Page 1 of 2

Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic horn?

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 3:44 pm
by Victrola-Monkey
Well, your day has come. After collecting four empty VE 9-55 cabinets and collecting parts from unrestorable VE 10-50s, I have completed my first marriage of the two machines. I will be finishing the other three VE 9-55 conversions within two weeks. I'm selling 3 of them and keeping the 4th, see picture #6 below. It's amazing how well the VE 10-50 horn just squeezes into the VE 9-55 and how it seems this was meant to be. I had always hoped I could find the original Radiola 28 setup that goes into those four VE 9-55s but none ever came up. Then I thought RE-45s would be a could substitute but after realizing the VE 10-50 tonearm would have to be shortened and replated, I decided against that idea and to use what I had, which makes way more sense to me.

The VE 10-50 horn shares its left side wood panel with the wall that divides the two sides of the VE 10-50. The horn sides are made of rectangle shaped boards, as can be seen photo #3 below. The tops of the two sides had to be trimmed and on an angle even with the top of the horn so it could slide into the right side opening of the VE 9-55, as can be seen in photo #4 below. Prior to doing that, the wooden flanges at the horn's base had to be removed that were outboard of the horn and after cutting one inch off the bottom of the sides, the wooden flanges were remounted to the inboard side of the bottom of the horn. This so happens to be the difference between how the wooden flange is on the Credenza (outboard flange) and the VV 8-30 (inboard flange). The center wall of the VE 9-55 required an oval hole to be cut so the horn pipes can cross from the changer side over to the horn side, just as the VE 10-50 has. Lastly, a ¾" spacer had to be created and mounted between the big 90 degree turn pipe piece that attaches to the back of the horn, and the long funnel shaped pipe piece that goes from one side of the cabinet to the other, see photo #5 below.

Pictures #1 and #2 are the front and back of the first completed converted VE 9-55 I have listed on eBay. To see more pictures and to access the eBay listing link, click on the following TMF posting:

http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... 82#p229282

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 6:07 pm
by electrolaman 64
Wayne,

Now that is and interesting thing you are doing there. :mrgreen:

By the way If you would ever need the metal casting on the back of a 10-50 horn, I needed one years ago and made a RTV mold then cast it out of urethane. I still have the mold.

Carlton Smith
electrolaman 64
Indianapolis, IN

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 11:19 pm
by Victrola-Monkey
Carlton,

That's pretty awesome to cast your own pipes. Thanks for the offer, but I have just what I need. I'm sure however, someone some day will be in the situation to take you up on it.

-Wayne

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:31 am
by AmberolaAndy
I wish I could even FIND anything like a VE 9-55 where I’m at! It’s already difficult to find something like a XVI let alone one of these beauties! And you have 4 of them? That’s awesome!!!

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 12:37 am
by marcapra
Wow! Nice work Wayne! you really should win a Grammy, or some kind of phonograph award for creative work with early Electrolas!

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 4:21 pm
by Victrolacollector
I notice that these machines most often turn up in California and Florida.

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Thu Jan 10, 2019 11:34 pm
by Kirkwood
You have created a dream come true for me----always admired the 9-55 cabinet. Wished I had the room for it now---it was all I could do to resist clicking that "buy-it-now" button on eBay. Beautiful work inside and out, and no worries about the bad pot metal with your new parts installed. Some lucky buyer will have a showpiece to enjoy for years to come.

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 9:57 pm
by Victrola-Monkey
Thanks for your kind words everyone. Btw, congratulations Andy on your VV-111 purchase.

Fyi, I got these four VE 9-55 cabinets from TX, WI, CO, and CA. These all are in their original finish. A couple months ago I sold an empty refinished cabinet with shelves on both sides, just as I had purchased it, that also came from CO. My three complete and all original VE 9-55s came from PA, PA, and MO. I have no idea where all these folks got them, but as you know they all now have made their way south to FL.

As you may have read in my eBay listing, I’m willing to deliver for free to the Orlando show in a few weeks, or the MI or IL auctions/shows this Spring, or in route from Flordia. Don’t miss out on this rare opportunity :-)

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 11:07 pm
by AmberolaAndy
Victrola-Monkey wrote:Thanks for your kind words everyone. Btw, congratulations Andy on your VV-111 purchase.
Thanks! I will enjoy my VV-CXI very much! :lol:

Re: Ever wish the VE 9-55 was offered with an Orthophonic ho

Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2019 5:53 pm
by Victrola-Monkey
All four converted VE 9-55 Electrola to Victrolas are now complete. Remember, these were four cabinets that had none of their original VE 9-55 components.

I still have three complete VE 9-55 Electrolas that I am working on now and will take me longer than the conversion machines since I have to have the Antenna Arms made, do an overhaul of the changers, install the replacement sets for the bad pot metal parts, and troubleshoot the electronics. Looking forward lining those 3 up for pictures and a video when that time comes.

Link to video of all four: https://youtu.be/_bcBlHIdWB4

Link to those for sale on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/victrola-monke ... pg=&_from=