Voice of Music

[William]

Since I'm a Michigander I have decided to make VM my record player of choice. After all, Michigan was, and still is, the home for the VM Corporation. VM planted its roots in Benton Harbor, and continued there until it closed down in the late seventies. At that point Gary Stark of V-M Audio Enthusiasts purchased what was left of the VM corporation and moved everything to the Detroit area where it still exists today. We all know and love Gary for his excellent service, advice, and the availability of VM parts. Having said all of that, I do not actually own a complete VM console. I do have one, but the amp, preamp, and tuner are missing. The speakers and changer are there, but not the good stuff. I found it buried under a pile of stuff at the local junk shop. Was I disappointed when I discovered the goodies were gone. The answer to that was YUP, but I had a nice console with changer and speakers so for ten bucks it followed me home. This is what it looks like:

https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/popup_p ... &TITLE=809

I have found the correct amp and preamp on eBay, but being a cheapskate I'm not willing to spend $300.00 for it. I'm patient, and if I live long enough I'm sure they will show up at a reasonable price. If not, I have a nice MCM cabinet I can use for something.

Before I end this post I want to share my latest VM find. It's a Model 972, and again I stumbled (literally) upon it in a antique store. Here is what it looks like:

https://www.thevoiceofmusic.com/popup_p ... &TITLE=972

I borrowed both of these photos from Gary's website because I still need to master attaching photos here on the forum.

So this starts my VM story. I have VM portables and table top units yet to share, and I hope to include photos when I do. By the way, the local junk shop has been good pickings for me. I have a RCA two piece Limed Oak stereo, and a Motorola table top radio from around 1942. They also have a ton of records and some of them followed me home as well.

Bill

[electra225]

I look forward to reading the threads you start on these projects. You are lucky in that you always find the "good stuff". If you'd contact the site administrator, he might give you instructions on how to load pictures.

[hermitcrab]

Bill, I understand your interest in VM... once in a blue moon when the job takes me into the area , I drive down onto old main street in Benton Harbor and look at once was... a couple of buildings are at the old address so I assume it is where VM or part of it was... I just have a couple pieces of VM equipment ...a model 749 R2R found in a dumpster in a alley complete with all the original paperwork and a box of tapes ... the other is a table model 1296 record player found on the curb. both play great ... still want a big gun boat VM console one of these days...

[TC Chris]

Bill, I understand your interest in VM... once in a blue moon when the job takes me into the area , I drive down onto old main street in Benton Harbor and look at once was... a couple of buildings are at the old address so I assume it is where VM or part of it was... I just have a couple pieces of VM equipment ...a model 749 R2R found in a dumpster in a alley complete with all the original paperwork and a box of tapes ... the other is a table model 1296 record player found on the curb. both play great ... still want a big gun boat VM console one of these days...

I wonder how much movement there was between V-M and Heath?

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

I wondered that as well, not sure where Heathkit was located there ... guess I never even looked to see what their address was ... if they had one..and not a PO Box... a few months ago I was in Chicago, went to see the old plant #1 for zenith on dickens ave... was surprised to see it half torn down , I imagine it is totally gone now , guess something else is being built in its place ?...

[William]

There were lots of good quality electronic companies here in Michigan, and they were even on the west side of the state. Down the road from VM and Healthkit was Electro Voice in Buchanan.

Bill

[TC Chris]

Let me start and say that I'm a realistic guy ,and know that no amount of wailing, gnashing our teeth, and threatening the rest of the world is ever going to bring back the days when E-V, V-M, and Heath made cool stuff in western Michigan, or H-K, Mac, and Scott over on the east coast, or Sherwood in Chicago (etc.). And then there was the "east coast sound" of AR and KLH vs the "west coast sound" of JBL and Altec Lansing. But "deleted", I do miss those days. My tastes also run to American V-8s (or my beloved 4-cyl. Ranger) instead of the cool-guy cars like Porsche or BMW. It's why I'm pleased that the Asians finally taught our American car companies that if they didn't build a decent product, people would desert them. So finally we can buy cars that run and endure from or old American companies. It took a while.

I didn't become a real V-M fan until I found my Model 566 at curbside and looked at the schematic--"deleted", an ultralinear-style output transformer! Somebody was worried about distortion! Years earlier as a kid I had lusted after their 700-series tape recorders.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

I have a VM 730 tape recorder. Bought it used in 1964. It has a billion hours on it and needs one of everything. Rollers, pads, the whole works. It has a push pull 6BQ5 audio amp, powering a 6X9 speaker. That might not sound like much, but VM got lots of performance out of a 6X9 speaker. The thing runs 500 degrees, but is built like a tank.

[William]

You are so correct, Chris. I too miss the "good ole' days" . and, in more ways than just the electronic part.

I remember growing up one of my parents best friends bought a new record player. It was the "new" thing to have. It was "stereo", and it turned out to be a VM. It was purchased at the local hardware/appliance store and they carried VM, RCA, GE, and Admiral. I can remember the cabinet to this day, but I cannot find it on Gary's site so it must be one of the model numbers that does not have a photo attached. It did have a separate tuner and the 1200 series changer. I also remember how good it sounded and that I was kind of jealous, that my parents did not have one. We still had an RCA Orthophonic mono home theater kind of thing. Nothing wrong with it, it just was not "stereo". Someday, I hope to find a photo of that RCA system and then I can share just exactly what I'm talking about.

I too have a VM tape recorder. It's model 722 and I have the matching speaker/amp to go with it. It's actually in pretty good shape as far as the cabinet goes. It's on my todo list, someday!

Bill

[electra225]

My grandfather's younger brother bought a new Magnavox stereo in 1960. I believe it to have been either an Imperial or a Concert Grand. It was massive and had remote control. His wife worked at Magnavox. I believed that a stereo would kill my records, so I avoided a stereo like the plague. There were lots of strange tales going around about the pitfalls of stereo in its early days, like most everything else when it first appears on the scene. The first time I actually paid attention to Uncle Pats big Magnavox stereo, I fell in love. Then I HAD to have a stereo of my own. I built one, for a 4-H project in 1963. I still have the amp and tuner.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

I cut my record changer learning curve teeth on a V-M 1200.
I can't remember how many hours, questions and videos
it took to complete.

Once I did 20 more, it was rewarding to know I could just
about figure out any problem they presented.

Sometimes what even Gary could not discern, I finally did
figure out. The most difficult were changers that had
been damaged, but nothing was visually apparent.

I've only had to completely replace 2-3 V-M's that
could not ever be repaired.

It's fun now to have someone call me to "fix their record player",
and to see it's a V-M.
I can tell that person that I should
be able to have them playing Grandma's record player soon.
The family heirlooms are most gratifying to do.

[electra225]

The VM 1200 series changer was certainly THE workhorse in its day. I've always wondered why Magnavox messed with Collaro when VM was practically in their back yard. Having a VM changer would certainly make a Magnavox stereo easier to deal with as far as restoration goes. Nothing wrong with the Collaro except they are complicated and crabby when not properly sorted. They either work or they don't. IF they don't, it's a pain to get them right again. I have a half dozen VM 1200 series changers to go thru when I get my shop back up and running.

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

Regarding the Collaros:
I've been fortunate with the 3 I've taken in
for service, that a good cleaning did the trick.

They were daunting to dis-assemble at first and very British engineered.
Those big motors and cycle gear make them heavy
as all get out.
When they are working, they're smooth as silk.

I just cleaned an RCA RP-205, and I'm reminded that
those mechanisms are very straight forward to me.
I only wish they had used a stepped speed cam set-up
like the V-M's. RCA of course, did do that within a few
years of the RP-205 introduction.

[electra225]

We can certainly benefit from someone who has had good success servicing Collaro changers. I worked on two of mine, and now they neither one work even close to right.

You've heard all the British jokes about Lucas refrigerators and the British drinking warm beer, I reckon? We used to say, in the auto repair business, that the British never could build a TV set because they couldn't figure out how to make it leak oil.......

[TC Chris]

It's fun now to have someone call me to "fix their record player",
and to see it's a V-M.

OK, Mogul, hep me out. My curbside find Home-Mark stereo has the usual V-M changer. It has three power wires and a plastic connector plug--the name is escaping me right now, everybody knows what those translucent plastic connectors are called and m brain isn't cooperating. In any event, the wires slid out of one of them. I need to get the right wires in the right holes. Somebody in this group said one is common, one turns off the stereo at the end of the cycle, and one is always-on so the changer will complete its cycle. But which one is which on the changer?

I should be able to figure it out by staring at it long enough but right now the little console lives in the garage where the Chevy lives, 140 mi. from here, and I don't have spare moments to devote to contemplation.

Molex connector. Brain started up again.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Are you referring to a Molex connector, Chris?

[Hi-Fi-Mogul]

OK, Mogul, help me out. My curbside find Home-Mark stereo has the usual V-M changer. It has three power wires and a plastic connector plug. In any event, the wires slid out of one of them. I need to get the right wires in the right holes. Somebody in this group said one is common, one turns off the stereo at the end of the cycle, and one is always-on so the changer will complete its cycle.
But which one is which on the changer? Molex connector. Chris Campbell

Hi Chris,
Many of the mid-1960's V-M's used an AmpLok connector.
These had flat-type blade metal connectors, unlike round ones in Molex.

To your question: There is no firm wiring convention for these 3-wire connectors.
I wanted to be sure, and contacted Gary at VofM.
As I suspected, the wiring orientation around the motor and amplifier
was dependent on the manufacturer.
So, it appears you'll have to go back in person to eyeball the wiring.
A friend of mine drew me a fairly standard diagram of how these
units are wired up, if anyone finds it helpful. Wire colors are arbitrary
for visualization only.

[William]

Very helpful Mogul, thank you!

Bill

[TC Chris]

That's helpful. I'll have to spend time with a voltmeter because mine is wired with three blue wires from the amp. Can't recall if it's AmpLok or Molex, but I do know that the wires pulled out of the plastic and got confused.

Chris Campbell

[electra225]

Mr. Mogul, could I impose upon you to post a drawing like the one you posted above, on the "Getting Started" board? This would be great information for someone who got an instrument with hacked wiring on the changer. And it would be great reference material for the rest of us who may not be intimately familiar with how changer motors are wired. Thank you.