Victrola 4-40 walnut?

[Henry]

Chilesave,

The stretcher is missing because someone cut off the legs just above where the stretcher would mount. Because the machine is overpriced already, the additional cost to build a new stretcher and properly extend the legs would make it far too expensive.

I would advise you to pass on this. Always buy based on quality and condition, even in a lower end machine. That way, no regrets and it protects the your "investment". (I don't really believe in phonos as an investment but, I'd like to think I could get my money back if I wanted to. A clean machine with no problems makes that easier to do.)

Agree! However, it appears to me from the first of OP's photos that the leg length has not been altered; check the turnings on the two machines pictured. They seem identical. It would appear, rather, that surgery has been performed only on the stretcher. Don't know how it was originally joined to the legs (pegged or screwed on) but I believe the stretcher was removed without altering the legs.

[Wolfe]

My 4-40 has the stretcher as one piece, the lower and upper part of the legs joined on either side in some way between the stretcher. Maybe they are threaded or pegged through, I'm not sure.

But the one in the picture looks to have complete legs, so maybe the stretcher was removed by pulling the legs apart.

[FloridaClay]

. . . Always buy based on quality and condition, even in a lower end machine. That way, no regrets and it protects the your "investment". (I don't really believe in phonos as an investment but, I'd like to think I could get my money back if I wanted to. A clean machine with no problems makes that easier to do.)

Excellent advice. All too frequently my heart goes out to some forlorn abused machine. I may wind up with a rescued beauty after restoration, but almost always I have far more in it than it is worth and would have been better served by waiting for a better example. On the other hand there is a bit of satisfaction from pulling it back from history's scrap heap.

Clay

[Chilesave]

I too suffer from trying to save machines. I just rebuilt a vi
ctor III and all I started with was a motor. I am thinking about restoring a XVI and so far all I have is one cabinet knob.

[FloridaClay]

I too suffer from trying to save machines. I just rebuilt a vi
ctor III and all I started with was a motor. I am thinking about restoring a XVI and so far all I have is one cabinet knob.

That makes me feel a little better. I just finished up a Victor III that started with no horn or elbow, all the plating gone, 2 broken springs, worn out gears, a modern RCA plug serving as the tone arm swivel (boy was that fun to get out), most of the paint gone off the horn bracket, the wrong turntable, and a turntable spindle some nut had filed down to make the wrong turn table (sort of) fit.

Clay