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Well, it was a big day for exponential horn machines. (See my post about the Victor Credenza: http://forum.talkingmachine.info/viewto ... =2&t=38776) I picked up this Brunswick Cortez, which is in pretty good shape. It's missing the 3 needle cups, but the horn is solid (no separation at all), the reproducer and tone arm look great, and the original finish looks really nice. Some questions:

1. It cranks up and spins, but I spent several minutes cranking it and not only did it not stop turning, but the tension didn't even seem to increase. There wasn't any of the "ka-chunk!" you hear when trying to wind a popped Victor or Columbia mainspring -- just, at a certain point, a very soft click every couple of turns of the crank. Does this sound like a broken mainspring to you? How many springs does this motor have?

2. How easy will it be to find the needle cups? (If you have any, please let me know!)

3. Do people re-seal the horns on these like they do on Victor Credenzas? Again, I didn't see any separation in the horn (is it spruce?) when I removed the grille; don't know if these are prone to separating at the goose-neck or not.

4. Do these reproducers usually require rebuilding? If so, are they as complicated as Victor Orthophonics?

5. I had some trouble pulling the crank out through the escutcheon after I disengaged it. (It's a really long crank, too -- it took a while to get it out.) Now getting it back in is proving difficult. Has anyone encountered this problem? Any tips for dealing with it?

6. Does anyone have any idea around how many of these machines Brunswick made?

7. I've never seen one of these in person before and have no idea what they're worth, but I liked it so much that when I asked the seller what she wanted for it and she replied $200, I didn't even haggle. Now, of course, I feel kind of stupid for not even trying to haggle; did I do O.K. anyway?

Happy to post more photos if anyone wants to see them.

Thanks!

Boy, did you ever do well! I would have grabbed my wallet and handed over to $200 as fast as possible for fear the seller might change their mind. I don't know how many were made, but they don't come up all that often. The Cortez is the most beautiful of the orthophonic machines. Congratulations on getting a real beauty.

What a beautiful phonograph!

I don't have answers to your other questions but yes, I think your spring is broken on one end. Brunswick grease is not like the stuff in Victor machines. Instead of hardening to asphaltlike chunks, it becomes like mousetrap glue. (Not that I condone glue traps...kill 'em outright or live with them pooping in the cereal.)

My 1922 York Console did that--wound and wound forever due to a slipping spring that had torn free of one of the rivets.

I blacksmithed it back but it still doesn't run. Putting springs in backwards is not good for motors.

4. The reproducers usually do not require rebuilding... unless it's the pot metal version and crumbled.

The thing that is temperamental is the pot on the lid hinge. I broke mine and don't know how to fix it. The motor is big and quiet. I doubt yours has a broken spring. Great sounding machine. Built like a tank and beautiful wood. I paid MUCH more than you did, but I live in LA. The horn isn't exponential. just big and beautiful. I doubt it needs resealing. Cortezes sell for more than Credenzas. Mine has a little more swirly grain.

bigshot wrote:The motor is big and quiet. I doubt yours has a broken spring. Great sounding machine. Built like a tank and beautiful wood.

I agree with Stephen. The Brunswick Cortez was (and is) an amazing phonograph capable of producing wonderful sound from your electrically recorded records. The motor on these is the quietest and most smooth running of any phonograph I've owned. And the Brunswick Cortez reproducers, amazingly, generally don't need rebuilding unless they've been abused. The cranks come out easily but reinstalling the crank on a Cortez is a challenge. You will just have to position the crank shaft at a near perfect position to meet with the mating crank shaft on the motor. I'll bet one time I spent at least 15-20 minutes trying to reinstall my Cortez crank but it's OK. It's one of the very few faults it has. Here are a couple of videos featuring my Cortez: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svqhU9TEnAs and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_mFmSsDopM I'm sure you know by now that you did well with your purchase. Have fun with it!

Doug

More time to answer you now...

1. It sure does sound like a broken spring.
2. Not too hard to find needle cups. I don't believe they're special for a Cortez. Just generic Brunswick cups.
3. There's really nothing to seal. There are no glued together flat panels as with a Victor horn.
4. Already answered that one...
5. The crank bushing is usually very close fitting, to prevent noise from a crank clunking around in a loose hole I guess. Everything about the Cortez is designed for quiet operation.
6. Don't know. What's your s/n?
7. For $200 you did awesome!

The Cortez is a beautiful phonograph on several levels. In general, I'm not a big fan of Brunswicks, but I would not be without a Cortez.

As for the reproducer, the only other possible problem, beyond pot metal, is the diaphragm connection to the needle arm. The needle arm attaches to a small brass? grommet in the center of the aluminum diaphragm. If moisture has been present during some time in its history, there may be some corrosion in the aluminum, around the grommet, which can cause the grommet to break free of the diaphragm, thereby disconnecting the needle arm. Short of breaking free, there may also be an air leak there. I've seen a few with this problem.

Congratulations!!!

Cortez needle cups, and assosciated Cortez...

Thanks, everyone!

All I can say is gorgeous! Did they also make the Cortez with an electric motor?