Greetings to you all, I've just joined the site as I think this might be the perfect place to get some advice.

My grandfather left me an old vintage radio and record player that I think is the same as the one from this post here.

https://vintage-radio.com.au/default.asp?f=2&th=476
(Mine still has the original legs)

I've recently moved into a smaller place and so don't really have the space for it anymore thus I feel the time has come to part with it. It hasn't been used in many decades so I'd love to hear some advice on how much it might be worth.

The reason I'm here is that because the item has sentimental value to me I'd like to see it go to a good home and potentially be restored to working order.

I can put up some pics of mine shortly for more detail but also wanted to know what kind of if any tests I should run in order to work out what's still working. Or if I should even power it up at all.

Any and all advice appreciated and as a former DJ and record lover can I just say I love what you all do.



Thanks

Welcome to V-R.

should even power it up at all.

Short answer: no.

Longer answer: powering up any old electronics that hasn't been used for along time can cause unnecessary damage to parts that are either unavailable nowadays or hard to obtain and thus expensive. Leave that step to someone with expertise in electronic restoration. There are certain checks that are done prior to any power being applied.

Advice for any old equipment like this is to only power it up using the "dim bulb" method.

To do this, you need to find one of those old politically-incorrect tungsten filament lamps. About 100 watts should do it, or maybe a couple of smaller wattage lamps in parallel.

Wire the lamp in series with the active power wire to the radio or whatever. You can do this by cutting a short extension lead and wiring a lamp socket to the cut you made in the active wire.

The idea is, if there is any fault in the radio that could damage something, the lamp will light instead and protect the gear. A bit like a fuse but with less drama and it's kinder to the connected gear. If it's OK, the lamp filament should light dimly and let enough power through to allow the gear to work.

The lamp will get brighter as the valve heaters warm up. This is normal.

An old trick but very effective and it saves you damaging something that maybe can't be replaced.

Thanks for the advice so far. I don't have the equipment to run these kinds of tests and as I'm hoping to sell it will leave this to the potential buyer so that they can hopefully retain as much of the original parts as they can.

I'll give it a quick polish and take some pics over the weekend so you can all see what state it's in.

I'll give it a quick polish

Careful as you go there, too. I've seen polished radios that should have been left untouched..

Loving the advice and dedication to preservation.

Ill just use a slightly damp cloth to remove any dust before taking the pics unless there is a better option?

Yes, that's pretty benign.

To give you an idea of what catastrophes await the unwary, people have been known to 'clean' the inside of the dial glass and remove the delicate printing in the process.

Image Link

Image Link

Image Link

Image Link

Hi all, finally took a few pics.

I did notice there are some loose wires and connectors near where the needle is supposed to be and think the stylus for needle is missing.

These things used to work best when positioned in a corner of the room so the walls could reflect the sound.

Replacement cartridges for the turntable are readily available.

It's not that rare or desirable I'm afraid....