Early Victor E?

[jboger]

I recently bought this for parts as a Columbia bracket, elbow, tone arm, and horn had been attached to a Victor cabinet that looks like an E to me. I have a pre-dog Victor E front mount, but this model has some differences. The lid is not hinged so it does not swing open. The winding arbor juts out a bit from the escutcheon. And there is an oak ring under the platter, which I have (7 -ncher). The ID plates are gone. It came with what you see: the correct platter, hold-down clamp (original), slotted crank, and various Columbia parts.

I can't find my Reiss and I will continue to do an Internet search. In the meantime, I thought someone might be able to quickly identify this machine and provide approximate dates of manufacture.

Thanks.

John

[Phono-Phan]

John,
That is a Victor C case. It looks like it has extra holes where the Columbia parts were added.
Ken

[jboger]

Ken:

Thanks. After I posted my question. I searched another 20 minutes on the web but for an E or a Monarch. I did not turn up a C. You are correct about the extra holes. Unfortunate. Looks to have been done some time ago, however.

John

[Jerry B.]

If you find the right person those unwanted holes can be filled, blended, and they will disappear. We have a fellow in Portland that is amazing. If that cabinet were mine, I would clean it and take it to him and tell him which holes need to be filled. I have never been disappointed with his work. Jerry Blais

[jboger]

Jerry:

Actually no extra holes. I compared the C with my front mount E. Same holes in same positions. Even those "extra" ones. In order to put the Columbia back bracket on, whoever did this used an existing Victor hole (normally hidden under a plate) and enlarged another Victor hole to accommodate the Columbia bracket. For fun and education, I took the hardware off my Model E and put it on the C. Everything lined up properly. The enlarged hole is hidden under the bracket. I even put a 7-inch record on the C and played the machine with it's original set-up.. Rather exciting, isn't it?

Now, just so there's no misunderstanding. All the original Model E hardware is back where it belongs. I believe that machine to be completely original, and as long as I have it, that's the way it will stay.

John

[Jerry B.]

Good news! Jerry

[jboger]

Let me back off a bit. I'm not sre about all these holes. They're the same as on the E, but I need to know more.

[Phonolair]

Actually no extra holes.
John

Ken is correct, you have a couple extra holes. The Victor C only came as a front mount machine. There would not have been holes for a rear mount bracket or a plate to cover them.
The good news is the Victor C is a pretty hard model to find and this one is well worth repairing and completing with the missing parts.

Larry Crandell

[jboger]

For fun, I thought I'd set up the C with the Model E parts to give people an idea what the original looked like. Probably originally had a leather elbow. I've also included a shot of the motor. And I like the oak dust ring. It plays quite well.

[jboger]

The extra holes on the back of this C had confused me because they appeared so similar to my Vic E, which could be set up as a front- or rear-mount machine. I backed off from an earlier statement that there were no extra holes. Yes, there are extra holes. And it's been pointed out that the C was only issued as a front-mount machine--that is, unless someone had done a later conversion. Which of course someone had done as I had found the machine with Columbia hardware attached, parts which I am happy to get. But the outline of the base of the Columbia horn bracket does not match the rectangular outline still visible on the back of this C.

I believe there have been three generations of horn supports attached to this particular C: (1) the original front-mount horn support; (2) the Columbia bracket, what was attached when I bought it; and (3) in between these two, a Victor rear-mount bracket, probably for a Vic I or similar-sized machine. And so I stripped my Vic I of its horn and bracket, put them on the C, and--voila!--the holes in the C line up perfectly well with the Victor bracket lugs. And the base of the Victor bracket, which is rectangular and shape, seems to match an outline still visible on the back of the C.

I've attached two picture of this set up. I believe this C spent a good part of its life in this configuration until someone stripped it of the Victor bracket and horn.