The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I went to look at a Credenza, sight unseen. When I saw it, it was clear that it had extensive water damage. All of the veneer was peeling off and most of the varnish was gone. The lid was completely destroyed. I purchased it for the motor, crank, reproducer, etc., but was not sure what to do with the rest of the cabinet.

Today on Craigslist I found a decent Credenza cabinet, but the horn has been removed. Is it possible to transplant a Credenza horn from one machine to another?

Damon

Naive person that I am, I would say "yes"... Victor had to put it together somehow in the first-place.


If Credenza #1 is indeed a total-loss as far as the cabinet goes, then you could carefully dissect that one from the out-side > in, until you have the horn stripped of its surrounding stuff.

This should also reveal how it was assembled in the first-place, and give some clues as to how to install the horn in Cabinet # 2.

I would not do any cutting until you have both machines side-by-side, and are certain of dimensional similarities, and note any cabinet pieces that need to be preserved and swapped.

I have been doing a little research on Credenzas, having just brought home an early two-door that needs some love, later on in the Credenza production, VTM relocated the motor / turntable and taper-tube base towards the right side of the machine ( as you stand facing it ). I don't know if VTM modified the horn, or jut created an off-set cast-iron neck to accommodate this shift.

I don't mean to seem snarky in saying "Victor had to put them together in the first place"... indeed they did, and had to figure out how to do so in a fairly economical manner...

Yes it can be done. The horn is installed with wooden dowel pins and not screws. You'll basically destroy the inside of the donor cabinet in the process of removing the horn. Take your time and study how it is constructed and by doing this it will make installing it into the new cabinet much easier.

Wes

downsouth wrote:Yes it can be done. The horn is installed with wooden dowel pins and not screws. You'll basically destroy the inside of the donor cabinet in the process of removing the horn. Take your time and study how it is constructed and by doing this it will make installing it into the new cabinet much easier.

Wes

Wes,

Is a dozuki ( sp? Thin, flexible Japanese hand-saw ) useful in cutting the dowels / extricating the horn ?


Frank

Damon,

My two-door spent part of its existence as a parts-donor, serial plate among the missing bits.

As you're dismantling / working on your two project machines, could you make note of the serial number from the plate, and whether that number shows-up stamped into or written on the back panel or other cabinet pieces ?


Thanks !

Frank

It's been a while since I have done this but I recall removing the whole horn from the donor machine to include the two structural side pieces. Once removed, I drilled out the dowels and I believe I used a heat gun and damp towel to loosen the glue and remove the panels. I am not sure about using a saw, I don't think there was any space to allow it. I could be wrong though.

Wes

From my experience, the horn just slides out once the wood blocks holding it in place are removed. Here are some pictures I snapped years ago (extra points to person who can identify the location of the surgery).

Chilldude7007 on YouTube has made some amazing videos on Orthophonic cabinet restoring. Check him out:
http://www.youtube.com/user/chilldude2007/videos

Here I have a photo of the gutted Credenza on Craigslist and the back of the Credenza I have that has devastating veneer damage all over. I completely disassembled the Credenza I had down to the horn. The horn makes up part of the cabinet and the sides of the horn have grooves that support the record shelves. Removing the sides of the horn would ruin it, in my opinion. It was originally glued to the sides to be air-tight. I don't think the project of transplanting a donor horn into a better cabinet is worthwhile. Complete and original Credenzas sell for as little as $150 on Craigslist and on average $600 on Ebay. I have kept all of the original parts and am planning to experiment with the horn, driving it with a different electronic drivers (small speakers, etc.)

Damon

Ampico66 wrote: Removing the sides of the horn would ruin it, in my opinion. It was originally glued to the sides to be air-tight. I don't think the project of transplanting a donor horn into a better cabinet is worthwhile.

Damon

Nobody told you to remove the sides of the horn.