I recently pulled out my late father's old radio, which has been well stored in a wardrobe for many decades.
Its a Precedent Stereophonic Recordergram/Stereo Console.
Has the four speed Garrard turntable, a valve amplifier and AM radio. Also has a BSR three speed reel-to-reel tape recorder.
Has the gold thread speaker fabric as well.

The speakers have '3/1969' stamped on the back of the cone.
Nothing's been turned on for decades as well. As a consequence the speed control switch on the turntable is stuck. Along with the radio knob that switches/selects the musical source and the reel to reel fast reverse is stuck as well.
The maple veneer cabinet is immaculate along with the rest of the unit as a whole; it's never been touched.
It was bought new in Melbourne, I think around 1969 or 1970.

The plan to 'restomod' it, with maybe some modern bits.

Precedent Model 963 Circuit Diagram

Welcome to the forum. That old thing sounds impressively expensive for its time.

You most likely find that ALL the rubber bits in the tape recorder and the turntable will have either melted or gone hard as rocks, and will take a while to replace.

Stuck switches can be unstuck with the appropriate spray (other forum members will know the brand name of it).

May have to replace various capacitors in the radio and the tape recorder, depending on the brand and type.

Check the power cords, to make sure they haven't gone rotten.

Please post your progress, along with photos (send them to the forum admin).

Sounds like a lovely project.

The old hands will warn you about turning on an old piece of unused for decades, valve equipment 'to see if it works'!

Please dont!

At the least there are electrolytic filter caps that will draw a large inrush current to make them "reform".
That inrush may rupture them or let out smoke.

A set needs to be powered up after various safety checks are done and GENTLY.

Are you up to speed with electronics, mechanics of the era?

Cheers, Fred.

Thanks Robbert and Fred Lever for your reply.

This unit has been stored indoors its whole life. So, I was tempted to plug in and power up but I did resist the urge.

Seems it has a 'Precedent Model 963 Tape Stereogram' chassis.
I did manage to safely and gently remove the radio/amp chassis. It's completely untouched since it left its Melbourne factory. Even though it got a lot of love its never been serviced.

The belts all look in amazing condition, visually as well the valves all look very clear and seem okay.
The BSR tape deck is still in place. It does have a short yellow wire dangling.. I will remove this tape deck soon but unsure if I'll be putting it back. Unsure where to fit the modern bits yet. I'll keep all original parts and won't be cutting or drilling anything original.

My need is to attach more inputs into it, eg Wi-Fi, android, RCA, iPod etc. I would appreciate any expert advice on how to do this. But not sure how its going to sound with circa 2 watts per channel..

It looks like the tape deck has its own separate amp and not an 'input' device; like the 'Pickup'. Not sure if I can use this amp in any way.
The 'Function Switch' from 'Radio' to 'Gram' must only use the radio amp. Has two other positions to be able to record (on the Tape Deck) from Radio or Gram.

The 'Rola' speakers don't excite me. They'll need to go.

My hobby is 1970's classic (English) car restoration; mechanical and electrical. So my knowledge on these beautiful radios is limited.
I can read wiring diagrams, solder, have a multimeter, electrical plug stocks, cables, switches, stripping, crimping tools etc etc. All automotive though.

I do have a collection of 80's and 90's higher quality speakers, amps, crossovers etc. Some 240V domestic units (LUXMAN) but most automotive (ALPINE, PIONEER, JVC); these all 12V of course.
Probably of not much interest here. But some of these bits would sound very nice in this cabinet. At 100W continuous/RMS per channel I don't the old Stereogram would cope too well though..

I have a computer 70 AMP PSU that I run my garage stereo/separate amp with 12V output of course. Can I give the unit power with this to begin with?

Happily upload some photos and progress as well.

Kevin Chant has a circuit.

Valves in the radio: 6BE6, 6N8, 6V4, 6BM8 (x2).

Valves in the tape recorder: 12AX7, 6BM8, EM84 (recording level indicator). Power comes from the radio via what appears to be an octal plug/socket arrangement.

2 watts per channel isn't too bad with the Rola speakers, there will be enough to fill up your house with sound. Newer speakers will not be as efficient.

Even though the amplifier is stereo, the radio and tape recorder are mono. Only the record player is stereo.

In a masterpiece of engineering, the output valve grids are earthed via the balance control. If that control goes noisy, the valves might blow up.

Hi Jya.

Your unit was made by AW Jackson Industries, The Crescent, Annandale NSW.

Power it up via a Dim Bulb - google it!

By far the safest way to bring up old gear without damaging it.

"In a masterpiece of engineering, the output valve grids are earthed via the balance control. If that control goes noisy, the valves might blow up."

No, that will not happen. Don't worry about it.

By 1970 there were no paper caps being used by AW Jackson and the electros should not need to be replaced either. They will either be Japanese ELNA or late series blue Ducons. Both are good. If you are concerned

Squirt the pots with some CRC and I think you'll have a runner.

You'll need to pull the turntable down and clean out the grease that has turned to glue.

This is a Precedent model ST45 (or TS45), sold between 1965 and 1970 for $269.

I certainly would recommend not to make any alterations to its originality. The Rola speakers are fine.

My 1968 Healing Trio 725S radiogram (6AQ5 single ended output) sounds fantastic with a stereo Bluetooth receiver connected to the tape/mic inputs. A good way to preserve the originality and keep it relevant to the 21st century.

https://www.bludento.com/products/bludento-blt-hd

Many thanks for the advice Gents.
I have sent off some photos.
Ian yes you are correct, it does have the Japanese ELNA electros which is great. Not sure if I still need to change anything, yet?

I made up a Dim Bulb with a (almost antique now) 60W bulb; not easy to find an old fashioned bulb any more!
Powered it up and the bulb did start bright and then dimmed down to about half way or so and then just remained at that brightness. But I only ran it for several minutes. I was too chicken to let it run longer or go full 240V. The valves did start to get some warmth. Didn't glow.
I measured around 150V going to the radio's transformer.
Should I run it much longer?

I'm with Monochrome TV in urging you to retain the authenticity of this fine radio. Feel free to connect all your modern gadgets, but keep the existing product unpolluted.
It would be a very straight forward job to hook into the stereo/tape function switch circuit.
Harold

The valves did start to get some warmth. Didn't glow. I measured around 150V going to the radio's transformer. Should I run it much longer?

If there's no smoke, or other signs of distress, then applying full voltage should be fine, as long as you keep a close eye on the situation with a hand not too far from the OFF switch.

In any case, it is not advisable to leave any valve gear operating while you are not present. For one thing, old transformers have been known to catch fire.

Bunnings sells incandescent bulbs with a standard bayonet base in various wattages up to 77W.

Bunnings sells incandescent bulbs with a standard bayonet base in various wattages up to 77W.

They 'get away with' that for the time being because the bulbs are halogen type. However, that may change later this year:

QUOTE: From 4 October 2025 tungsten filament, carbon filament and halogen incandescent bulbs that are in scope of the regulations must meet and register under the Greenhouse and Energy Minimum Standards (Incandescent Lamps for General Lighting Services) Determination 2024.

https://www.energyrating.gov.au/news-and-stories/changes-lamps-light-bulbs-registration-requirements

At some point in the future, my guess is that the only filament type bulbs obtainable in Oz will be the so-called 'fancy' type. Incandescents can still be found on eBay.

Stupid rules. I say if someone wants to spend money on the extra electricity for incandescents they should be able to purchase them. Whatever happened to free choice?

Anyway, back to the radio test, try a 100W bulb if you can find one.

Incandescent globes of all shapes and sizes are becoming rarer because other countries are starting to restrict them as well. As an electrician, one of the basic (and much needed) tools in my kit is a set of 500V test lamps and I se 25W pilot globes for these with ES caps. They aren't on the shelf in most places now, so I got some distress stock off Ebay. This is still legal because pilot lamps are one of the protected species from the original phase out that took place during the Howard years.

On one hand, the quality of light output from incandescent globes is probably the best of all the available light sources, the build quality of all the imported globes is dreadful and few go the distance now and they go 'pop' a lot sooner now. I know an older person who still has an Embassy brand 75W globe in their bathroom. Embassy, as many will remember, was a Coles house brand back in the 1970s. Okay - this globe doesn't get a lot of use but after 40 years it is still there and it should be remembered that globes usually blow on start-up.

I've been using warm-white LED globes for a number of years now. As long as they are not looked at directly, the light output is similar to a frosted old-fashioned globe and eye strain shouldn't be a problem. I typically use 4W globes in plug-in lamps and 13W globes in ceiling fixtures. I don't replace them very often - typically only a couple since I've started using them.

JYA: I concur with other members as to keeping the radio as original as possible, especially if it is a rare and upmarket set. Whilst a member's radios are theirs to do as they please with, I think you will get more enjoyment out of it by keeping it original spec and using an addon, as Ian suggested, to make it work in the modern era - or at least keep mods as simple as possible so they are easy to reverse-engineer should you wish to do so.

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
A valve a day keeps the transistor away...

Photos and document uploaded.

‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
A valve a day keeps the transistor away...