Classic Hifi Care

We have featured some of Jimmy O's products on this forum from time to time. He puts what, at first blush, appears to be astronomical prices on his items for sale. I don't have a lot of restoration experience, but I have had enough experience to know he may not be all that far off in his pricing. His ability to actually collect his asking price may be another matter altogether. I have $200 in my little Truetone kiddie player that I'd be hard pressed to get ten bucks for if I had to sell it. I have as much in the Magnavox record player I redid as I do in the Concert Grand. The GE stereo I have currently under restoration will quite possibly be the most expensive restoration I have attempted on electronic equipment. Let's assume for purposes of this discussion that it will look like a million dollars when it's done. What I will have is a hotrodded entry-level GE stereo with a PCB chassis. I believe Jimmy takes beat up wooden cabinets then hotrods them by covering them with Tolex. That's fine and the end result is amazing, so there is that.

You can figure $100 in materials if you cover a cabinet, however small, with Tolex. The material, the glue, hardware, sandpaper, fillers, tools all add up. IF you can do more than one project with Tolex and glue on hand, that will lower costs substantially. Then there is time. I have over 50 hours in the little Truetone player, almost 100 hours in the Magnavox, and I'll have more still with the GE. If you are paying a professional for his time to do the work, what will that run? Can you get someone to do the work for $40 an hour and maintain a shop? Then you have the electronics. Guys get $35 a tube to work on radios. It all adds up. If you do it yourself and have to pay rent on a space to work, where would you be then? This used to be a cheaper hobby than collector cars, but it's not anymore.

You can't buy replacement speakers. Some cartridges are spendy and scarce. Other parts don't fall out of the sky. Expertise and support mainly is provided by hobbyists like we are. Available and desirable units to restore are getting more scarce as the console rapers tear them apart for the amplifiers.

All I can say is, I would not pay $3600.00 for a console stereo that is single ended with only two speakers and 8" at that.

Bill

William wrote: ↑Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:00 pm All I can say is, I would not pay $3600.00 for a console stereo that is single ended with only two speakers and 8" at that.

Bill

The difference is that you have knowledge. Yesterday I heard a news announcer explain what vacuum tubes are. It made me pause and ponder the fact that most of the world is too young to have any experience with tubes.

Most people know little more than that you can put a record here, turn that switch, and music comes out there. They have little experience with sound quality. That explains the widespread purchase of those modern "Crosley" record players. I'm fairly certain that the Westinghouse shown in that link would sound better than the Crosley devices.

So if somebody can buy a little console that looks good and plays records, and if they have enough cash in their pockets to buy a cool toy, they will.

I read Stereophile magazine. You can buy turntables that cost $60,000, amps that cost $80,000, and speakers for $120K. You can, if you have more money than sense, or if you have enough money to buy stuff just for fun. It's the same as buying that Westinghouse, just at another price and prestige point. Most people are buying something to play music, and if it does that reliably and looks stylish, they are not too critical.

Chris Campbell

The expense of the restoration of a piece of audio equipment is part of the investment in a completed project. We like to perform the restorations ourselves and that is a fulfilling part of their acquisition. Others, who can afford to, will lavish vast sums of cash in pursuit of the best audio equipment money can buy. The restorer looks at the amount of cash the well heeled spends and considers how much restoration work and materials it could buy and the spenders wonder how a person could risk a cent on purchasing needy equipment in the uncertain goal of getting the quality they want from it. Each hopefully gets satisfaction from their pursuit. Oft times it is amusing to consider either prospect.

For me, the enjoyment comes when you have taken a neglected, dog-eared device, put some of myself into it, then look at it when it's better then new and hand-built. Nobody ever made a nickel restoring anything.

It is truly where a job well done is it's own reward.

I know a guy who enters car shows so he can get a trophy. Art always told me that if I did a good job of restoration, I would drive my trophy to the car show.....

I make gas and grocery money from selling my
restored record players.

If I did not sell some of them on consignment, I'd make 30% more.

But, the nice owner of the record shop also sends me
repair customers.

So, beyond worrying (not) about labor time, I do allright
with my restorations.

The intangible benefits to me are also worth a lot !

I always buy a player for a decent low price,
knowing the overall parts expense, et cetera.

And buying a player that has some innate pizzazz in its
styling is important, for being able to sell at a higher price.

These things have worked well for me.

Maybe there are people out there that will pay stupid prices for this stuff... My conscience would not allow me to ask for a price I know is outlandish or crazy ... I ask for just enough to cover the total cost of repair or restore... and even then that is too much for some people...needless to say I rarely sell anything at a profit...

It's difficult to get a person who has no concept of what is involved with a proper restoration to appreciate it's cost. When you see an ad for a derelict piece stating "It just needs some tubes", it becomes obvious that they think it's a simple proposition. They are also the folks who will post here only once with a query as to exactly what is needed to get a device in working order, then suffer instantaneous discouragement.

NOBODY recoups restoration costs. You buy a jalopy, pay someone 100k to restore it an you're lucky to sell it for 25k. Even worse if YOU had it customized.

As a restorer selling it, sure, you expect to be paid for your work. Even then, you need to take a hit.

This price is nutz for what it is.

A fully-restored 63 split window corvette is gonna cost maybe less to fully restore than a 57 Bonneville but which one is going to sell faster and for more.

I think I told you guys the story about my customer who wanted, and paid generously for, a frame-off, rotisserie restoration on a low-option, tan with white top, 1961 Buick LeSabre four door sedan. Would not let me add a single option. 364 two barrel V-8 with Dynaflow and Power Steering and brakes. Radio and heater, defroster. Full wheel covers and whitewall tires. He put over $100,000 in a car he would be hard-pressed to get ten grand for on a good day. The guy was thrilled with how it turned out and is active in old-car activities. He wouldn't be any prouder if it was a '53 Skylark..... No doubt he had the nicest '61 LeSabre ever on the face of the planet. It wasn't that nice when it was new.

I'm pretty sure I've quoted Oscar Wilde before about the kind of people who know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Value is a lot more complicated than price.

Chris Campbell