VV 4-7

[jeniferkey]

This week I picked up a Victor Victrola VV 4-7 off Craig's List. I'm not a collector, I just needed it as a prop for a play. Looking at my options the cabinet was in such good condition that I couldn't pass it up. It was sold as a parts machine and is missing the tone arm bracket and the reproducer. For our play that will be perfectly fine, but after hearing what it should sound like and browsing around the internet I think I'd like to get the parts to restore it to working order.
The seller gave me Ron Sitko's info, but I haven't gotten an answer when I've phoned. I'm worried that if I buy a reproducer off ebay I won't buy the right one for my player. I looked up the brackets and it seems the ones that were on ebay are no longer available. I wondered if anyone on here had any advice.
It's silly, but in this play the characters play the record 'Always' by Irving Berlin. I stopped at Half Price Books today and went through the 78rpm records they had and in the stacks I found 'Always'. It just seems, with scratches and all, I should hear it played on this machine.

IMG_3538.JPG (109.4 KiB) Viewed 2349 times

[Wolfe]

That's an Orthophonic machine , so you need an Orthophonic reproducer. Perhaps just go to a dealer and buy an restored reproducer/tonearm and bracket if you want to be easy about it. The install isn't complicated.

[52089]

Ron is probably busy getting ready for the upcoming phonograph shows on 9/12 and 9/20, both of which he attends.

I can't tell from the photo, but you could possibly have a self-supporting tonearm and not need a bracket. If there's a hole for a support pin on top of the tonearm over the area where it pivots, then you need the bracket, which I think Ron sells for $70.

The reproducer will be easy; just buy any Orthophonic reproducer, the ones with the teardrop-shaped holes on one side. You can buy ones that have not been rebuilt fairly cheaply ($50 or less).

[De Soto Frank]

This week I picked up a Victor Victrola VV 4-7 off Craig's List. I'm not a collector, I just needed it as a prop for a play. Looking at my options the cabinet was in such good condition that I couldn't pass it up. It was sold as a parts machine and is missing the tone arm bracket and the reproducer. For our play that will be perfectly fine, but after hearing what it should sound like and browsing around the internet I think I'd like to get the parts to restore it to working order.
The seller gave me Ron Sitko's info, but I haven't gotten an answer when I've phoned. I'm worried that if I buy a reproducer off ebay I won't buy the right one for my player. I looked up the brackets and it seems the ones that were on ebay are no longer available. I wondered if anyone on here had any advice.
It's silly, but in this play the characters play the record 'Always' by Irving Berlin. I stopped at Half Price Books today and went through the 78rpm records they had and in the stacks I found 'Always'. It just seems, with scratches and all, I should hear it played on this machine.

IMG_3538.JPG

Putting-up a production of "Blithe Spirit" ?

[jeniferkey]

Yep, Blithe Spirit.
Thanks for the suggestions. I did see talk of shows coming up, so I'll try calling after those. It does have the hole for the bracket. I'll also watch for the orthographic reproducers with the teardrops. I've seen a couple of full arms with brackets, but they didn't look like mine.
Thanks again. There just seems something special about keeping alive a technology that's obsolete to much of the world.
Jennifer

[TonyJ]

The 4-7 is a nice little machine - I have one and enjoy it. As far as the reproducer, you can also look for Orthophonics that were made for portable machines as well. Here's an example of one listed now:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-VICTOR- ... 33a8f5b300

Seems like the portable type reproducers were made with a different mixture of 'pot metal' and don't seem to be as deteriorated as many of the ones that came with the floor models. Enjoy!

[De Soto Frank]

Yep, Blithe Spirit.
Thanks for the suggestions. I did see talk of shows coming up, so I'll try calling after those. It does have the hole for the bracket. I'll also watch for the orthographic reproducers with the teardrops. I've seen a couple of full arms with brackets, but they didn't look like mine.
Thanks again. There just seems something special about keeping alive a technology that's obsolete to much of the world.
Jennifer

During the early 1990's, I worked as a scenery carpenter for a a small dinner theatre, and loaned my VV 8-12 Orthophonic for their production...

I was a little nervous about it returning un-scathed, but the spirits did no harm.


The technology may be "obsolete", but it still works, and I feel is worthy of preservation...

[mattrx]

Ron is a great source for parts and advice. George Vollema at Great Lakes Antique Phonograph http://www.victroladoctor.com/ would also have what you need. There is a picture of the reproducer you need placed prominently on the home page. A couple of years ago, I bought a rebuilt reproducer from him and I still use it. Sounds great. The bracket would come at a lower cost from Ron Sitko, however. Good Luck!

[jeniferkey]

Just an update. I got the reproducer off of ebay but got impatient about the bracket. I hit up Home Depot for some plumbing parts and large washers and the arm is now attached and rotates smoothly. You'd have to know what you were looking at to know that it's just rigged to work.
My grandfather was a musician in the 30s and 40s, so I grew up listening to older music, and I've now discovered that my husband DJ'd a 40's radio show while he was in college. For the last week we've been listening to the records I've started to collect.
Now the Victrola is at the theater, and the first day I played it for an emo teenager who was working on the set. I think there were tears in his eyes.
Anyway, I can't wait to get it back home where we can spend some weekend mornings listening to the old records.

[briankeith]

EBAY # 221428942590 maybe this will work,,, from JAS ?? Not sure.