The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

So this is my recent purchase. $200 for it and some records. Being fairly new to the Victrola insanity I have a couple of questions.

It looks like the 330 was used to hold someone's stereo as it has small holes at the inside back from the main cavity to the sides, which I assume was for speaker wire and there is no horn in the machine. I do happen to have a VV-300 that sounds great but looks like it went through 4 monsoons and a tornado. Where the 300 isn't gouged up it is missing multiple layers of plywood on the exterior panels. Will the 300 horn fit inside the 330? I was thinking I might do a transplant.

Also there are a lot of things on the 330 that don't seem to jive with what I've seen out there in every other picture of them. It looks like it is built like a 330. The serial number on it though seems to be higher than what is listed as the last 330. Additionally it doesn't have the normal gold hardware that I see in most 330 pictures. I would wonder if it has been removed but the escutcheons and locks don't seem to be gold plated either. Could this have been a custom model or maybe the end of the run and they just put what they had available on there or was that normal for that wood type?

It's a very handsome high-end cabinet and survivors have to be rare. Certainly a prime candidate for restoration.

I think the serial number is good for a very late-in-the-run machine. Serial numbers began at 501. 3,617 were shipped, which would get you to 4,118, BUT from the Victor Data book it looks like they skipped 100 when they went from the initial model to the Type B. That gets you to 4,218.

As a 330 it should have gold-plated hardware in and out as far as I know. Yours seems to be missing the fancy gold knobs and escutcheons it originally had. Looks like some misguided soul "modernized" it. The data book describes the tone arm on the 330 as a tapered, with ball bearings, and an indented tube. The horn is described as "floating." The same descriptions apply to the 300. However the cabinet dimensions are a little different. Not sure if the 300 horn would fit, but it might be worth a try, especially given the condition your 300 is in from your description.

Go to Google, click images in the upper right, and Google VV 330 and you'll see what it should have.

Clay

FYI for anyone trying this in the future the horn from the 300 fits right into the 330 without a problem.

Good. Sounds like you are well on your way to a good example of a fairly rare machine!

The fancy gold bits may be hard to come by. Maybe check with George Vollema.

Clay