These VM turntables are my jam. I've restored a number of them. Some of them (yours included) are easy to adapt to a 1/2" stereo cartridge. Give yours a new wheel, a lube job, and a cartridge, and you'll have a great sounding phono.
That had a happy ending, always nice to see another one rescued from the junk pile. The cartridge in that is ceramic (I think Sonotone), and the needle sounds like it's completely chowdered.
the changer is made by Voice of Music, that model in particular was there top of the line and the cartridge is a Sonotone 2T ceramic monaural cartridge with flip over needle.
What I have been doing for radios in that situation is to convert them to wifi radios. Almost everyone now has wifi, and a quick build using an ESP32 and VS1053 converter can get you a damn good sounding WIFI radio setup. I add a LCD display or one I have setup using an OLED screen, and tie it to the amplifier through the vol input or, if the set has a built in aux input hooking there makes a great sounding system. The VS1053 does the digital to analog conversion, but does not have a built in amp, it can drive a headset with no problem but not enough power for unpowered speakers. I have one set up as a deck and plug that into either some powered computer speakers, or my HIFI Stereo system if I want to blast the paint off my walls. The setup I use is capable of presetting over 100 channels, and can be run by one rotary encoder which serves as Volume/ mute button / and channel selector. This eliminates the problems of electronic noise, I find powering it from an 18650 works pretty good, if you power her via USB which is easy since the ESP32 has USB in, it works but needs a shielded USB cable or it can pick up some of the electronic noise in the area.
I think you were looking at a Sonotone cartridge, (if my memory is correct). Mono cartridges won't accurately track a stereo record and usually will skip with a bass note. Great video!
The two screws on either side of the record player are transit. You should loosen them so the springs on the bottom can work and give some isolation to the unit.
6:12 True, but totally weird. Most of the V-M changers I've seen have the usual transit screws with clips, so you back them out for shipping, and you can't play a 12" record until they are back in. I wonder why whoever built this (Warwick??) chose to use their own home-made setup.
squiogy snorgler = snap in 45 adapter, love your video's shango and you've taught me a lot about fixing old stuff and I'm in Massachusetts and yeah every old radio here is just every capacitor except ceramic or mica is bad because of changing seasons for so long, but your videos are super helpful and I've fixed a lot of old radios because of them. You are awesome!
Exceptional good commentary. Great that you got the mechanics working. Re the TT auto changer. The round grey button thingy at 14:04 , close to the TT platter at about 2 o'clock position is to detect the 10" records. The latch thing you pointed out at 22:17 is to detect 12" LP's. No detection means 45 RPM singles. We had a Grundig TT back in The Netherlands when I was a kid with more or less exact type auto changer in it.
Love the honesty in a few bits of this video, exactly like me when my friends are looking up to me as the face of wisdom during a bit of audio DIY and I have to say "I don't know bloody everything, here." Cool vid. :)
Scoigie Snoigler! I remember the repair on a radio where you talked about a scorgle snorbler, and so that became my display name on Steam. With a link to the original video of course.
25:15 You are absolutely correct. The old crystal cartridges (which, if memory serves, were actually Rochelle salt) absorb moisture from the air and deteriorate, particularly if allowed to stand unused. The cartridge in an old radio-phono I'm working on had literally crumbled into powder. I believe your changer was manufactured by American Instrument - I have a 78-only changer that has similar features in a 1948 Emerson radio-phono. I know AI sold changers to several OEMs, and also offered three-speed 'retrofit' units by mail order in the early 1950s, but it's tough to find any information about them at all, and I've yet to find any information newer than about 1955.
Ah, a bearing just like in the motor of my old desk fan, the felt washer is dead on mine. May be able to replace it and repack it though. Fun seeing you work on something uncommon to you, though I do enjoy the old radios in general!
if you get nice clean records that aren't damaged you can get awesome sound, even from 78rpm ones too on proper equipment, and for 33 and 45 the technics is awesome I have one! the original 79 model, my dad had it and he gave it to me, my Linear tracker I bought broken and fixed it....it's a robot...that was not easy to do, but very very worth it. Pl-L800 service manual is a book!! This is why I find vacuum tube stuff so easy, after fixing that...even a tube TV is pretty simple, it's not robot surgery lol. But it is my turntable if I just want to listen to an album, hit play and forget about it :)
I think your right on the humidity issues. I'm on the east coast and most of the crystal cartridges I come across are dead or on there way out. Enjoy yours and Brian's videos.
I grew up with the VM changer, both in the Capehart AM/FM/Phono console hifi my mother bought new in 1951 and the REAL Crosley AM/Phono console my grandmother owned - in fact the Crosley was that exact color combination while the Capehart was dressed up a bit. I recall how the arm was so much lighter tracking than the crappy Wards Signature suitcase stereo I got stuck with as a kid! But indeed those were mono cartridges - no 90 degree deflection to play a stereo microgroove recording. My mother still has that Capehart with the glass top she had cut for it, and I have the Sam's on it. Some day it will move to my house and I will restore it, but I am not in any hurry.
I'm going to fix a 32 RCA with bakelite block capacitors...stupid design, I'm going to do what Bob Andersen does and replace with modern film capacitors radio case looks like hell (nasty photo finish it's a 32 philco! But will probably be replaced with real walnut veneer simple cheap cabinet work!) but at least I can get it to work really well, these things are quite simple, and your videos have been a great help with that thank you so much.
I guess there were only two sized records in 1948. The drop flag only sensed 12 inch and 10 inch records. Cool video, though. Thanks for sharing as always. I always enjoy your videos when I come across them from time to time.
My late father had a Silvertone Console that had a similar turntable. The platter was the same, but the tonearm head was different. The reject knob was almost the same. The record stack holder arm was similar, but it had a hole that went over the spindle instead of the hook. I could never find a console like it on eBay, or anywhere else. It had a AM/FM radio, tubes, and a drawer type turntable. You pulled the drawer down, the turntable would slide out right side up. It would slide in the same way,right side up. The radio dial and controls pulled down on the right. It had a 12 inch speaker, 4 inch tweeter in front of the woofer.
That record changer is the 1950s upgrade to existing Capehart consoles dating pretty far back. You could phone a Capehart repair man and in a short while you would be rid of your 78 player, and B swinging to the 33 RPM and 45 RPM new hot tunes, along with 78. I own several of these units. I also have a 1939 Capehart radio and phonograph combo which originally cost my grandparents $800 plus tax.
It reminds me of the 1953 Jewel radio/phono (the last year for them, Trav-ler took over their stuff for '54) The name became owned by Datom and they made portable radios until about '64. +-Jewel made stuff for many brands over the years, even RCA (Canada)! Their stuff appeared under Sylvania,, Truetone, Majestic, Coronado, and other brands. Cabinet was built the same as Jewel too. Been many years since I had one (90s) so it might be something else.
I dont know how, but I said the same as you did in sync when the first airplane corrupted the silence :) "A screw here, a screw here and an airplane in the sky"
Yes, Voice of Music used to sell the kits to Telefunken with a few customized plastic pieces. I believe RCA also licensed a good part of this design and had Crescent build them with RCA plastic.
You have an SL1200 I have one and my Pioneer Pl-L800 Original SL1200 and the linear tracking PL-L800 I don't need any other turntables except my old crusty BSR one for playing 78's but even it has the proper cartridge and stylus for that, and it is a BSR half inch mount radio shack turntable and not that bad, but perfect for playing shellac. If you haven't already done this, you can get amazing mono sound from a nice clean 78 record, if it's in good condition the sound is actually quite awesome.
Shango066 your right about the cartridge mine was all corroded and gone so I cobbed one together of another junk old record player:) funny watching this and going mine had all the same issues stuck grease bad grommets skipping records funny how that is
I noticed that you said that he did not listen to terrestrial radio. Does he in all reality listen to extra-terrestrial radio? Great job and repair. I have learned a lot of basics from your channel over the years. Aloha from Maui
That tone arm shape seems to act as a sound chamber which amplifies the sound. Probably wasn’t intentional by the designer. It seemed the manufacturers picked the shape based on what looked cool. My grandma’s airline was the exact same as this. Underneath, it’s all V-M. They made millions of these for other companies, including Zenith, Motorola. Each company had their own spin on the graphics - like Zenith with their cobramatic - and other superficial things, but the guts were all the same.
That's a VM changer, most of them of that vintage used a Sonotone ceramic cartridge. That's why it survived. I have a Capehart radio phono of that vintage, the only difference is that it uses a metal arm. Everything else is the same.
Nice repair, i wonder, from a moral question, i have this Soviet 1938 radio, but its defective, (well its kinda known that it was defective from factory) it cant be repaired really and to get all the parts to make it decent would cost around 220 usd, would it be moraly to take out the internal parts and change it to a modern one? i have plenty of very nice 1980s radios that dosent use tubes that are just amazing sound. if kinda against it but it would make just a great sounding antique looking radio.
Николай Казаков Yes, a Soviet radio from 1938 is too cool to gut like that. Imagine all the broadcasts about the second world war that probably came through it!
Tracking a wee bit heavy for that 1980s vinyl, probably better to stick with older mono recordings. Nice unit though, that radio sounds great with a new filter.
I have two technics sl1200s and collecting records and playing tunes here and there. but this one is something else, its entertaining! its just the country vinyl that playing sounds so staticky, crispy sounds! can't stop laughing geez this is hilarious. maybe is should trade these turntables for these two brown looking homemade turntables. naw just joking lol
oh boy shango066's fave old paper filters that are bound to be no good or just heading to the junk bin, over all it seems to be a nice lil set up, basic to fix and repair, i guess this was what you would call in the 50's cheapo set up, then by the 70's and 80's it was try to be cheap but make it look pricey, and by the 90's it was cardboard and cheapest boards you could make, oh and plastic
oh gods an 80's YES album gods no by the late 70's and 80's YES were just like most prog groups, GONE! they were doing what was popuar and when on tour yes they'd play the old stuff but ouch it was bad
Shango066 it's funny you say it's not crossly related but my old tube crossly has that same record player in it so maybe a different manufacturer record player in different sets ? Idk just a guess
A great machine! Probably a small fortune to buy, but you could count on a decade or two of good service. There was probably no need to worry about obsolescence either, or not much, that is. Anyone have any idea its price, or other info?
I was just trying to be funny. One thing I actually used to do if I had a record skip was to actually take a little weight off of the cartridge instead of adding weight to it. It usually worked for some reason. In this case I'm sure the cartridge has seen better days. In spite of the skipping, it actually sounds pretty good. It sounds way better after replacing the grommets.
I quit watching because of all those ads that now play in the middle...sorry. The creators will have to let RU-vid know that they are losing views because of that. Just saying.
