Yet another Credenza topic

[muffinass]

Hi everyone,

Hope to not have beat this horse to death on here, but I've come against another Credenza that I think might just be the one.

All I've read online still hasn't prepared me for assessing a machine on my own, especially while looking at the motor and considering its provenance.

Revenons a nos moutons, however...This is part of an estate sale, and according to the seller it hasn't been used in 50 years, has had only 2 previous owners and upon testing the "amplification is poor."
He's taken pictures of pretty much all the areas I asked him to, but my worry is of course with the 'amplification' and whether the horn is damaged.

Could it be simply from the reproducer? Does it look in good shape? The cracking on the back of it - is that paint flaking off or the start of something awful?

Assuming it hasn't been used for that long, the motor WILL need a thorough going-over and the springs probably regreased, correct?

I'm trying to get a sense of the amount of $ it will take to get the Credenza back to a perfect operating condition...how much would you say this machine is worth as-is?

Many thanks in advance for the advice!

[muffinass]

the rest of the pictures...

[muffinass]

Sorry to drill with posts, but I'd really appreciate an informed opinion on this Credenza.

I'm afraid of the mound of grease on the horn encasing being caused by a leaky spring barrel and of the pot-metal reproducer as too cracked/fissured to be disassembled.

Cheers in advance for the replies!

[m0xiemama]

What are they even asking for it? I am new to this whole thing but I try to come up with a number in my head I am ok with total. I know $300ish has been thrown around here as a decent price for a credenza. It sounds like you really like this model so it may be worth a little more to you. I try to look on ebay to see what replacement parts are available... I just got a cleaned motor/motorboard for my consolette because I knew I wasn't ready to tackle a motor. My reproducer went to a guy in CA who cleaned it up for $40. Not a rebuild because it was cracked but enough that the improvement is noticable. Anyway I'm rambling. Good luck.

[Orthophonic]

I wouldn't worry about the grease, it is simply some that fell off the motor when a lot was put in and on it in the past years. The motor will do well to be cleaned, regreased and oiled and if you are good at this sort of thing, it will work smoothly and quietly. The sound box may work ok by itself with good needles; it looks like it may not come apart well due to the cracking; however the bearings can be cleaned and replaced if you are good with tiny little objects. If the diaphragm is cracked or torn, get another sound box as this one may not come apart due to the before mentioned cracking. There are lots of online advice on how to seal the horn if needed and to seal lubricate and seal tone arm joints and such and it should then amaze you with the quality of sound that it can put out when it has been put back into good repair. Overall it looks like a very good machine with which to start and they have a very nice sound to them.

[m0xiemama]

Peter Wall in San Fran worked on my reproducer. It couldnt be taken apart due to cracking but he worked magic on it for a very reasonable price and turnaround time was under 2 weeks. I will have him do more stuff for me until I feel bold enough to tackle it myself.

[FloridaClay]

As others have mentioned I would not worry at all about a bit of grease on top of the motor. Should cause no harm. The horn wood does tend to dry out over time. There is some good advice on how to address that, included in a wealth of information about the Credenza, at http://www.gracyk.com/credenza.shtml. You may also want to put a bit of caulk along the seams. All this is something you can easily do yourself. (By the way, I found about half the amount of the recommended glycerin/alcohol mixture, i.e., one pint of each, to be more than sufficient. And when it talks about turning the unit over, it means lay it on its face so you can treat the back of the horn more easily.)

The reproducer looks like a typical potmetal reproducer. Not at all unusual to see the paint and gold plating flaking off them. It is the nature of the beast. If there is significantly reduced volume the reproducer is by far the most likely culprit. I also had mine worked on by Peter Wall and the results were pretty good despite cracks, etc. Wyatt Markus also indicates he specializes in Orthophonic reproducer repair. http://www.lagparty.org/~wyatt/phonoguy.html I have not used him for this myself yet, but others on the board have recommended him.

The cabinet on the example you are looking at looks pretty good from the pictures and should clean up OK unless there is damage that isn't shown.

As for redoing the motor, play it and see if there are thumps and bumps. If so, which would not be surprising, that likely will be necessary due to dried up spring grease, etc.

Clay

[muffinass]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

The seller is asking $650 but I have a feeling he's willing to go down in price - just not sure by how much. I explained to him all the necessary work and expenses that will be needed, so I hope my offer of $400 will suffice.

I will most likely drop the unit off at a local gramophone repairman but my concern is - again - with the reproducer. How much does a good-condition gold-plated orthophonic soundbox generally cost? Don Woodrow, the repaiman in question, said he won't touch reproducers that have a swollen "o-ring." Would this be the case with mine?

Oh, and the grille seems to be in good condition as well. Can you tell if it looks original?

[Victrolaman]

Id buy the Credenza, they were the Flagship Orthophonic machine Victor made, i have two myself. The craking on the back doesnt look to back, the front face looks good i cant see any cracking. 600 though seems high to me in this condition. While its not bad i think you can use some howards restore a finish on the case that would clean that up a bit. Like the others said dont worry about that grease, thats just grease that has squeezed out at the center of the barrel over the last 80 plus years of cranking it
It should be serviced, new grease and cleaned. Grill cloth looks good no stains or tears. Id buy it.
Explain to the seller you want to buy it but it needs to be restored and you have to figure cost. But in this condition 3 to 400 seems fair.
Look at the diaphragm to make sure thats not damaged or has holes in it.
Always ask is there any records with it
You never know from the looks of the pic he had a old console record player to i bet there are records there, see if they can go with it.

But once you get it, clean it up and have the reproducer serviced and tuned, clean and regrease the motor you have a nice machine there!

[muffinass]

Id buy the Credenza, they were the Flagship Orthophonic machine Victor made, i have two myself. The craking on the back doesnt look to back, the front face looks good i cant see any cracking. 600 though seems high to me in this condition. While its not bad i think you can use some howards restore a finish on the case that would clean that up a bit. Like the others said dont worry about that grease, thats just grease that has squeezed out at the center of the barrel over the last 80 plus years of cranking it
It should be serviced, new grease and cleaned. Grill cloth looks good no stains or tears. Id buy it.
Explain to the seller you want to buy it but it needs to be restored and you have to figure cost. But in this condition 3 to 400 seems fair.
Look at the diaphragm to make sure thats not damaged or has holes in it.
Always ask is there any records with it
You never know from the looks of the pic he had a old console record player to i bet there are records there, see if they can go with it.

But once you get it, clean it up and have the reproducer serviced and tuned, clean and regrease the motor you have a nice machine there!

Yeah, I told the seller I'm really interested in buying it so I hope he's willing to negotiate his $650 price-tag. The only other Credenza I found locally within an affordable range was the one I posted about earlier with a broken spring(s) and refinished/lacquered cabinet. Otherwise they go for $1000 - but I doubt anyone will go for those.

There are a bunch of record albums available but he'll have to get them appraised as he's selling these things to settle an estate. Which begs the question, how much leeway does he have in negotiating the price? (I don't know how estate settlements work and who determines and agrees on the price)

The Credenza was made in Detroit and had only 2 owners (another positive thing I'd think).