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For those who wonder, YES, you can fit a C-250 in the back of a 2007 Corolla. Unfortunately, I tore up a bit of the door seal, so it's off to get some silicone to repair that.
In terms of the player, the previous owner had this for 25 years...and never played it. He bought is solely to have for decorative value. Some of the DDs in it I doubt were touched in years. Hard to believe, but it is what he told me. The diaphragm's link was disconnected from the stylus when I picked it up...but after reconnecting it, the sound is fantastic.
I am inclined to believe at some point the original felt was replaced. It looks too dark and too good. Felt pieces were present under the bedplate, so if the motor was removed, whoever did it replaced the felt. The decals are in amazing condition...I've honestly never purchased an Edison with decals this nice (this makes Edison number seven).
The bad...the oak is VERY VERY dry. I kept applying linseed oil and the wood was soaking it up like a sponge. The rear legs are very dry and the wood on the edges of the legs is pretty battered. There are some small veneer chips on the bottom and one on the backside. On the backside, the one leg and the panel are starting to separate. As such, I have removed all the discs from the storage drawers, and will probably keep it this way to minimize the weight on the legs. Down the road I'll probably find a furniture expert to repair the legs and just fix the cabinet all-around.
There is no key. One of the two tiny screws holding the key escutcheon is broken off...anyone know where I can get one of these tiny screws? The most annoying issue is that the crank handle is BENT. It works, but needs to be straightened out. I tried straightening it out myself but only made a tiny bit of progress. Lastly, a few of the tiny little trim pieces are missing...mostly in the back.
In terms of the discs, all but five are non-paper labels. Well over half of them are operas or ballets, in some cases there is no flip side on the disc...the one side is merely a continuation of the prior side. A few have what appears to be mold growth on them. I used some alcohol to clean the one off and it plays okay, but very quiet with a lot of white noise...guessing these might be write-offs.
Lastly, the wild thing? The data plate lists this as "SM 6703." It's clearly an early C-250, but it is THIS early?
Anyways, here are the photos:
Check your email BTW.