Classic Hifi Care

So there is a Drexel cabinet Motorola for sale on Etsy for $3200!
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1118327834 ... ns=1&sts=1

I messaged the guy because he said that he changed all the tubes, the lamps, and cleaned the components. I asked 'does this mean you didn't recap the unit?' "deleted", consoles rarely go for over $500 (and that would be in Magnavox territory).

And then there is this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/154371945999?h ... Sws09gTo9o

Or this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/333350325855?h ... SwbEFdl7BP

And lastly this:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/115276220476?h ... SwmnNgaUPA

Bill

what is the last one listed for 10K?

That last one quoted by Bill at least has "built in speakers." Imagine that. And the first post about the Motorola, at least the owner had cleaned it up very nicely--all shiny.

Chris Campbell

Does anyone recognize the changer in the last one? The paper work covers the controls so that is no help. Ten grand is correct Elton, but, the rest of the dollar amount is kind of odd?

Bill

$3205.65? Heck I wouldn't offer one penny over $3205!!
Who do these clowns think they're fooling?

And that nitwit in CA has been flogging hyper-overpriced stuff for years, but then I suppose there's enough people there with more $$$ than brains to get away with that.

Looking close at the paperwork on the last one, that blue piece of paper , looks like the Montgomery ward emblem and the A could be Airline?

I just clicked on it and it's now sold. Wow, someone must have thought it to be something special to pay that kind of price.

Bill

William wrote: ↑Sat Mar 12, 2022 12:52 pm Does anyone recognize the changer in the last one? The paper work covers the controls so that is no help. Ten grand is correct Elton, but, the rest of the dollar amount is kind of odd?
Bill

The record changer is a BSR UA15SS or very similar, from the
early 1960's.
The auction ended, and I don't see any bids.
I wonder where the gold bullion is hidden in the console cabinet ?

On that last one, I'm still amused by the notice that it has "built in speakers," but then I noticed it was described as an "Old-Fashioned American" console. Likely the vendor meant to say "Early American." If you want to sell, know your market....

Chris Campbell

It didn't sell, Bill. The auction just ended. Imagine my surprise that nobody bid on it

We all can see why no one bid.

Bill

Heres a note I wrote him, and his reply

"Mr. Baldwin, am I to understand that you replaced *all* the tubes, but have not re-capped the unit?"

"Good evening Mr. Gillett,
I disassembled the interior completely, cleaned the chassis, and upgraded all the lamps to LED's. All the tubes were replaced, and the voltages were checked. The dials and knobs were de-oxed and other cosmetic and lubrication on the turntable. I did not replace any other component on the tube chassis.
Please let me know if I can answer any other questions, and thank you for your interest.
Rex
Goodvibestudios"

The guy deserves credit for replying politely at least.

Sounds to me like he might be a flipper. Buy cheap, add foo-foo. Place astronomical price on it and hope to catch a fish.

If I were a flipper, I'd test the tubes and replace the ones that were not functioning adequately, then recap it. Clean the pins on the good tubes. Tubes are fairly durable and, if they fail, easily replaced. But caps, they're a bigger project, and they can take out a series of other components when they go on strike.

Chris Campbell

Yes, a lot more work, that's why flippers don't want to do cap replacement if they can avoid it. Yes, it "works", but for how long and at what cost from potential damage.

Why replace all the tubes?... even if some tubes test weak , they will function just fine .... as far as I'm concerned a tube is bad when the filament burns out , or it has a short otherwise it stays ...

Yup, tubes are rarely the problem (even though tons of Ebay auctions usually say "doesn't play, probably needs a tube replaced". Of the dozen radios that have passed thru my hands, only one needed a new tube, and I burned it out myself...

This is true, those eBayers just push the idea it's an easy fix when more likely it'll need a full rebuild if it's tube-era vintage.

Bill - thanks for posting some great examples.

That first one is an X930, one of Zenith's many pretty cabinet models. I have a slightly different, but not as attractive but still desirable Y930. By 1969-70, the bling and plastic was taking over.

Second one is a solid state Admiral. Last is 2 orders of magnitude too high of course and looks like a really cheap one compare to the others.

Any solid state model like that is either low hours, responding well to just a controls and switch cleaning, or very worn out like some SS models I have tried to resurrect with a recap, with NO improvement. I have never had a tube model of anything fail to respond like some of those SS did,