For southern California collectors with a forklift --

[CharliePhono]

http://sandiego.craigslist.org/ssd/atq/5852837519.html

[PeterF]

Sadly, gutted.

[Oceangoer1]

Sadly, gutted.

Am I missing something? It looks complete. Might be missing some tubes or radio components, but I think it's a complete Borgia.

[PeterF]

Nope. Wrong radio, and the orthophonic horn and related plumbing is GONE. A sad defacement.

[Oceangoer1]

Oh! I see. Thanks for the clarification.

[startgroove]

If anyone gets this one, I have the missing parts. Or, if anyone can deliver it up to Oregon, I'll take it. I got several uprights to trade for the trouble.

[startgroove]

After looking more closely, I see this is a Borgia II, which came with electrical phonograph amplification. The original radio chassis, amplifier and speaker driver appear to have been removed and replaced with later parts. Otherwise the tone arm and pick up appear to be original, as does other parts.

Again, I have the missing parts if someone gets this, or I would take it, if it somehow found its way to my door. (Nope, I'm not into hallucinogens!)

[PeterF]

Russie, you have a spare orthophonic horn for it?

[startgroove]

Peter,
Yes, I have a mostly complete, but rough, Borgia I. That one in SD is a Borgia II. They were made at the same time (but the I phonograph is horn amplified while the II is electrically amplified), so the cabinets are nearly identical. With the proper parts, one could make a I into II and vice versa.

[PeterF]

The important thing to keep in mind is that neither Borgia has a speaker. Borgias I and II (and VV 9-40) use the large orthophonic horn to amplify the output of either the included radio or the phonograph reproducer, switched by an air valve in the passageway leading to the horn.

The Borgia II (and VV 9-40) adds a second, electrical, pickup to the tonearm. It also has an additional power amp between that electrical pickup and the orthophonic horn. The electrical outputs from the radio and the phono amp feed to a transducer, which is essentially a small speaker piped to the input of the orthophonic horn for amplification.

Thus the Borgia II (or VV 9-40) user has three ways to enjoy content:

- radio to transducer to horn inlet (electrical with acoustic amplification)

- orthophonic phono reproducer to horn inlet (pure acoustic reproduction)

- electrical phono pickup to phono amp to transducer to horn inlet (electrical with acoustic amplification)