1948 Olympic 8-925 AM-FM phono console

[electra225]

I remember reading a topic on another forum that indicated that 78 rpm records weren't recorded at a steady 78 rpm. This due to the fact the old crank phonos would slow down as the spring unwound. The speed started out faster, so the records, played on an electric phono, will run at about 80 rpm to make them sound right. I reckon the "78" part was an average, not a dead-on speed. Chris's comment about drag has merit. Plus, if you play a stack of 78's there was considerable weight for that motor to turn. It might be reasonable to expect some "overspeed" running the turntable with no load.

[stbasil]

Good points, I will test again with tone arm down and several records. I cringe to think of the drag that the old Astatic must have created, scraping along inside those grooves! Hopefully the lower tracking force now will lessen that somewhat.

[stbasil]

Well, 6 records and tone arm playing has no effect on the speed. I decided to reduce the diameter of the motor spindle, and with several passes of an emery board (nail file) , measuring the speed each time, it's down to 78rpm at a line voltage of 124V. Much better fix than trying to alter the supply voltage to the motor!

Like what this guy did, except I used a phone app to measure the speed and had only one diameter to reduce!

https://youtu.be/ofaVe-_W8tw?feature=shared

I think my favorite Artie Shaw record sounds better now!

[stbasil]

To make room in my garage for more stuff, I finally decided to unload this nice Olympic. I ended up replacing the 3 meg tapped volume control that was beyond saving, never was able to get it unscratchy, even after taking it apart and cleaning. A 1 meg audio taper worked great, and still sounds good without the tap!

Listed on Facebook marketplace for $250, expecting it to sit there forever, and having to end up donating it to a thrift store.
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/it ... tid=dXMIcH

BUT, I got multiple inquiries the first day, some just compliments on it's looks. And 14 likes! One inquiry was from a 20-something student at Texas State University which is just down the road, and she wanted to come "grab" it! I made sure she understood that it would not play contemporary vinyl, but she said she had several 78's. I think the fact that it had FM and Bluetooth made it even more attractive. She ended up coming with her husband to pick it up Tuesday evening, 3 days after I listed it, paid full price in cash. Really nice kids-- said they would send me a picture after getting it home, and sure enough a couple of hours later:

The nice thing about that cabinet design is that they can put all that stuff on top, and still have access to the changer. Having restored a few ol stereos now, I have come to appreciate the amazing condition of that unit, my first restoration, since it had been indoors all it's life, so the cabinet was almost perfect!

[William]

Looks like they have their source for the LP's sitting on top and some kind of a speaker sitting there too. It is a beautiful piece and from your recording of Stardust, it sounded great too.

Bill