New to me, a VV 8-9

[Phono-Phan]

I recently purchased a small collection of machines and this one has to be my favorite of them all. I rarely use the term "Mint" but this one comes very close. It is a VV 8-9. I have never come across an upright this clean. I sent the brass reproducer to Wyatt for a rebuild. The range of sound and volume is great.

[vintagetenor]

Beautiful. The design has a clean, modern look but is not plain at all.

[ChesterCheetah18]

Beautiful. I love my 8-9. It's definitely one of my favorites. May I ask the serial number? I ask because mine (#4676) has a green leatherette turntable covering, as does my 7-26. I think I've only ever seen one other 8-9 with felt covering.

Steve

[Skihawx]

It should not have come with a brass reproducer. But I bet you are glad it did. The turntable may have been switched as well. I thought the gold plating baths were gone by 1928 and that is why the VV 8-9's have painted tone arms.

[Phono-Phan]

The serial number is 1092. I don't have my Victor Data Book handy to check on the serial number range. It did come with two Orthophonic reproducers. One brass and one potmetal. Can someone post pictures of other examples to compare details of finish and turntable felt. I have to think this one hasn't had it's tone arm or turntable changed out.

[ChesterCheetah18]

A few shots of mine.

[52089]

The serial number is 1092. I don't have my Victor Data Book handy to check on the serial number range. It did come with two Orthophonic reproducers. One brass and one potmetal. Can someone post pictures of other examples to compare details of finish and turntable felt. I have to think this one hasn't had it's tone arm or turntable changed out.

Here's mine, a very late example.

[PeterF]

I cannot find it right now, but there is an interesting Victor internal memo, promoting the 8-9 to the dealers. It highlights the colorful decorative scheme as very likely to attract buyers of “foreign extraction” or something like that.

I’ve seen quite a few 8-9s, and there a few things about them:

- the molded and colored inserts on the front door pulls can often fall off and get lost.

- the back brackets are pot metal and often fail, although reproductions are available.

- the grill cloth is not available.

- the green paint on the insert panels varies in hue and can be either a solid shade, or “distressed” in appearance. There have been a few online fights over the colors on other components such as the feet, but it might be best to leave it as you found it, other than judicious careful cleaning.

- they sound GREAT!

[JerryVan]

Here is mine. S/N 700, with felt turntable...

I should say, the 4 screws holding the tone arm base should not be gold plated. They were black, and I thought I'd spruce things up by swapping out with gold. What a dummy... I'll eventually put it back right. Also, the cabinet has a light overfinish of shellac, done very long ago apparently. The playing area and inside the speaker doors have not been over coated however.

[Phono-Phan]

Is it safe to say that the earlier serial number models had the felt turntables and gold plated tone arms?