Automatic record stackers - not as bad as you remember? 

Growing up, I thought that record changers were the coolest! My parents had a Magnavox portable suitcase style hi-fi. In 1965, I got my own Sears Silvertone portable stereo with a record changer. In 1969 or 70, I upgraded to an RCA contemporary console with a record changer and AM-FM radio. This record changer had a floating cartridge which put very little pressure on the record as the tone arm rested on the record, riding on a felt pad, which also cleaned the records of dust. Another cool feature was that it could play a warped record, flawlessly. Today, I have an ADC Accutrac +6 programmable record changer which can be programmed to play any track on any record in any order. When done, it will automatically lift the stack of records and play them through again as many times as programmed. It automatically selects the speed by optically sensing the size of the record. 12" records play at 33 1/3 rpm and 7" at 45 rpm. I also have a Seeburg home stereo console HSC3 which has the usual AM-FM tuner, but the real feature is how it plays records. 50 records are held vertically in slots and are played vertically with a belt-driven turntable. They are played with a typical Pickering-Seeburg double-sided magnetic cartridge, tracking at 2g. This is the same stereo cartridge that Seeburg used in it's jukeboxes from the mid-60's all the way up to the last record playing jukebox. It only plays 12" LP's, but each can be selected individually and will play both sides in sequential order. Each side can be selected and there is also an "All-Play" button which when pressed will play both sides of all 50 records, sequentially. Originally, selections were made with a telephone-type rotary dial. I upgraded it to a more modern 10-button touch-key pad, similar to a telephone. I am currently going through a 1948 Capehart console(mono), which has the obligatory AM-FM radio, but the key feature is the famous Capehart flip-over changer. It holds a stack of 16 intermixed 10" and 12" 78's, in a magazine, and can be set to play each side of each record, sequentially, or one side of each record, sequentially. As it puts each record back in the stack, the next time through, the flip side of the record will be played. It can be set to play through up to 50 record sides before shutting off. Considered lightweight and futuristic for the times, it has a "J" style tubular tone arm with a headshell holding a GE-VR magnetic cartridge and tracks in grams, rather than ounces. Records will last forever! My point is, I still have virtually every record I've ever owned and many have been played multiple times on whatever record changer I had when I bought them. Not one record has ever been damaged or worn out being played on whatever record changer I had at the time, aside from being played with an unknowingly damaged stylus. That has happened more often with my modern manual turntables than on a record changer. The more a person handles a record, the more chance of being damaged it has. Record changers actually extend the life of a record. Like it was stated, most LP's have a raised label and edge, so the grooves of one record should never touch those of another. However, because there are so many recently started up record pressing companies, and they lack experience, although they think that they know how to press a record, they actually don't. Records often come out of the presses slightly warped and off-center, but the biggest problem is that the playing surfaces are wavy and the tone arm looks like it is on the ocean. In this case, the playing surfaces will touch when stacked. As long as they don't slip, they will be OK.

Hi Frank, As teenagers in the late 60's and early 70's we stacked, never cleaned 'em, just enjoyed the music. The records did have shorter lifespans

We had one growing up and the function was superb especially for the holidays and 45s. I believe the issue is simply the haphazard handling of the records and nothing more. The only time there was ever an issue that could have damaged a record was if the mechanical timing of the mechanism was off and a record dropped before the tone arm was retracted, which I have seen at least a couple times, or if the tone arm force was too great or the needle was worn. Appreciate the video! 😊

We used to have an old Zenith tv with stereo console back in the 70`s when I was a kid. I remember the changer would usually drop more than one record at a time. As far as tearing up records, I don`t think it didn`t did any damage. The bad handling of the records did more damage back then but I`m sure record companies back then counted on that. The double albums with sides 1 and 4 and 2 and 3 drive me nuts. My Copy of The Beach Boys "Endless Summer" is auto sequenced as well as The original Soundtrack to "F.M." "Frampton Comes Alive" is the same way.

Those old stackable turntables came with a stackable 45 spindle that would fit over the top of the album spindle. It was always the first thing to break on any stereo.

I have a nice Technics SL-1950 + SL-3350 with both stacking spindles. The spindles alone are worth more than an Audio Technica ATLP120. They destroy nothing...that is just audiophile hyperbole. The groves do not touch, because they are just that groves. Technology Connections did a video about it. Edit - they do chew the label a little around the centers of course, and this is problem exaggerated if you stack extra. But I only stack 45's anyway, never 33's and the design of 45's were so they were ment to be stacked. They were NEVER MEANT to be played single.

3:40 Back in1978 as a kid, I remember receiving the 'Star Wars' soundtrack on a double-LP set from my parents (which I still have and it plays well) and I noticed that one record had sides 1 and 4 while the other record had sides 2 and 3. It was the same for other double-LP sets like the 'Saturday Night Fever' soundtrack and in cases of many classical music boxed sets with anywhere from four records up to eight records, the sides were split up to be able to stack the sides sequentially. :)

I can’t say I would put any of my records on a stacker but I do enjoy seeing these older consoles. The concept of the stereo entertainment center encased in a solid wood piece of furniture doesn’t exist anymore. These units seem designed with music as the centerpiece for gathering while much of todays music experience seems geared to the individual listener.

Yup my parents had one of those stackers We called consoles radiograms in the UK. It was a Garrard turntable too. I remember having to try to adjust the screw at the back as it would always start playing 10 seconds into an LP. Also you could leave the top arm unlocked when playing just one record and it would repeat. Ah happy days lol.

The tonearm probably did more damage than the stacker! My parents had one (Magnavox) and it was as big as a sofa! It sounded good to me back in the 60’s but had nothing to compare it to then.

They are great for box sets ! Have used them for years with no issues, too many records they will slip

My grandmother had one! But my parents had a Zenith Turntable that had AM/FM Radio with built in cassette and 8-track players. I also remember that my parents turntable also had a record stacker. We usually used the record stacker to play 45's since we had so many and it was a huge pain to stand up and change the 45's constantly. If I can recall many jukeboxes has the same technology. Rock On!🤘

Frank, records were actually 1+4 and 2+3, not 1+3 and 2+4. This meant that when you stacked them, the sides were stacked 1, 4, 2, 3. once 1 and 2 had played, you took both records off while still keeping them together and turned them both over together, so that the bottom side (4) is now on top without having to rearrange the records. Great show, always watching from UK, keep spinning !

Hi Frank, My parents had one of these consoles in the living room. We just sold it recently as we were disposing of the contents of their house before selling it. My Woodstock album was numbered to play sequntially when put on a stacker. Thanks for the interesting video.

My first turntable was my parents' console system. I dropped multiple records at a time with the spindle arm and don't remember ever having a problem. Except when two records would drop at once. No big deal there. I wish i still had that console. I can still remember the smell it has when i would open the lid. Kinda a musty old record jacket smell. I loved it!

Fun trip down memory lane! In 1977 when I was 12 I got my first stereo. It was a Sanyo combo unit with record player, cassette deck and am/fm stereo all built into one unit. Those combo units were very popular back then for people on a budget. The record player in that unit had a record stacker function which I used pretty regularly for a few years before a friend of mine turned into an audiophile and convinced me to stop using it. Truth is though that my records never took any damage using that function that I knew of.

Yep, my parents had a record stacking stereo back in the 60's and 70's. Ours Was on a rolling cart type of setup with record storage under the record player. It also had a 45 adaptor for stacking 45's to play the same way. We never cleaned a record before playing and a lot of records got scratched up over time mostly due to mishandling them. It wasn't until I got my own turntable, receiver and speakers that I started really taking care of my records properly. We enjoyed the music with lots of crackle and pop back in the day.

This takes me back to my youth. I grew up with quite a few of these type of record players. As a kid I loved stacking about 10 little 45's on my mum's radiogram. Can't remember what make it was but it sounded pretty good. I played Hot Butter's Popcorn record on it over and over. I absolutely loved that song back in the day and still love it now. The only thing I found a little annoying with these auto changers was sometimes 2 records dropped together at the same time. It often happened more with 45's than LP's but it seemed to be a common issue with these turntables. Great video. Brought back some great memories.

Thanks for a trip down memory lane. My mother had a big record player like your and I remember stacking my disney records and listening to them on a Sunday afternoon. Oh thanks for explaining the double LP side numbering I always wondered why my Wings Over America album was numbered like that.

That was really interesting! Thanks for posting this. My grandparents had a turntable setup just like this and I remember them playing the records stacked up like this. I'd nearly forgotten all about that.

We had one and It has lot's of memories attached to it. It was my introduction into vinyl and hifi............even though back then most of my time spent sitting on the floor in front of the console was listening to Disney read along albums :)

My family had a RCA console and my Dad installed a new Garrard turntable in it. It was an automatic changer, but we almost never used it. I myself never trusted them. Anyway, with LP's playing around 20 minutes per side it wasn't a huge chore to get up and change the record. We mostly used it on the 78 RPM setting to play my Dad's collection of 78's including a bunch of V-Discs that he took with him when he left the Army in the late 1940's. I loved those V-Discs! Of course in the '60's we graduated to 45 RPM singles, and he had a big, heavy changer adapter to play 45's. Man, that thing seemed to weigh ten pounds! But we never used it as a changer, just as an adapter to play the big-hole 45's.

We have a 1948 Philco record player. It has a automatic stackable player. Holds about 6 78s. We mainly play Xmas records during the holidays and it still works very well. Thanks for the video.

Hi Frank, thanks for taking the time to make your videos.. 45s had a small raised ring with ridges so that as one single dropped on the one below the ridges would interlock to prevent slipping. You could load quite a lot of records. As an aside, to illustrate how tolerant vinyl can be I played my records on my stereogram with a Garrard turntable (probably an SP25, they seemed to be everywhere) and I still have many of those records and they are faultless. It’s interesting to remind ourselves that the overwhelming majority of those original pressings from the 50s, 60s and into the 70s we’re played, most likely not cleaned and not drawn from poly lined inner sleeves, on very basic record players like Dansettes, a very popular brand here in the UK, with quite heavy, non-adjustable tracking weights, no anti-skating and with conical styli. I have an inner sleeve with printed playing instructions which state, amongst other things, the “record must be played only on equipment having: A lightweight pick-up with a stylus weight of not more than 10 grams (approx. 1/3 oz.).”!

Our family had a Silvertone console with a record changer. I had a Capehart with a BSR changer. The only thing that damaged the records were a 5-year old (me) with poor handling. As the years progressed, I used that machine for another decade, with no signs of appreciable wear. So from the 1960's until now, most of those records sound almost brand new on my ATLP120. Now, I have 3 changers in the works of being repaired. They are actually quite nice and gentle on the records, providing hours of uninterrupted listening.

I still have my father's in a storage unit. Not as big as the one you've shown. His was basically just the turntable. His did have the "feelers" to determine which size record you had. They were just these bumps that would stick out of the platter. Determining if either one or two were pushed down, it knew if it was a 45 or 33 1/3. None of his records were scratched (I still have them) or were warped. I personally don't believe a record would warp like that in just 20 minutes ( the average length of one side playing) . The alternate side numbering you spoke about was still done in the 1970's. Just look at Made In Japan by Deep Purple. Again I wouldn't use that autochanger today, but I can say with complete confidence it didn't ruin any of my parent's records. The weight and stylus of the tone arms of those units probably did more damage. Just my 2¢. BTW, my parents at one point also had that Songs(Sounds) of Hawaii album as well. Great episode!

I'd almost forgotten record stackers. Thanks for rekindling my memories!

Hey Frank .... we had a turntable that held 6 records in the stack. I played more records over and over and over on that turntable throughout my teens and even into my 20's , I still have those albums and still play them .. it is amazing those records still play well. Great Videos ....

I visited my grandmother this weekend and she still uses her stacker.

My parents had a couple of different consoles over the years. My wife and I bought a Fleetwood Grundig from an estate sale a few years ago because we loved the look of it. Yep, it still plays too despite dating to circa 1964. These things are so easy to acquire now because no one wants them. It makes me wish I had more space to save them because they are interesting relics and beautiful pieces of furniture.

My folks had a Grundig stereo console which had the stacker. Mostly C&W (which I loathed back then) with a bit of Burt Bacharach. Wish we still had it but we traveled too much and was lost amongst the many moves.

I had the same Garrard turntable on my first "all in one" Sanyo system that I got from Santa in 1974. Good way to start your listening experience, but I never stacked my albums.

Great post, as usual, Frank. My first encounter with an automatic phonograph was my grandfather's Philco Beam-of-Light console -- an AM & shortwave band radio with automatic 78rpm changer in a beautiful mahogany cabinet. They were introduced in 1941 and were discontinued during Word War II. I'm told my grandfather heard nearly all of the Pirate ball games on his Phico radio and listened to his collection of Strauss waltzes on its phonograph. That Philco phonograph fascinated me as a kid, and I attribute my interest in our hobby to that machine. Records were spinning only at 78rpm and push buttons selected the record diameter -- 7in, 10in or 12in. You could stack about 5 records above the turntable that were braced with two claw mechanisms that held the discs in place. The coolest part of the Beam-of-Light was the actual beam of light that came from the tonearm shined on the revolving record like a little spotlight. It wasn't a gimmick, but the light was part of the amplification system between the stylus cartridge, reproducer and amplifier. It amazed me how all that wonderful music was stored in those fragile, big black discs. When my granfather died in 1954, my grandmother gave the Philco to my dad, and we enjoyed the machine for about 5 or 6 more years. By then the turntable no longer worked, there was sound distortion from the tube amplifier, and the 78rpm speed was being phased out. We had a technician come to repair the unit but he said that the neeeded parts and tubes were no longer available. Sure wish it could have been salvaged. (There are postings here on RU-vid about the Beam of Light record players.)

I remember my dad’s console from the 60s. It was a Motorola and after you stacked the records and started it, the arm would lift and then touch the edge of the records to determine the record size. The arm would move back to the cradle while the record dropped and then the playing started. Loved watching your video. Brings back memories.

Love your parents console. We(my parents )had a RCA( 74-75) TV( 21 in.) console with 8-track, AM/FM radio, and LP record player. It was all wood too. I bet it weighed a ton. Great vid..

Hi Frank, I have a Panasonic tabletop record changer/stereo in my living room. Use it almost everyday, bought some nice Fluance speakers for it so it sounds pretty great. I have a second one similar to it, a General Electric. I keep that one as a backup. Love those record changers! We're always spinnin' at our house!!

I remember these. My Grandparents had one, I too would spend endless hours fascinated by the music. I seem to recall their player also having 16 rpm speed😮

Fun post, Frank. A trip down memory lane. I've got a couple double albums that have side 1 & 4 on one disc and 2 & 3 on the other so you could just pick up both albums and flip them over as one so that side 3 followed side 2. 70's Dual turntables had a multi-play spindle that you could switch with the single play spindle on even their best models. Instead of a swing arm to keep them stablized, the multi-play spindle had a tripod of three retractable supports. They'd all retract in a way that only one LP would drop when the arm swung away. I should go check if it still works on my '74 1229..

Outstanding Frank. That console is in great shape. Can't beat the warm sound. Sapphire needles that could be "flipped" to play 78's . Don't forget that big spindle that would stack 45's. I actually tried to see how many records I could stack at one time. LOL.

Wow that’s vintage. I had a all in one (cassette, 8 track, radio) with a record stacker but never really stacked the records. I played it just one at a time. ✌️

Wow! Great video, Frank! Brought back a lot of memories for me, since I grew up at the tail end of the record changer era. For a time when I was growing up, my family owned a smaller console made by Soundesign, with the radio and 3-speed BSR-type record changer (with stackable rectangular 45 rpm adapter) housed inside a dark walnut Victrola-style cabinet that my parents bought when I was 6 years old. Got MANY hours of enjoyment out of that thing (unless my parents said no, in which case I had to settle for the 2-speed Ohio Art suitcase player in my bedroom). When the ol' boy finally died after being put through too many moving trips cross-country, we upgraded to a full-sized three-in-one console, rent-to-own from Curtis Mathes. AM/FM/Cassette/8-track in its own compartment on one side (yes, they were still making 8-track players far into the mid-80's), 3-speed record changer on the other, and a 25-inch color TV with pushbutton channel dials built right into the middle. All childhood nostalgia aside, I concur in that there's NO way I'd ever play any of my more expensive 180 gram vinyl and the like on one of these changers, but would GLADLY stack some older vinyl and let it spin on and on!

I love mine. I inherited my grandmothers magnavox micromatic where the tone arm taps the side of the record to determine what size it is before playing. It is a cool looking thing, like a spinoff of the Zenith Circle of Sound, with square cone speakers on top and bottom.

My parents had a Sony AM/FM portable stereo with a record changer and detached speakers. It was fun to watch the changer handle a stack of 78’s. Since the platter and changer were linked mechanically, the record changing cycle more than doubled in speed. The weight of the 78’s also made the spring mounted turntable bounce quite a bit. Thanks for the video. It brought back some good memories.

I have a 1978 Panasonic Multiplex Turntable/Tuner/8-Track that I use almost daily. It has an automatic record stacker. I have the 45 adapter for the stacker so I can stack 45's as well. I use it mainly for stacking 45's and on Sunday I stack several of the "Basic Library of the World's Greatest Music" on it as that is exactly how they were made to be enjoyed.

Great video Frank! Ahhhh memories. My parents had a console stereo as well. I don't remember the brand name but I do remember that it had a Garrard turntable/record stacker. I wasn't allowed to use it so I waited until they went out to do so. Lol.

I sure remember those record changers! That brings back some good memories for me!

I now have my folk's console, a Sears Silvertone from the 60's. They played their albums a lot, Englebert Humperdink, Viki Carr, Jim Nabors and even Linda Ronstadt(dad liked her). I played my first Monkees and Beatles albums on it too! It's in my garage now and I fired it up last summer. The radio works.

I have one of those records. Soundtrack from the first Star Wars movie. It was given to me by a great friend from the States. When I received the record, I thought it was a manufacturing error, but then I researched it and found it was one of those turntables.

My family had one back in the day we all loved it . Great video thank you so much for all you do I am a big fan of your work.

Bought my first system in high school, 1971, which included the venerable BSR 310. I took good care of the records and tweaked the BSR to track lighter. It actually came with a decent Shure cart (I think). I stacked 4-5 records so I didn’t have to get up…..cause I was usually high back then. When I graduated to a decent direct drive 10 years later, the records I use on the BSR sounded just fine.

My father had a Zenith console as well, with an am/fm tuner and record player. He’d let me play my records on that occasionally (no rock, mind you), and I enjoyed that immensely. No one knew how many watts they had, what the distortion figures/wow and flutter were, nothing.

I had a few of these growing up in the 60's and 70's. I'd stack 6-45's or 2 or 3 LPs. I never had a problem with them damaging my records. I haven't bought a stereo in decades I had no idea they didn't make them anymore.

We had a KLH system growing up. This Henry Kloss unit had a pretty good sound. The integrated turntable was a stacking Garrard. Hence the 1 and 4, 2 and 3 labeling of double albums. I still have the system with the hope of refurbishing it for sweet nostalgic purposes. The wires and cords are unique to the system and hard to find.

I LOVE record changers. I've always wanted a console with one in it. I especially want a 1962-64 era Magnavox Micromatic unit.

Wow that takes me back Frank. I remember how my brother and I used to stack a maximum of 7 singles (45's) on her old record player and thought it was really cool at the time. In fairness my parents loved their music.. but never cleaned their records. Do you remember the felt roller arm that you could add to your turntable back in the 80's. You put it on your record to clean whilst you were playing it. Great show, keep on spinning

I always wondered if those stackers would damage the record, but it never seemed to. We had a console like that. Great memories!

I still have a Garrard A Mk II with a Pickering cartridge that I bought in 1963. It is somewhere in one of my storage units along with several other models. I now use Technics SL-1600 or SP-15 to spin them one at a time.

My parents had one in house when I was growing up. Enjoyed the video my friend

I use to own a BSR changer, as my first table. I enjoyed it, but it did track heavy. My Dad had a Dual 1215S ( a 1971). It had both a single spindle and what I call Christmas tree spindle , it had no arm. I loved the table and by 1980 walked into the same stereo shop my Dad bought his. They had an identical table only was model 1216 (1973) used for $50.00. Hooked it up to my Realistic 35 watt amplifier and loved it. Two years later replaced amplifier with a 100 watt Realistic receiver. I found some old strong speaker cabinets and replaced guts. I still use all of the equipment and most of my records still play really we'll. Sure I bought a CD player, but rarely used. CDs are for the car. I prefer vinyl. The duals had an adjustment on cartridge carrier for stacking records and better tracking. I use to use mainly the single spindle, but lately enjoy the stack records. See now a I put on 2-3 records on and listen during a nap. I since acquired my Dads table and 8 other Duals of different models. Adding the 1229, 1225, 1226, and 506 ( 506 is semi auto and single play). I have fun with them and each a different cartridge. I love a lot of different music. I could be happy with one , but have fun and enjoy them all. Stacking the records never hurt the sound to me. Oh, even own a 45 single and multi 45 spindle. I will never part with the tables. I will always use them all. Letting a table sit is the worse thing for them. Oh, last all were professionally serviced over the last 12 years and will keep spinning.

Our family had one of those for sure. I don't remember us ever using the stacking feature, but I know it was there!

Wow my parents had a stereo console also . Me and my brother played the heck out of it, when my dad got a new stereo system he gave us ( me and my brother) the console. Thanks for the memories, ours didn't damage our records.

Something that most people may not know, there was a thin spacer available for stacking records, though rather hard to find and somewhat mute as the record had a raised edge and center. This went between each record to minimize the possibility of abrasion and scuffs from dropping a record on top of another. As for warping or hole elongation...well I still have plenty of records from the 70's that play just fine, having survived stacking and I see more warping in new records vs. older records from the factory. If a modern higher end record player with a stacker come out I'd probably buy one. Other then a new TT, my search for a nice Technics SL-1650 continues....Great video Frank!

I remember my dad had a vintage console and was outside in the yard and it still played records and 8tracks..years later I ran into a fellow collector and in his house he had a vintage console with a built-in record changer. It would supposedly hold 60 records the thing was huge but he never restored it so it was in pieces...so sad.....

It all depends on the type of changer. The type you have there is a spindle drop changer. It is one of the last designs, coming out in the late 1940s. It features a small ledge on the spindle that holds the records, a dog pin that pushes the record off when it's time to drop, and an over arm to hold the stack stable. There is also a shelf drop changer, where the edge of the records rests on a small shelf, with the pusher to drop them built into the shelf. Finally, there is the umbrella changer with rungs like on the handle of an umbrella, that ease the records, step by step, down to the turntable. These three types are perfectly fine for most modern records. The ones to be wary of are the earlier types that actually lifted records and flipped them over or dropped them in a bin, like a jukebox, or used blades to separate the records. These could actually do damage to records, especially the shellac 78s of the day, which were extremely fragile. Even the RCA 45 RPM changers, which had blades in the spindle to separate records can chip away at the holes. The last record changer on the market was the Crosley Stack-o-Matic, a copy of a BSR spindle drop changer, that was sold in the 2000s.

Frank,I grew up the same way my parents had one and all my friends parents had one too !!! and i want one for my self because some of these units were fantastic !!! as far as the record stacking thing goes i`ve never used it ever on a console stereo !! So far me at least it`s a non-issue !! Keep on spinning !!!

Hi Frank. I have an old boxed set of 18 45's from 1955, (albums released as sets of 45's was a very common thing in the 1940's and 50's) by Bing Crosby. It had 36 songs, 2 per side, and was made with automatic sequencing as well, with side 1 and side 18 on one disc, 2 and 17 on the next, and so on. Needless to say, on the rare occasions I play it, I don't worry about the sequence. LOL!

I have a bunch, and I've never experienced issues, but I also have modern turntables and tend not to play LPs on there. I even stacked 78s on them, and they've never broken one. Really clever systems! :)

I had a BSR Record WRECKER back in the day (Still have one in the back room) It dose not work. All I have to say, is thank god for my VICTROLA 2000-PRO USB turntable, it has saved so many of my records from an early grave. I play them once to digitize the music, then play it back on my iPod. No tape to get snagged or CD's to skip while I am walking. Yes I am a Record fan from WAY back, but I have embraced the digital age!

Would love to have one now! Never damaged any of my records!

A lot of these consoles are restorable. A lot of times it takes lubricating the bearings, adjusting the drive shaft, checking the needle if there is no output, clearing the old grease out of them, replacing out-of-tolerance, leaky, drifted and/or high ESR capacitors, checking if any resistors are out of tolerance in the amplifier, checking for any shorted transistors or bad tubes in the amplifier depending on the age, cleaning the control potentiometers and then some cabin finishing if desired.

I'm starting to think I might be as old as your folks going by their collection lol. The console we had growing up was mono that a friend of dad's converted to stereo in @ 1971. The Woodstock soundtrack was numbered for auto sequencing which is always interesting given its a triple and I bought it in the mid 70's. A good mate has been on a trip doing up his house over the last few yrs and thing I really love that he has done is what he did with his dad's Kreisler console he basically gutted it and installed a cd system so it sounds good but looks like it came out of Mid Century Modern style book.

One of the problems often overlooked on changers was the fact that the records never really got cleaned as we do today. Most changers would stack up to six records at once & the records were often stacked dirty and this meant when the record dropped and skidded briefly on the spinning record below it there was an opportunity to grind the dust between the records, this often happened each time a record dropped. Also six records in a row didnt often play without dirt buildup on the stylus as well, mainly the record stacker was often used at parties when people werent really interested in being an "audiophile" as many are today. Lastly, when everyone was preoccupied with dancing and visiting many folks often didnt want to take the time to put records back into the jackets and they could end up laying in a stack on a table or on the floor, Im sixty two and lived through the changer era and these things happened all the time at different homes, records often didnt get the care we know they need today and they suffered damage early in life

Back in '78 I was in Canada and saw those recordplayers everywhere. I was 12 at the time. Here in Sweden, I have never in my life seen one of those recordplayers. I sure they existed somewhere, but the fact that I over my 55 years around never seen even one here, probably means they were and has always been very rare around here... :)

Haha, what a trip down memory lane. I grew up with one of these in the family home home when I was young. Cool episode.

Great memories of doing this as a kid on my parent console.

I have an old 1974 GE Changer that has issues. Everything works except when the needle gets to almost the end of the record, It gets stuck skipping back to the same track over and over never getting to the end to activate the automatic return. Eventually I need to find someplace that can repair it. Yes, in the 1970s and 1980's our house had a couple of these changers. One in a large cabinet like your parents have and one that was small and sat on top of a small dresser.

We had one, I clearly remember my grandmother spinning her Irish ☘️ records

Yes, my parents had one as well. I found the record changer an amazing thing to watch. I have a copy of Rush - All the Worlds A Stage with that strange side numbering. I don't think they damaged the records at all. Fun episode traveling back in time.

The original Sears stereo my brother and I shared had a record changer. My original copies of Rush Moving Pictures and KISS Alive II have significant wear around the spindle hole due to frequent play. I would stack four records at a time to have the long play jam session.

I had a Morse Electrophonic Juke Box. My dad received it as a gift back in the 70's. It has a stacker record auto system. Though, it broke. To be honest, I prefer using a normal turntable because stackers were just dangerous for your records. But I still love using the Juke box for 8-track and radio.

Such great memories, back in the '70s, listening endlessly to my Joni Mitchell and Carole King albums, and those stackers were great, though one design flaw that I remember, they would sometimes drop two or three records at once, at times (rather than just one at at time), and I seem to recall many of my friends' turntables also did the same thing, and so I think it must have been a fairly common problem with them, yes?

hey frank...great topic...i loved my spindle...i still have albums with the side 1 -side 3 numbering system....i remember that well....fast forward 60 years and that double album numbering system would still work well , since i only like to listen to albums in complete side 1-side 2 order, without skipping to a specific song or a different album....hope all is well northward....peace always my friend....rocky

For years I played my albums on the automatic changer and it didn't damage them. As soon as you get through playing them on the Changers put them right back in the cover. Not putting them back in the album covers can mess them up. I used to stack up to 6 albums at a time and they played like 2 hours

Didn't know this was a thing. Nice piece of history

I never had any of own records to stack back then but my parents did. They wore out theirs and I acquired my first turntable a few years later avoiding stacking all together. I think the cocktail parties were the main culprit. You still had to flip them all over again in order to hear the other side. More likely handling of them after several rounds of drinks probably did more damage than stacking but I'll never know. If they looked like someone played Frisbee with them then it's entirely possible that's what took place. Lol!

Record changers were a leftover idea from when 78s were the standard. On 78s, the stylus bounces up and down within the groove vs. from side to side on LPs. This means, that you can lay a scratch across the grooves of a 78 and not affect the sound. 33 1/3 LPs are much more fragile. With 78s and a record changer, a 1940s audiophile could buy a Beethoven Symphony on four discs - stack them and hear the first half with brief interruptions, then flip the stack over to hear the second half. By the end of their time, 78s had achieved amazing sound, although they were always mono. When LPs came in, people just expected the same convenience, so manufacturers gave it to them. Also, many of the turntables still supported 78s.

My dad was a Garrard fan. He had the SP25 MkII or MkIII, and in the late 70s upgraded it to the more plasticky equivalent.

I have my powered speakers and a sub in a credenza that has woven cane "grilles" in the three doors so I get that same console stereo sound like back in the day. It's not ideal speaker placement but it hides the ugly speakers and looks really cool. I call it the worlds loudest credenza. The turntable (Garrard DD-75) is the woodgrain plinth version so it looks nice sitting on top.

I honestly think that most wear and tear of records is due to poor handling of records and in cases of people leaving records lying around instead of being safely returned to their inner sleeves and album covers (even though paper sleeves do scuff records while plastic inner sleeves did not). I find it to be a similar case with CD's when consumers don't take care of their music collections. When thrifting, I see the tell-tale signs of poor handling of records based on the myriad of swirling scratches all over records that are not due to record-stacking and of course, if one ever wants to know what the hit song was on a particular album, it's the one with the deepest scratch across the track. Oh, brother! Haha! Luckily, I have found many records in pristine condition that were cared for properly. ;)

ten years ago ,one of my teacher gave me his records collection from the 70's and early 80's ...he didn't told me on which turntable he played those records back in the day , but i'm sure it was a automatic changer , like a BSR with the plastic platter , because some records had some thick greyish lines on the groove surface , probably the ''first record dropping'' effect on the plastic platter But for the albums that were issued with ''automatic sequencing'' , i can name ''Deep Purple -Made in japan '' , ''The Beach Boys - Endless Summer'' ...or here in Quebec , the band ''Offenach'' released their 1974 album ''Tabarnac'' with this sequencing .

We always had a record changer. But the reason why most of our got scratch was because of us, having parties we never put the records back in the jackets right away especially the dancing party albums like 60s soul or 70s funk.. now our other records like Jazz or Rock they remain perfect. But we always made sure we changed the flip needed like every other year since we did play it alot. But by the mid to late 80s we got a new turntable single play like how all are now. But I do miss stacking up the records, especially the 45s.

We had one growing up. Records, radio and 8 track. I have a lot of fond memories of it, even if the lid falling and hitting my head isn't one of them. I keep looking at these in antique stores. There is a smell to them that instantly takes me back to being a kid in the 70s and 80s. They ALL have that smell. Eventually I'll cave and one will be coming home with me. There's plenty of cheap and nostalgic vinyl out there to play on it. My MOFI and Analogue Production record won't be played there. The big question, casette or 8 Track?

I bought a nice little used console for $25 when I started this a couple years ago, but the grease they used on the gears back in the day turns to glue after 25 years of not being used and I never could get the turntable to move! So I went to a more modern approach with a Project turntable. But even if I have been able to use the older turntable, I would never have used the auto drop feature because, even when I was a child, I was just never comfortable using it!

My dad spin the beatles collection on a machine like that a thousand times and the records are still playable..old as hell yeah but still sounds great...!!!!!!!!

My parents had two Radiograms. The second one was a Bush and the speakers were amazing. We never thought to stack 12", but did stack 7" say up to seven of them. My first turntable was a stacker and the warping and damage did not happen.

3:51 A two-record set(American Graffiti soundtrack album, for example) had Side 1 backed with Side 4, then Side 2 backed with Side 3. A series of 3-disc Anthologies issued by Motown of their major acts(Temptations, Stevie Wonder, Four Tops etc.) had Side 1 c/w Side 6, Side 2 c/w Side 5, Side 3 c/w Side 4, when the first sides have played through, the records would be lifted off, flipped over and placed on the stacker spindle to play the remaining sides. As it happens, I have 3-disc anthologies of Stevie Wonder and The Temptations, I found it odd that the compilations were issued on the Motown label instead of the labels that normally carried these acts, Stevie Wonder on the Tamla label, The Temptations on the Gordy label.

What a cool concept. If it could have flipped the vinyl before adding another vinyl, they may have been onto something. This reminds me of the magazine changers or multi-disc CD players that were popular in the 80s and 90s.

I don't really use them often (and not with prized records anyway), but I have a number of record-stacking turntables including a futuristic-looking bubble dome Electrohome Apollo record player with a BSR stacker, a Clairtone Project G3 record player with a Garrard record-stacker, two Elac Miracord turntables, and two Dual turntables with these latter Elac and Dual turntables having detachable stacking poles that can be replaced with regular spindles included. These latter two brands also have special stackers for 45's with typical larger centre holes. :)

My best friends parents had a real nice console and it had a place to plug in ext speakers it sounded pretty good, I think it was a Magnavox.

Frank, your parents have a very cool RCA record player console indeed. There were many other manufacturers at that time, of course, including Zenith, and Canada's Clairtone and Electrohome brands. Clairtone made some very stylish consoles in its day, many of which are featured at the Design Exchange in downtown Toronto (Bay St.) which specializes in curating Canadian industrial design pieces. :)