Your opinions on eBay Victrola, please.

[David Spanovich]

Hmmmm... looking at the pics, the lubrication diagram shows a 4 spring, 2 barrel motor, but the actual motor is a 2-spring...

....all of which means the original motor has been replaced. According to Look for the Dog and the Victor Data book, as well as http://www.victor-victrola.com/300.htm it did, indeed, come equipped with a four spring motor.

As Penman notes, this type of motor was used in a lower end model.

What's odd is, I don't remember seeing photos of the motor when I originally looked at the ad. (I do see, though, that it was last edited with the addition of some photos, so perhaps they were recently added.)


Considering what you'll have to spend on a replacement motor, etc., I think I'll join the nay-sayers and advise you to pass on it, unless you can get it for a substantially reduced price.

DS

[FloridaClay]

Yes, no question but that the motor has been replaced and that the one that is in it now is not correct for this machine (thus the extra holes).

I know all too well how easy it is to fall in love with some forlorn machine and then live to regret it later. Needless to say it is your call Scott, but I would definitely not buy this one. A better one will come along and you will be much happier having waited for it.

Clay

[fmblizz]

Hi Scott

If investment is not a concern and this is the exact style with the quartersaw oak finish you've been looking for, I would definately make an offer as it appears to have been listed for a while. As long as the machine works and there are no holes showing on the cabinet then go for it. If at a later date you want to upgrade to the right motor thats always possible, (3 extra holes under the turntable big deal). I would bet that every member in this forum has at least one machine in there collection which is not virgin and they enjoy it. Thats what it's all about enjoying and playing your machine. Personally I think it a very nice looking machine which will take a little bit of experimenting with the shades/tone to match the interior but if you can do the work, I feel the motor issue is a non issue.

The shipping cost might be your main problem not the motor.

Just my 2 cents

Good luck
fmblizz

[airgrabber666]

Hmmmm... looking at the pics, the lubrication diagram shows a 4 spring, 2 barrel motor, but the actual motor is a 2-spring...

Motor.JPG

Yes, it appears the seller posted some new pictures of the motor and it's been replaced by a two-springer.

Here's my dialogue with the seller:

ME: Dear tv-jock,

Hi -
I noticed that the motorboard on your machine has three "extra" bolt holes. Does this Victrola still have its two-barrel, four-spring motor? Is there any evidence of the crank exiting elsewhere on the cabinet (like a plugged hole or something like that)?

Thank you for your time!

SELLER: There are three holes in the front corners of the motorboard---two on the left and one on the right. One hole in each front corner is where the motorboard hold down screws went. One is missing and one has slipped down inside but I still have the brass knob from that bolt. I have no idea what the purpose of the second hole on the left is. There are no indications that the crank might have lived elsewhere on the cabinet. I have owned this critter since the mid sixties and know that it is as original now as it was in 1966. At that time these Victrolas were a dime a dozen and no one bothered to modify them as no one really valued them.

- tv-jock

ME: Dear tv-jock,

Thanks for your quick reply. You've owned this machine since before I was born! Are you the second owner? Actually, I wasn't asking about the holes in the corners for the lift knobs. These are the holes shown in the last picture - which is a picture of the motorboard with the platter removed. As I look again, I count four open holes (not three) so maybe that's where we are confused? One looks to be at about 12 o'clock, another at approx. 3:00, another at 6:00, and the last at around 9:00. Thank you again.

SELLER: Now I get it---those holes UNDER the platter. You're right. It looks like something else was originally mounted there so perhaps the motor was changed out before I owned it.

- tv-jock

So it appears as though the seller is being honest, but maybe isn't an enthusiast or someone who has researched vintage phonographs. At least he made the effort to pull the motorboard and take some pictures. Either way, the machine doesn't have it's correct 4-spring motor.

[airgrabber666]

What's odd is, I don't remember seeing photos of the motor when I originally looked at the ad. (I do see, though, that it was last edited with the addition of some photos, so perhaps they were recently added.)


Considering what you'll have to spend on a replacement motor, etc., I think I'll join the nay-sayers and advise you to pass on it, unless you can get it for a substantially reduced price.

DS

Hi David. The seller definitely added the pictures after I questioned him about the "extra" holes in the motorboard. When I got home this weekend, I pulled the platter on my mahogany 300 and there were no other holes, so I knew something was "up".

I actually have a complete, spare 4-spring motor still on it's board. It works, but it has the typical thump-thump on play from hardened 90-year old grease within. Still, it's getting difficult to justify buying this machine, shipping it, replacing most of the hardware, and refitting a 4-spring motor. That's assuming I can live with the finish...which I may not be able to. I think I'm getting closer to a decision here.

[airgrabber666]

Yes, no question but that the motor has been replaced and that the one that is in it now is not correct for this machine (thus the extra holes).

I know all too well how easy it is to fall in love with some forlorn machine and then live to regret it later. Needless to say it is your call Scott, but I would definitely not buy this one. A better one will come along and you will be much happier having waited for it.

Clay

Thanks, Clay. I love the console 300s, and I really love the period Victor tiger oak finish. It's a "perfect storm", if you will, of Victrola Love. Reality is biting me hard in the posterior, though.

[airgrabber666]

Hi Scott

If investment is not a concern and this is the exact style with the quartersaw oak finish you've been looking for, I would definately make an offer as it appears to have been listed for a while. As long as the machine works and there are no holes showing on the cabinet then go for it. If at a later date you want to upgrade to the right motor thats always possible, (3 extra holes under the turntable big deal). I would bet that every member in this forum has at least one machine in there collection which is not virgin and they enjoy it. Thats what it's all about enjoying and playing your machine. Personally I think it a very nice looking machine which will take a little bit of experimenting with the shades/tone to match the interior but if you can do the work, I feel the motor issue is a non issue.

The shipping cost might be your main problem not the motor.

Just my 2 cents

Good luck
fmblizz

I agree that the three extra holes under the platter aren't a big deal. I can probably live with that. And I have most of the "hard parts" needed to put this thing back "right" including the four-spring motor and gold-plated accoutrements. This would not be a difficult decision were the machine not oak. I'm not too worried about the finish. I think I can successfully match the inside of the lid if I feel it's too terrible to live with.

Shipping, as you correctly state, IS another problem. It's not going to be cheap to ship this machine to me in NJ. If this machine were perfect, or close to it (say, just needing some hardware and TLC) - I may have pulled the trigger. Given the sage advice of the forum, my dream of an oak 300 may just have to wait.

[Henry]

David, many thanks for those Muni links! They bring back happy childhood memories of New Orleans, and later ones in Philadelphia.

[tomwil]

The VV-300 has sold on eBay for $299. Did airgrabber666 grab it?