slightly o/t: worth this much?

[phonophan79]

Wow, $610.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0352953404

[maginter]

I think that it had that very rare K-Tel Record.....

[Shane]

It's just like a CD player... except it's... not!

[Steve]

It might not be worth that much but it's likely to be worth more than a lot of acoustic wind-up machines in due course.

Most of these have been slung on the scrap heap long ago and the cost of repairs to a faulty example are not economic in most instances.

[Valecnik]

It might not be worth that much but it's likely to be worth more than a lot of acoustic wind-up machines in due course. This is largely due to the "retro" crowd who want to go back in time but NOT as far back as we go. There is a TV program over here about the past few decades and a family are forced to live (with their "home" converted) à la reality TV situation, in a chosen decade from the past. All the technology has to be correct for each period and everything has to be in A1 working order.

I thought it was interesting that the team working on the program for the '70's episode struggled to find any kind of surviving music centre that actually worked. Most have been slung on the scrap heap long ago and the cost of repairs to a faulty example are not economic in most instances. Eventually they did get one........on Ebay!

I just wonder if it's not the same in the US? That vertical playing LP turntable is SOOOO...LATE '70's and SO short-lived too! A future rarity and collectible? Might be already!

I think lots of this 1970s stuff will become incredibly rare. How many functional 1970s turntables, cassette and 8 track tape players are there today? And if you own a fully functional whatever and a circuit board gives out, you have junk. Regarding media, everyone complains about the fragility of wax cylinders. How many working 8 track or cassette tapes will be around in 100 years? My guess is that they turn to dust long before the wax cylinders of early 1900...

[estott]

I still have the remains of my 1970's SHARP radio / turntable / 8 track college set. The speaker wiring went bad so I switched them for Soundesign speakers in 1990, the turntable drive is unreliable so it's not used, of course the 8 track slot isn't used. The radio still works fine and that's my attic set when I go up to work.

[OrthoFan]

There's a definite interest in audio equipment from the 1960s/1970s, if the recent posts on PHONOLAND are any indication. They now account for about 90 percent of our new posts.

As Steve noted, the "retro" crowd--20-somethings--who grew up with CDs and MP3 players, consider all of this to be antique. Many are bowled over by the lush, rich sound quality, compared to what is generally available today.

It seems that there are also a growing number of younger collectors who are interested in putting many of these not-so-solid-state units back into operational condition. A large number of questions concern repair options, the availability of schematics, etc.

JDS

[Edisonfan]

This is the first front loading turntable, I have ever seen, before. Still, it's no surprise, it's from SHARP. As they had made a number of unique products over the years. I have a Talking Calculator that SHARP had produced, back in the late 80's. My mother bought it as a gift for me. Still works, although a bit scratchy. I also have a Fisher SC-300, that I have had since I was 14. The radio works, although a bit scratchy, that tape deck quit, and the keyboard is a bit temperamental. I also have two cassette decks. A TEAC and a Pioneer. The TEAC still works; the Pioneer powers up, but needs a new belt. Fortunately, I know a guy in Colorado who fixes vintage electronics. As for a turntable, I bought an Audio-Technica through Amazon.com. It's a manual DJ style one, but it works great. Especially with my TEAC powered speakers.

Of course, I have more 78 records then 33's. So that tells you something, right there.

[Schmaltz]

I think lots of this 1970s stuff will become incredibly rare. How many functional 1970s turntables, cassette and 8 track tape players are there today? And if you own a fully functional whatever and a circuit board gives out, you have junk.

I agree with that. A lot of those 70s units were built very cheaply; we all knew it at the time, and kept buying them anyway. Lots of that stuff broke in service and got tossed. Others have deteriorated just sitting (leaking capacitors, etc.). To find working examples in the coming years will prove very difficult.

As far as circuit boards are concerned, the earlier the better. I know of no soldering iron that can work on traces as tiny as the ones they started making in the late 80s. The early 70s circuit boards were still hand-soldered, thankfully, so the components can be removed and replaced if need be.

Regarding media, everyone complains about the fragility of wax cylinders. How many working 8 track or cassette tapes will be around in 100 years? My guess is that they turn to dust long before the wax cylinders of early 1900...

Gum, actually. The adhesive backing that holds the iron oxide to the plastic ribbon is already beginning to disintegrate. 70s tape stock is especially bad in that regard. Lots of 2" tape that was used to record rock sessions (Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, etc.) had to be "baked" in a low-temperature oven before the sessions could be re-mastered, since that temporarily re-fixes the glue. Otherwise, the adhesive and the iron oxide will rub off onto the heads and stick there.

references: http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html
http://tinyurl.com/y8z3d23

[phonophan79]

I LOVE my front loading turntable... but I got this for around $100, not $600.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhkAYFWQDnI[/youtube]