Classic Hifi Care

It's pretty beat up and the price is astronomical. But it's a Concert Grand.....

https://www.ebay.com/itm/203494773338?h ... SwZpFgyLRh

I have see worse cabinets, like my Motorola Drexel. Wow, they certainly are proud of it. I see it has the tuning eye, does that make it a 1960 or 1961?

Bill

The tuning eye makes it a '59 or '60.

Nice unit in a currently unpopular formal style... $400-500?

But it has FREE local pickup.

OK ... so what is the true going rate for something like this in current condition? obviously the owner has sentimental value ... or dreams of averus ....

These days one has to ask if the going rate would be for an intact unrestored concert grand, a restored concert grand or the value of a unit scrapped for it's individual components, with their value to be determined?

I'm not sure there is an unpopular style for a Concert Grand. I wouldn't go near $500 for that one with the cabinet like it is. Ron the Refinisher would probably fix the corner of the cabinet with epoxy then take it from there.

I was fortunate when I got my Concert Grand. The prices hadn't started going thru the roof. I'm not sure what the REAL value of one is. The old "it's worth what somebody will pay for it" may be the best indicator. I don't believe a restored one is worth any more than an original one. Anybody who wants to buy one is a hobbyist and may prefer to do his own work. The general public hasn't heard of one, doesn't know what it is, and could care less. To my way of thinking, cabinet condition, rather than style is most important. I have a Provincial cabinet in cherry and find it quite satisfactory. If I could get one in a Modern cabinet for the right price, that would be okay, too. The "right price" for me would be well under $500. But, then, I'm cheap.

About the only way one would find one of those reasonably priced, would be at a garage sale with non-knowledgeable sellers. It would be nice to have one, but with the FM problems I have encountered with a unit of that vintage, they would have a hole in them as far as I'm concerned.

I would never pay anything near $500.00 for one, considering I only paid 50 bucks for my Imperial and it's next down in Magnavox's pecking order. I am very happy with the way the Imperial sounds, and if I could only find the part I needed it might even play again. I really enjoyed the way it reproduced theater pipe organ records and CD's.

I hope to make it there this winter Greg, and I hope you have the shop built so I can see all of your orphans.

Bill

FM performance could certainly be better, not only in a Concert Grand, but most any Magnvox stereo with an FM tuner with no AFC. The bass response is more of an issue to me. People didn't buy a CG for radio performance. They bought it because it was one of the ultimate record players built in its day. These things were built during the early days of stereo. Radio wasn't stereo in those days. I just kinda accept the wonky performance quirks of a Concert Grand as part of its charm. Magnavox built better and cheaper stereos than the Concert Grand. They didn't build anything with the allure of the Concert Grand to enthusiasts today.

And, Bill, they let us know today that they are going to start on the foundation for the shop on Monday, if not before.

Let's see......I have about six VM changers that need the touch, and maybe a half dozen Collaros. How long you planning on spending out here this winter?

You can work on them listening to the Concert Grand, if you'd like.....

Sounds good to me Greg!

Bill

I'll save my pop money for record player parts.........