Your opinions on eBay Victrola, please.

[airgrabber666]

What do you gents think about this Victrola 300 currently on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Victor- ... 231651827e

I spy "extra" holes in the motorboard...wonder what is going on with that? Phono appears to be in decent condition overall. Has gold key and needle cup. Knobs look like they have lost their gold-plating. I don't believe I see lock escutcheons on the record storage doors. Corrosion on some metal parts under the lid. Otherwise, I like it...finding one of these in "tiger" oak has proven rather difficult. I know these curved-lid humpbacks aren't for everyone, so please try not to be too hard on me. What are your opinions of condition, rarity, and price? Thank you so much for your help!

Best Regards,
Scott

[Covah]

Save your money for a good one. This has been seriously butchered. A refinish that lost value also lost the exterior metals. Condition is everything. This is one that you'll regret. There is only one direction from original and that's worse. This one is well down that path.

And you are right, it's a shame a rare oak version was destroyed. That is not your problem, try not to accept other people's screw-ups. I should know, I am always regretting it.

[FloridaClay]

Save your money for a good one.

Agree, if you are after something with some investment potential. This one has had all the original finish stripped off.
Clay

[airgrabber666]

Save your money for a good one. This has been seriously butchered. A refinish that lost value also lost the exterior metals. Condition is everything. This is one that you'll regret. There is only one direction from original and that's worse. This one is well down that path.

And you are right, it's a shame a rare oak version was destroyed. That is not your problem, try not to accept other people's screw-ups. I should know, I am always regretting it.

Thank you for your input, Covah. Is the "butchery" you are seeing limited to the refinishing job and the tarnished and worn knobs or is there more to it that I am missing? I am trying to learn a bit as this machine appeared reasonably "decent" to me. The only thing I saw that looked really questionable were the "extra" holes in the motorboard.

On an aside, I have gold-plated parts in excellent condition "just waiting" for a deserving Victrola project. And an oak 300 is my "dream machine", if you will.

Thanks & Regards,
Scott

[airgrabber666]

Save your money for a good one.

Agree, if you are after something with some investment potential. This one has had all the original finish stripped off.
Clay

Investment is kind of secondary compared to fulfilling my long-term desire to have an oak VV-300. However, I don't want a complete loser just in case something awful happens and I am forced to sell it. My current Victrola has been refinished as well - that's how it came to me - so I am okay with a refinish job (or refinishing a solid project, if that's the case).

Is the price out of line for this machine in its current condition?

Thanks & Regards,
Scott

[estott]

Might be OK if it was around $100.00 and close to you. It could be made to look decent, but it's been seriously devalued.

[Henry]

Scott, I'm not one of those who could be labelled a purist, as far as original finish goes. If this is the one you want, get it! It could be brought back to something like its original appearance---or let's just say that its appearance could be considerably improved with the application of the right materials, and there is plenty of expertise on this board to help you achieve that, if that's where you want to go. As estott says, if it's close to you, and you can get the price down some, and, I'd add, the internals are OK, then what the hey. These aren't so rare, but they don't come up all that often, and the oak one is a winner. Just my 2¢ worth.

[David Spanovich]

Hi Scott:

The extra holes in the motor board also bother me. If you are interested in it, ask the seller to send you a photo of the motor to make sure it's the four spring/two barrel type. Also ask to see a closeup photo of the "crank side" of the cabinet to check for plugged redundant holes.

If everything checks out okay, and you think you want it, then get it. In a day and age when a @#$%$ candy bar costs $1.20 where I live, and the average cost of a ONE ROOM studio apartment is around $1,700.00 per month in a lower class neighborhood--and the average asking price for most beaten up Victrolas is in the $600-$1000 range--the price does not seem exorbitant to me.

I'm not sure what the original finish was--shellac or wax top coat, or some combination of both--but if you're good with re-finishing work, you can probably do a close match to the lid's interior.

DS

[airgrabber666]

Might be OK if it was around $100.00 and close to you. It could be made to look decent, but it's been seriously devalued.

This particular machine would have to be shipped to me. I'm considering it because this is the first oak 300 I've seen up for sale in awhile. If they do come up, they are never in my local area. The owner of this machine is entertaining offers under his asking price it seems.

Regards,
Scott

[airgrabber666]

Scott, I'm not one of those who could be labelled a purist, as far as original finish goes. If this is the one you want, get it! It could be brought back to something like its original appearance---or let's just say that its appearance could be considerably improved with the application of the right materials, and there is plenty of expertise on this board to help you achieve that, if that's where you want to go. As estott says, if it's close to you, and you can get the price down some, and, I'd add, the internals are OK, then what the hey. These aren't so rare, but they don't come up all that often, and the oak one is a winner. Just my 2¢ worth.

Henry, thank you for your input. I am not so much a purist, either. The refinish job doesn't bother me so much as long as it was a simple strip and stain. I would like the metal parts to be of the original type...and reasonably unmolested in terms of the cabinet (no replacement veneer patches, no split or splintering doors, no hammered corner posts where the carvings are). The seller appears amenable to offers lower than his starting amount. This machine would have to be shipped, though; it is not close to me. But its scarcity has me considering it anyhow.