Victrola VV 4-70 reproducer + arm

[muffinass]

Providence has funny ways to guide you in the 'right' path...I just received an e-mail from the seller that the 4-70 is no longer for sale - they decided to keep it and pass it on to their son.

I'll heed all of your comments and remain vigilant about finding the right upright for when the time is right.

Since I opened up this topic, could you share some opinions as to what price range I should 'accept' an upright whose cabinet is in tip-top shape?

Is pot-metal that iffy to have for a reprodducer?

Should I overlook ripped grille-cloths - I saw you can buy replacement pieces off eBay. How about turntable cloths?

How much would it cost to fix a (couple of) spring(s) on a Victrola?

Thanks again for all the advice!

[FloridaClay]

There is a guy named Peter Hall out of San Francisco who works on potmetal Orthophonic reproducers. He has listings on eBay for Orthophonic reproducer repairs all the time. You pay a small amount that covers his assessment of it and the cost of mailing it back to you. He will give you a figure for what he thinks it needs and you can decide then whether you want him to go ahead with the repairs. I have had him work on 2 of mine and both came back sounding good, even though both of them had some cracks. You can hear the one he repaired for my Credenza here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHx9aIhDj34&feature=plcp

The one on the Credenza was something of a mess when he got it. He charged $50 for the work. I was really pleased at how it turned out. (The hiss you hear is from surface wear on the recording. Oh, and yes as you will hear before the music starts, I also collect clocks.)

This video was made using a half-tone needle. A loud-tone overwhelmed the microphone on the camera.

Clay

[Lenoirstreetguy]

The 4-70 is one of the Canadian Orthophonics that wasn't sold in the States. As such I think it's rather interesting! ( I'm a good Canadian lad... ) I'll scan a catalogue page later.

JRT

[Retrograde]

There is a guy named Peter Hall out of San Francisco who works on potmetal Orthophonic reproducers.

Peter Wall

[FloridaClay]

There is a guy named Peter Hall out of San Francisco who works on potmetal Orthophonic reproducers.

Peter Wall

Correct. Sorry for the typo.

Clay

[Bruce]

Hello Toronto,

Don't let these collectors in the eastern USA fool you. I live in Ottawa and have made many trips down to NY, PA, Michigan and even as far as the Union show, to get my hands on machines or parts I am interested in. If you fall for this hobby you will end up doing the same as the pickings here in Eastern Ontario are not that great. Toronto on the other hand should be a great place to find a nice cabinet machine or two.
I suggest that you contact fellow collectors at the Canadian Antique Phonograph Society who meet in Toronto every month, http://www.capsnews.org/index.htm. I have made two of their meetings and they are a great bunch of guys & gals, with a lot of knowledge of the local market.

Bruce

[muffinass]

Hello Toronto,

Don't let these collectors in the eastern USA fool you. I live in Ottawa and have made many trips down to NY, PA, Michigan and even as far as the Union show, to get my hands on machines or parts I am interested in. If you fall for this hobby you will end up doing the same as the pickings here in Eastern Ontario are not that great. Toronto on the other hand should be a great place to find a nice cabinet machine or two.
I suggest that you contact fellow collectors at the Canadian Antique Phonograph Society who meet in Toronto every month, http://www.capsnews.org/index.htm. I have made two of their meetings and they are a great bunch of guys & gals, with a lot of knowledge of the local market.

Bruce

Hi Bruce,

Even though I'm just beginning to feel my appreciation for gramophones growing, I would not put it past me to do a fair bit of traveling in search of 'the one that got away.' I really would have driven to Saskatchewan for that VV 4-70 - also to use it as an excuse for sightseeing the country a bit. After spending a couple of years building a vintage stereo sound system, I know that sometimes you need to go (quite literally) that extra mile.

At the same time, I know that patience will yield rewards later...and even though it's hard to resist temptation, I should take my time and do a bit more research. Kijiji has been a good reference site that seems to get quite a few number of postings each week...do you or anyone have recommendations of other places I could look?

Regarding CAPS, I found out about them only a couple of months ago, and bad luck would have it that I was out of town with work on every meeting date of the month. Luck extended itself to having the next CAPS meeting in September, so for now I'm simply prowling forums and Kijiji for information.

Thank you all for your input on this - slowly but surely I'm beginning to develop my passion for gramophones!

So patience rears its wise head again and nods for me to bid my time.

[Lenoirstreetguy]

I'm a little slow on the scan this week, but here is the page from the Montreal Victor catalogue of 1928. As the copy reads " a distinctly Canadian designed model executed in rich walnut...." This model makes up for the lack of record storage in the Consolette. " Just the thing for summer homes and small apartments." I've never seen one intact. I have seen one eviscerated to be used as a bookcase which seemed to be the fate of so many Orthophonic machines here in Toronto.

Jim