The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Looking REAL good! If you ever want to replace those gold parts to look as they did when new, contact Nashville Plating Service in Nashville, Tennessee. The parts on your VTLA were/are plated in a soft. matt gold finish, as opposed to a bright gold.
http://www.nashvilleplatingservice.com

For what it's worth, in late 2008 I was in an antiques mall on US 27 perhaps in Rockwood, Tennessee (but somewhere between Rockwood and Dayton, anyway), and a booth there had the cabinet of a VTLA (or early XVI) with no lid and a new flat table-top affixed in its place. It did, however, have all of the original record storage boxes. The tag said "Edison record cabinet" and it was priced at, IIRC, $1100 (!!!!!). Perhaps it is still there and perhaps they've softened on the price!

JohnM,
Thanks for the info. I have been to Rockwood a couple of times in the past. It is the opposite end of the state for me now, but I will remember your post and look around, the next time I am in East Tennessee. I contacted Nashville Plating. I used to live very near them in Hendersonville, TN. The price was a little steep, $600 - $700 to replate the parts in the upper cabinet. After the expense of rebuilding the motor, buying a new reproducer and tone-arm bracket, I will have to wait. The waiting will be easier now that I was able to polish the parts to such a nice degree. When the parts were almost black, I was more motivated to have them plated. Thanks!

I am not quite done with the machine, but as I read, you never really are. I had George V rebuild the 3 spring motor, and the reproducer. He did a fabulous job and they both came back looking brand new! The record boxes finally came up on eBay as did a key, and an exhibition storage box. I polished what I could, and am now just waiting to have the cabinet refinished, and the gold parts re-plated. I had the turntable re-plated by a friend, and he did a great job. Slowly but surely getting there, almost a year into it! Thanks downsouth for the casters and tone arm base!

Any advice as to the next steps would be appreciated.

Wow!Wow!Wow! Super envious. I am getting an XVI in Oct.and I am thrilled but that is an amazing find.

Really handsome! Well done.

Clay

mattrx wrote:We found a Victrola in my grandmother’s attic. The cabinet is in great shape, but it is missing some parts. It has the tone arm, turntable, motor, crank, key and horn. It is missing the reproducer, the flange that holds the tone arm, and the motor does not work. It appears to be an XVI from what I can tell from about 1908. Can anyone offer some advice as to whether it is worth fixing?

Thanks,

Matt

Yes. I can rehab the motor for a price of course. Totally worthy of a fix up.

Excellent job! Well done - thanks for the updates as you progressed.

Bruce

Hey Matt, Looking good! Glad the parts worked for you. Don't forget that key escutcheon that I pryed off for you! HAHA! Speaking of that machine, if you decide you need somethingelse from it,lid possibly, let me know. Also, to anyonelse out there needing something from this type VTLA, I am parting one out, but i will be keeping the mechanics.

Wes

Very nice! Your relatives can be very proud of what you have done for the family history.

Downsouth, I certainly did not forget. I love having the gold escutcheon installed, as well as the mounting bolts for the tone arm bracket. I intend to install the casters this weekend. I would have done it sooner, but work has been a bear since coming back off vacation!