The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

Could be a great deal for someone considering shipping one from the UK would cost probably twice the asking price.

Note: I have no interest in this machine, haven't seen it, corresponded with seller nor assessed it's condition. Just passing-on what I found for some interested party to investigate.

If you've not heard a 163 before, you are in for a real treat!

HMVDevotee

https://pensacola.craigslist.org/atq/d/ ... 80640.html

I love my 163 and agree that they're wonderful machines that pack a punch. This example appears to have been stripped / refinished on the outside though. Mine and all others I've seen are much darker Oak than this.

Sean

Sean,

I agree. The casework has been stripped. My 163 has the dark oak finish as well, similar to the interior of this machine and about same color as the carvings on the doors (that apparently remain untouched.)

However, if it's sound you're after, they are remarkable. I listened to many different maker's machines and settled on finding an HMV 163... not so easy on this side of the Pond. I've followed them at auction in the UK, but the cost of crating and shipping was astronomical... almost twice the hammer price!

...And that led me to a 193. Don't think I'll live long enough to find a 202, here... but the search continues!

Cheers,
Robert

I got very lucky and found an HMV 163 close to me for quite cheap, and I can say is sounds incredible even with an un-rebuilt reproducer, I can only imagine what it will sound like when it's done. Mine was also refinished in a light oak, and the peeling veneer what nailed down the the case. It suffered water damage, so it needs a lot of work... not sure if I should refinish the inside of the lid as well, as it hasn't been touched, but matching is almost impossible

Martin

It's a bargain ! And very easy to get the finish back with dark oak wax polish ! And in one picture it looks better !

Would love to own one of these. Poor ole Nipper looks like he's been on a jag, tho.

soundgen wrote:It's a bargain ! And very easy to get the finish back with dark oak wax polish ! And in one picture it looks better !

I never said it wasn't a worthy machine...I've owned mine for maybe 15 years and I play it almost as often as I play my EMG. I also paid much less than this for mine because it was a filthy mess and at some point in it's life it had been through a fire, I spent weeks cleaning it up. There was a period in the 80s, at least in the US, where "light oak" was a fashionable thing with a certain demographic and I can remember where almost every piece of antique oak furniture I'd see at an auction had been refinished in a much lighter shade and topped off with polyurethane. Perhaps this is one of those victims. If this particular example has a poly finish, I doubt you could do much to darken it.

Regardless, I'll stand by what I originally said, the 163 is a fantastic machine.

Sean

Sean nailed it. The HMV 163 packs a punch. I've had mine for about 12 years, and I continue to be amazed whenever I play it.

Started at $750... now $600.

Considering the questionable finish, I have a friend who restores furniture and, in some cases when working with older finishes on very hard wood, he uses dyes instead of stains to achieve color matches... something to consider perhaps for anyone interested in tackling this as a project.

R.