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Purchased a C-250

Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 6:34 pm
by tarheeltinkerer
This was hard to pass up...although the sudden lack of a place to put it requires a rearrangement of my living room. I paid $295 for the C-250, along with 92 discs (88-89 are still playable), plus the original drawer dividers were present, along with some of the original paper sales sleeves for some of the discs.

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:

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Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 7:09 pm
by Brad
Beautiful! There's always room for Jello and there is always room for one more phonograph!

Congrats!

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Fri Nov 06, 2009 9:18 pm
by tarheeltinkerer
And one of the discs included..."The William Tell Overture." Pure win.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXB8XCVT4Nw[/youtube]

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:02 pm
by AZ*
Thanks for sharing. I'm usually not a fan of the C-19/C-250 models, but the tiger oak on this one is very nice. I may have to reconsider my position! :P

I also like the record. I try to pick up about any recording of the WTO I stumble across. The last one I got was a Xylophone solo on a single-sided Oxford disc.

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 12:12 pm
by gramophoneshane
Thats a very nice early example of a C250. Congrats!

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:05 pm
by Neophone
Tarheeltinkerer,

Absolutely beautiful! Congrats on a great find!

Regards,
John

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:20 pm
by SonnyPhono
Nice one! I think I have a bunch of extra C-250 parts laying around including a Duncan Electric Stop complete with the original wiring, coil and brake mechanism. It is just missing the battery, (of course) but can be replaced with a 6 volt dry cell if I remember correctly. I believe I have the screw you are missing as well. PM me with what you need and I will see what I can find and would be more than happy to ship it to you.

On that subject, does anyone know much about the Duncan Electric Stop? I didn't know I had one until looking closely at a motor, bed plate and horn I took out of a C-250 cabinet that was beyond the point of repair. I can't find too much about it, ie. how many where made, it's original cost etc. Thanks for the help!

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 1:55 pm
by tarheeltinkerer
Thanks for all the kind words, yall. I honestly feel a bit saddened because the oak on the rear of the case (facing the wall) needs TLC and at some point I have to disassemble the player and try to clamp and repair the seam separation in the back...as well as glue down various spots of veneer, trim, etc. etc. Granted, I doubt I'll ever find one perfect, so I'll shut up now.

As for the Duncan Automatic Stop, I've heard of them mentioned, but have yet to see any great photos, schematic, etc. for one online. Anyone care to start a thread with pictures and details about this device?

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 5:31 pm
by SonnyPhono
Sure, I would love to start one as I don't know much about them and just found one. I am not home at the moment, but will post pictures and the info I have on it when I get home tonight.

Re: Purchased a C-250

Posted: Sat Nov 07, 2009 6:26 pm
by tarheeltinkerer
SonnyPhono wrote:Sure, I would love to start one as I don't know much about them and just found one. I am not home at the moment, but will post pictures and the info I have on it when I get home tonight.
Many thanks :) Check your email BTW.