The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

I have the opportunity of purchasing a Victor Victrola special order model SP 683. This is the same model shown on the Victrola Website at the following link. Note that it's the victrola found at the bottom right hand side of the below web page.

http://victor-victrola.com/SP.htm

This particular model is an electrola and is in working condition. The cabinet is nice and is complete other than the Victrola 2 reproducer which is replaced with non victor reproducer. The asking price is $500. It is an art cased model of which I have not seen before. Any thoughts on this machine? With it being an electrola and with some of these special order models being less desirable than others due to the design I thought I would ask the forum their opinion regarding desirability, looks and price. Thank you in advance for your feedback.

Rick

If you have the space and the room, I'd go for it. It looks like a nice machine. You can get the correct reproducer for it. Good luck with it.
Harvey Kravitz

I'd say "sold!" in a heartbeat. If you don't currently have room you need to make room for it. I have never, in forty plus years of collecting, had the opportunity to buy a special order machine. Jerry Blais

It's doubly special in that it was custom built by VTM
and never "repurposed" in all this time. Given the chance I would buy it.
-Bill

I'm with Jerry. I would buy one in a heartbeat.
I passed on a SP-683 because the owner wanted something really
ridiculous for it. Then I went back to contact him too late
and it was sold.

At that price, get it. As in YESTERDAY!!!!

Clay

Thanks everyone for the feedback. The voltage for the motor is 110. A modern day outlet releases 115 volts.. How big of a problem would this be for the phonograph? Would I need a step down transformer? When played it blew the sellers fuse.

Get it!!

Re voltage, I encounter the same issue with some of my antique radios. Line voltage here often hits 120 or so. I use an APC voltage regulator, which can be set for 110 volts. You can get them on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/APC-LE1200-Automa ... 200+Line-R

If you get it, get it checked out electrically before using it if a fuse blew, so as not to do more damage.

Clay

I would definitely buy it, it was probably owned by one of the wealthy oil or industrial giants like JP Morgan, John D. Rockefeller or Andrew Carnegie?????