Your opinions on eBay Victrola, please.

[airgrabber666]

Hi Scott:

The extra holes in the motor board also bother me. If you are interested in it, ask the seller to send you a photo of the motor to make sure it's the four spring/two barrel type. Also ask to see a closeup photo of the "crank side" of the cabinet to check for plugged redundant holes.

If everything checks out okay, and you think you want it, then get it. In a day and age when a @#$%$ candy bar costs $1.20 where I live, and the average cost of a ONE ROOM studio apartment is around $1,700.00 per month in a lower class neighborhood--and the average asking price for most beaten up Victrolas is in the $600-$1000 range--the price does not seem exorbitant to me.

I'm not sure what the original finish was--shellac or wax top coat, or some combination of both--but if you're good with re-finishing work, you can probably do a close match to the lid's interior.

DS

David, thank you for your response. You motivated me to message the owner asking him about the "extra" holes in the motorboard and asked him to verify that it does have a four-spring motor as original. I'll be curious regarding his response; according to the ad he's owned this machine since 1966 so he should be quite familiar with it, hopefully. As you mentioned, it appears that the inside of the lid is the original finish, so I could probably get it pretty close. Or live with it as is...with all the possible inherent variables of digital photos...camera, ambient light, monitor, etc taken into account I probably won't know how viable the current finish is until I'm able to see it in person.

Best Regards,
Scott

[Henry]

Hi Scott:

In a day and age when a @#$%$ candy bar costs $1.20 where I live, and the average cost of a ONE ROOM studio apartment is around $1,700.00 per month in a lower class neighborhood--and the average asking price for most beaten up Victrolas is in the $600-$1000 range--the price does not seem exorbitant to me.

DS

Don't tell me, David, let me guess: New York or Boston. It couldn't be Boise or Shamokin.

Speaking of location: Scott, I see that the uBuy listing says "Local pickup only." Can you manage that? I don't think I can get to Phoenix from where I live.... (Heck, it's impossible to get to Princeton, NJ, from Allentown, even though it's only about 45 crow-fly miles away.)

[David Spanovich]

Hi Scott:

In a day and age when a @#$%$ candy bar costs $1.20 where I live, and the average cost of a ONE ROOM studio apartment is around $1,700.00 per month in a lower class neighborhood--and the average asking price for most beaten up Victrolas is in the $600-$1000 range--the price does not seem exorbitant to me.

DS

Don't tell me, David, let me guess: New York or Boston. It couldn't be Boise or Shamokin.

No, San Francisco. Here's a brief look at housing available in the city: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/apa/
(The $500 house for rent is a scam that's been flagged off the board several times, but keeps reappearing.)

Here are some Victrolas for sale: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/sss? ... k=&maxAsk=

There are a few in the $300 range, such as this gem -- http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/atq/2776510489.html

Well, the trade-off,I guess, is the fact that it's currently 60 degrees outside, albeit drizzling.

[tomwil]

You motivated me to message the owner asking him about the "extra" holes in the motorboard and asked him to verify that it does have a four-spring motor as original.

Those 4 holes underneath the platter has the washer area so light, that makes it appear like it was recently changed. Otherwise, wouldn't 46 years make the dust and grime build up on the holes and surrounding area less noticeable? And, were zinc bolts originally used to mount the motor?

I'll have to look at my VV-300 underneath the platter and see what it shows.

[Henry]

Hi Scott:

In a day and age when a @#$%$ candy bar costs $1.20 where I live, and the average cost of a ONE ROOM studio apartment is around $1,700.00 per month in a lower class neighborhood--and the average asking price for most beaten up Victrolas is in the $600-$1000 range--the price does not seem exorbitant to me.

DS

Don't tell me, David, let me guess: New York or Boston. It couldn't be Boise or Shamokin.

No, San Francisco.

Ah, great trolley town. You have two streetcars from New Orleans, the 913 and the 952, in service, as well as several PCC cars from SEPTA (Philadelphia). Lucky you. But it sure is the high-rent district!

[Retrograde]

Here are some Victrolas for sale: http://sfbay.craigslist.org/search/sss? ... k=&maxAsk=

There are a few in the $300 range, such as this gem -- http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/atq/2776510489.html

Well, the trade-off,I guess, is the fact that it's currently 60 degrees outside, albeit drizzling.

You're not alone, I'm still looking for one of those $250 Credenza listings that everyone in America except for me seems to find on their local Craigslist. I mostly see Dorked-up-olas for $1000 because "one just like it sold on eBay for a lot more".

[David Spanovich]

Ah, great trolley town. You have two streetcars from New Orleans, the 913 and the 952, in service, as well as several PCC cars from SEPTA (Philadelphia). Lucky you. But it sure is the high-rent district!

Yes. The last I heard, the 913 was still undergoing restoration -- http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/952/

Here's the active (regular service) PCC fleet -- http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mfleet/histcars.php
Also -- http://www.streetcar.org/streetcars/


That's another nice thing about living here, you can get to any destination by bus, trolleybus, streetcar (historic or modern), cable car (though priced for the tourists), or inter-urban heavy rail (BART or CalTrain).

I've lived here 25 years, and in that time, I've not owned or driven a car.

DS

[fmblizz]

Definately not the right motor in this machine.

fmblizz

[AllWoundUp]

Hmmmm... looking at the pics, the lubrication diagram shows a 4 spring, 2 barrel motor, but the actual motor is a 2-spring...

[penman]

This is the motor from a VV-80, 90, 100, 210, etc. Lower end post 1918 victrola motor. Easy enough to put the right motor in, but then you're looking at another $150+ and 3 extra holes.