Took a look at it, liked it, bought it. The price was very much right, considering I have beefsteak tastes & a ramen budget. It's out of an attic in Pennsylvania, and though it suffered some effects of poor storage, it will be a fine addition.
I've always liked Gems but the bad thing is, I get to craving just about any phonograph I find. They're neat. Not going into this expecting it to have wondrous sound quality and a perfectly smooth-running motor, but I also think that this one stands a good chance of turning out nicely as a restoration.
The cons:
- broken & shortened mainspring
bent idler pulley arm
worm holes in case, just a few
screw missing for speed control
mandrel & pulley have the usual pot metal issues
crack in winding shaft where someone wound it with a screwdriver--got to braze it I guess
missing key, belt, reproducer, and horn
- restorable finish
gears have rather low wear for sure
governor is intact & unwarped
lower pulley shaft is not bent
paint is mostly ok
pinstriping looks decent
nickel plating could clean up nice
Quick look at the broken mainspring, the bent arm and idler pulley, and the background of iron rust. Most Gems need new mainsprings anyway though to boost playing time. Glad the governor is OK -- I turned one of the large gears by hand and the governor took off running smooth and strong, no wobbling on the friction disc. That's good news.
Getting this running will be mostly installing replacement parts with a bit of reshaping & touching up. If I had a lathe I'd machine a new end for the mandrel. Aluminum would be a better replacement for cheap diecast.
And I needed Edison parts anyway as I'm fixing the Home B. This probably will take a long time; don't hold your breath. But there's another machine in preservation that will be playing cylinders soon enough.