the 1st thing to do is invest in a good stethoscope and use that to listen to the motor running on its plinth. If it runs smooth, buy it, if it makes strange noise, run away ASAP as vintage motor is VERY HARD TO FIX because looking for replacement motor is close to impossible.
I have to admit that purchasing as soon as possible is sometimes more important to me than checking if it works or not; especially if the price is good. I've come a cropper more times than I can recall when purchasing items and finding out it may not work especially when there are others 'hovering' around who might purchase it first. However, if the price is more expensive I will give more consideration and check things. There are a lot of things I've purchased a while ago and still don't know (now) if they work (or may ever work) when any missing or broken things are fixed. Sometimes just purchasing something you've wanted for a long time is paramount, I feel, and just the luck of the draw as to whether it *will* work or not. I think that if the price of the item is right it can sometimes outweigh the fact that I can't use it now, but maybe can later on.
I made a mistake in taking into possession my aunt's old GE suitcase player, not knowing in the slightest how poorly she handled her belongings. The speakers were blown, the platter was spinning too fast, and the needle was skipping even on freshly cleaned records. It was, for all intents and purposes, junk. Moral of the story: Know your family before you ask for their old stuff.
The tubed Califones,and Newcomb players were my favorites-had the best richer sound.For idler tires and belts-something you can try for free set the TT to highest speed-78 and let it run for awhile.That may get the flat spot out-worth a try.
I have lots of classroom record players and I like them, but the 89T cartridges are getting very scarce and expensive (years ago, I was paying $5/each for the cartridges). Given the age of these things, they could all benefit from a full "going over" to ensure they are working at their peak and will last a long time.
Been looking for suitcase style for a bit. Latest one I got was all apart. I can't figure it out oh well strange buzzing too probably a cap issue. I'm not radiotvphononut lol I should send it to him..
Rolled my eyes (in a good way!) as soon as you said “where am I gonna get a 45 adapter?” I knew what was coming!
Your 45 adapter segues are becoming legendary. Your 45 adapters are perfect replacements for missing or cheap quality adapters. Keep selling!
It was in the late 90's when I had to move into a small room. My stereo was in storage, so I decided to get a classroom phonograph. I used to go to Pop's Resale in Lexington, Kentucky so I knew that Pop would not cheat me. Anyways, I got a Califone. It had a 6" × 9" speaker in it and it sounded fantastic. Eventually I moved to a better place and I get my stereo out of storage and the Califone went to the garage. A year later, I pulled it out of the garage and it was rusted. Ah, well... Happy Easter to you and yours.
I just got one of those yesterday, Califone 1030AV, total cost was $49, excellent condition. Has a 10 watt amp and the 6 X 9 speaker, killer sound and very loud, good bass. Add a Baja Marimba Band LP and you got a party.
A stylus for one of these record player runs anywhere from 20 to 25 dollars
That,s a beautiful vintage suitcase recordplayer , nice !!
get a power bank that has AC power plug and take that with you if you want to try something out. I've done that when selling a TV, I brought a battery bank so they could see that it worked and wasn't cracked. Some car jump packs have AC power
When I got my Technics SL-QL15 linear tracker turntable, it needed a new stylus. For that thing, it was worth getting a decent stylus for it. As for units with built in speakers, you could shine a flashlight into the grill to as that will help to get a good look at the condition of the speaker(s).
Almost sure a modification of this unit changing speeds, and adding some braille to the controls was the Library of Congress talking books phonograph. Speeds 33 rpm, 16 rpm and 8 rpm. The look was almost identical as best as I can remember... finding one of those might be tough. I believe LOC insisted on return of the gear and books for destruction but a few float around.
From time-to-time, older talking book machines show up on Ebay, flea markets, etc. The best ones are the old gray wooden tube models from the '60s, but those are getting harder to find. I was all the time seeing the plastic-cased solid state models, but those are also not as common as they were a few years ago.
My Grandma still had her moms 1960s Vintage Harman Kardon Stratophonic Music System Sc4 record player and FM tuner! She told me I could have it, I just needed to replace the stylus, and now it still runs and sounds great!
on older record players, the amp also needs to have the resisters checked to make sure that they are in tolerance. carbon composition resisters will drift up in value as they age, and for the ones that are out of tolerance have got to be replaced. tube amps are more forgiving than solid state amps when it comes to resisters that have drifted up in value.
Thx for this,now I can go to the Goodwill and check those TTs out
According to an audio gear critic: when buying a vintage turntable, the 1st thing to do is invest in a good stethoscope and use that to listen to the motor running on its plinth. If it runs smooth, buy it, if it makes strange noise, run away ASAP as vintage motor is VERY HARD TO FIX because looking for replacement motor is close to impossible.
VERY Interesting....
I have to admit that purchasing as soon as possible is sometimes more important to me than checking if it works or not; especially if the price is good.
I've come a cropper more times than I can recall when purchasing items and finding out it may not work especially when there are others 'hovering' around who might purchase it first. However, if the price is more expensive I will give more consideration and check things.
There are a lot of things I've purchased a while ago and still don't know (now) if they work (or may ever work) when any missing or broken things are fixed.
Sometimes just purchasing something you've wanted for a long time is paramount, I feel, and just the luck of the draw as to whether it *will* work or not.
I think that if the price of the item is right it can sometimes outweigh the fact that I can't use it now, but maybe can later on.
I made a mistake in taking into possession my aunt's old GE suitcase player, not knowing in the slightest how poorly she handled her belongings.
The speakers were blown, the platter was spinning too fast, and the needle was skipping even on freshly cleaned records. It was, for all intents and purposes, junk.
Moral of the story: Know your family before you ask for their old stuff.
The tubed Califones,and Newcomb players were my favorites-had the best richer sound.For idler tires and belts-something you can try for free set the TT to highest speed-78 and let it run for awhile.That may get the flat spot out-worth a try.
Wait til Christmas rolls around. Neighbors compete with decor in celebration. It gets wild.
I have lots of classroom record players and I like them, but the 89T cartridges are getting very scarce and expensive (years ago, I was paying $5/each for the cartridges). Given the age of these things, they could all benefit from a full "going over" to ensure they are working at their peak and will last a long time.
Check the wires are on the back of the cartridge.
Been looking for suitcase style for a bit. Latest one I got was all apart. I can't figure it out oh well strange buzzing too probably a cap issue. I'm not radiotvphononut lol I should send it to him..
What is a good place to SELL a 70s player?
I have a Kenwood KD 600 like new with a Lynn basik plus arm is it worth anything let me know
someone on ebay is selling belts that aren't terribly expensive
1st person to watch this video!