My quest is finally over!!!

[Phono48]

What a beautiful machine! As an Englishman who's never seen a Credenza, please enlighten me. What are the two shaped pieces of wood to the left of the turntable for?

[Torjazzer]

What a beautiful machine! As an Englishman who's never seen a Credenza, please enlighten me. What are the two shaped pieces of wood to the left of the turntable for?

Those are record rails for resting your sellection of Ellingtons
They are raised to make them easy to lift.

[Torjazzer]

And congratulations from me too. I know what you mean about pride of ownership which never fades. Sometimes I just stand a look at my Credenza before playing it.

Regarding the reproducer: even though it may appear to be in good condition, you would do well to send it to a professional rebuilder anyway. They can properly disassemble it and examine the diaphragm for cracks and holes, making the necessary repairs. The needle bar will also need to be re-adjusted. I reccommend Peter Wall in San Francisco who did a great job on my pot metal reproducer. Peter claims that Victor switched to pot metal because it was simply cheaper to make than brass but a well-restored pot metal reproducer will sound just as good.

Regarding the back bracket: Aside from the breakage, yours appears to be missing the guiding pin which relieves some of the weight placed on the record and assists in tracking. Without it you will have record wear.

Happy playing!
Can anyone identify the record books as original to the machine?

[OrthoSean]

Those are the correct books for the machines, yes.

I'd go with cleaning with your cleaner of choice (non-pumice GoJo or the more expensive, but equally effective Kotton Kleanser). Howard's should be fine after a good clean and veneer repair followed then by a good paste wax or Howard's Feed and Wax, which is very easy to use.

The pot metal back bracket can be gotten as stated above from Ron Sitko for about $70, he has no email but can be reached at 518-371-8549.

I'll also echo the horn sealing suggestion, you'll be amazed, and while you're at it, seal all the tone arm joints with plumber's grease too. All those small air leaks can cause serious bass response loss and none of this takes much more than a little work.

As for that grill cloth, I really don't know how old it is, but to my eyes it almost looks like something from a 50s or 60s HiFi, but it certainly could be older.

Sean

[Torjazzer]

As for that grill cloth, I really don't know how old it is, but to my eyes it almost looks like something from a 50s or 60s HiFi, but it certainly could be older.

Sean

The original cloth was very thin; almost transparent. I think that the heavier replacement here might impede the bass reproduction. You will have to remove the grille to oil the horn. It doesn't look like those are the original screws which are dark brown. If they are original screws, be very careful. I can say from experience that you must use an exactly fitting screwdriver as they are very soft and easily stripped.

[jeff spicoli]

All you here are great!!! I don't know where else on the planet that I can find ALL the info I need as well as people who actually have experience AND the love for these machines!!!

This is the only place where all you need to do is ask a question and everyone just helps!! I cant say enough about your group here!!

As for that grill cloth, I really don't know how old it is, but to my eyes it almost looks like something from a 50s or 60s HiFi, but it certainly could be older.

The more I look at the cloth the more I agree.....it looks exactly like cane grill cloth that would be used on speakers from the 1950's.

As far as the reproducer is concerned....did the people who bought these machines back in the 1920's swap the pot metal for brass? or vise versa? I'm a purist and want it to be correct down to the correct screws. I will get my reproducer checked over but will always be on the lookout for a brass one just in case.

[OrthoSean]

By the time your 8-30 was being produced, pot metal was the correct reproducer supplied originally. If you can get yours checked out and rebuilt well enough to use, I wouldn't concern myself with finding a brass one, unless you just want one for the sake of having one. I have enough pot metal ones I have had all rebuilt and they all sound just as good as the brass one that came with my Credenza.

I meant to say earlier in my last reply that I really don't recommend Danish Oil. I don't believe it's reversible and you'll be permanently altering the finish. I've never personally used it myself, but I've seen photos of some machines that had been "refreshed" with it and I wasn't terribly impressed.

Enjoy your machine!

Sean