Yet another Credenza topic

[Orthophonic]

One thing that is good and that is the tone arm mount. No pot metal problems with that one! Incidentally, Victor called them taper tubes and the part that holds the sound box was called the crook. I think Victor's terminology is more accurate for these items.

[estott]

Just one little clarification- your credenza was made in the Victor factory in Camden NJ. Grinnell Bros. were the retailers- it was very common for stores to put their names on items they sold.

I've got a 20's C Melody sax they sold- it's a Conn but the bell is engraved "WOLVERINE - Specially built for Grinnell Bros."

$600 is a rather high price.

[muffinass]

Just one little clarification- your credenza was made in the Victor factory in Camden NJ. Grinnell Bros. were the retailers- it was very common for stores to put their names on items they sold.

I've got a 20's C Melody sax they sold- it's a Conn but the bell is engraved "WOLVERINE - Specially built for Grinnell Bros."

$600 is a rather high price.

That's what I meant to say, sorry - it was sold by Grinnell Bros. in Detroit and had only 2 owners.

Still waiting on a reply from the seller...hoping it's a go!

[muffinass]

Well, the buyer agreed to $400 - will be picking it up sometime this weekend and drop it off for repair.

Pictures to follow with the predictable questions as to touching up the finish on the cabinet.

Thanks to everyone for your advice!

[Edisone]

h

[Guest]

Ouch. I was going to say that my first Electric Credenza, which needed a new tone-arm bracket & a lot of cleaning, was $25. My second, a Credenza X with brass reproducer & perfect finish, cost me $175 on Dec 31, 2011. WAS gonna suggest $200 as the top offer for something like yours.

While it's always nice to pick machines up cheap, there's nothing wrong with paying a FAIR price either. Some people have paid $1000 for a Class M, but it doesnt mean everyone can buy them at that price.
Im sure you wouldn't sell your Credendza X with brass reproducer for what you paid, or even for double the price you paid.

[FloridaClay]

The grille cloth looks original and that is more significant now than it used to be. Until fairly recently you could buy new exact reproduction cloth, but the factory that made it closed down and pieces large enough for a Credenza are now very hard to come by and some of the dealers who claim to have Orthophonic cloth really only have a not all that good approximation.

As for the reproducer you really need a specialist like Peter Wall who can make a cracked unit playable. Not many people have the expertise. He repaired mine and it sounds really good. If appearance is critical for you you can watch eBay for a good brass Orthophonic reproducer, but the gold plated ones can get up into $500 territory.

Clay

[muffinass]

Ouch. I was going to say that my first Electric Credenza, which needed a new tone-arm bracket & a lot of cleaning, was $25. My second, a Credenza X with brass reproducer & perfect finish, cost me $175 on Dec 31, 2011. WAS gonna suggest $200 as the top offer for something like yours.

I'm sure we can all agree that those figures are ridiculously low - a great deal for you, surely, but a significant loss for the seller.

Like the Guest poster mentioned, nobody who is a collector or even a 'part-time hobbyist' would sell their Credenza for $200 - unless they were strapped for cash or wanted to impart a gift onto someone.

The way I see it, if the unit was sold initially at $275-$300, I see no reason why I shouldn't expect to pay slightly above that price in today's money. (also, don't electric models usually sell for less money nowadays?)

That being said, I'd definitely be up for coming up to your neck of the woods and getting my hands on $25 Credenzas


Regarding the grille-cloth - I assume that it is original, but shouldn't it be a bit thicker and not see-through?

[estott]

That cloth looks original to me. The "see through" effect is mostly an illusion- mine was like that. Dirt on the backside of the cloth is trapped against the middle of the horn where it almost touches the cloth- you end up with a clean strip with sharply defined edges and a shaded effect on the top, and to a lesser extent on the bottom. The camera flash also makes the cloth look more transparent than it is.

[1926CredenzaOwner]

Here is a picture of mine for reference. It is original.

Yours looks like a mid-1926 Credenza. In the middle of 1926, they shifted the turntable to the right, and added the record shelf on the left. Yours must have been made shortly after that change was made, because the tone arm does not have the pot metal bracket. Be glad for that! If it's truly a "Credenza," and not an "8-30," the serial number should be between 33800 and 45000.

The reproducer looks fine from the pictures, but will need a rebuild to sound its best. (Gaskets need to be replaced, and the ball bearings that hold the needle bar in place need to be cleaned or replaced. See here: http://www.gracyk.com/orthosound.shtml) However, it's impossible to asses sound from pictures. The 'amplification' problem could be anything from a busted diaphragm, hardened gaskets, the tin ear of the seller, or the worn needle that appears to be in place. If it rattles when it is played, then the spider most likely has become detached from the diaphragm, and it will need a rebuild. Both Peter Wall and Walt Sommers in the US rebuild these, and they are very good at what they do.

The motor will definitely need a rebuild. All that grease on the horn has been squeezed out of the spring barrel, and what's left inside is probably very hard and sticky. Every gear will need to be cleaned and re-greased.

(I know you're going to have someone else do it, but it's actually quite easy. Look up "Victor Two Spring Motor Rebuild" by chilldude2007 on YouTube. Be careful if you decide to do it yourself, though. Sometimes people did whatever they could to keep these machines running. You might need to replace a part like the governor if they're not balanced right or have been poorly repaired. You can usually find most parts you need on eBay. Victor was like Ford... a lot of parts are interchangeable. Also watch out for broken teeth on the gears.)

I can't help you with the cabinet issues, but there are multiple threads on this forum dealing with that.

You can apply some toothpaste to the gold plated hardware, and gently clean it by hand. Try not to rub too hard, and don't use a brush. Do not use metal polish or Brasso. Remove the tone arm to clean it, because you'll need to do that anyway. When you remove the tone arm, you'll also need to re-grease the felt washer beneath the tone arm. I use petroleum jelly for this... it works for me. You'll also want to remove the ball bearings from the base of the tone arm to clean and re-pack them with grease.

I know it sounds like a lot, but there's so much more you can do to this machine to make it tip-top sounding. These machines are in their '80s, and need some love. Yours looks like it's been well taken care of!

Check out this link for more info on the Credenza... and you can also date your machine by the serial number there as well.
http://www.victor-victrola.com/8-1.htm

You may have over-paid slightly, but so did I when I bought mine. I've had $1,000,000 worth of fun with it, so I'm okay with that.
As for the brass reproducers, they can go for anywhere between $310 - $380 on eBay, in working but unrestored condition. Here is the latest ended auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... true&rt=nc

Welcome to the wonderful world of Credenza!