Greetings, I am new to this site, so I thought that I should ask the advice of those who know. I have a Kriesler radiogram, that seems to be made of solid red cedar, but may not be. It is still working, and I have spare valves for it. My aunt bought it from new, and it plays 78's beautifully. The Garard record changer still works, but needs a little attention and the radio is fine. My aunt says to throw it out, but I have had it and used it since I was a child.

Do I keep it (and repair the record changer), sell it or give it away? I am a bit of a hoarder, and am trying to de-clutter.

What action do you recommend? It will be hard to give up the radiogram even though I haven't played a record on it for 5 years, as the needle stops tracking the record about 2/3rds of the way across, and grinds at that spot until I lift the stylus manually.

I need good, common-sense advice on this!

To avoid becoming a hoarder and the associated clutter, I only collect and keep the radios and other items that have direct nostalgic value for me, especially family nostalgia.

And I only collect working or repairable versions as I need them to be useful, too.

In your case, with that long personal connection to the radiogram, I suspect you may regret losing it, so if you have the room and the time then I'd suggest fixing it and enjoying it.

Do you know the model number? If so, then I may have the schematic for you. Otherwise, let us know the valve line-up, and some good, clear photos could also help in identification.

The turntable problem may be easily fixed or, if not, you will probably be able to find a working replacement or at least something to salvage parts from. Once we know the radiogram model, we may be in a better position to help identify the particular turntable.

As to sell or give away, I note that older radiograms offered on eBay seldom sell. The exceptions being those whose cabinets are considered by today's buyers to be very attractive pieces of furniture, especially those of the late 1960s. They were expensive to buy in their day and they fetch good prices today.

Another problem is transportability. You are usually limited to buyers (or takers-away) who live reasonably close to you.

In any case, making it free to a good home is far preferable to sending it to the tip.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for responding! The hoarding is a problem I am trying to avoid, but I found it harder than I thought to pack up the radiogram (model 11-95) and move it into the storeroom. I will dispense with another piece of furniture instead, I think...

Perhaps repairing the turntable might be the way to go. I will take photos tomorrow. The turntable is a 'Garrard Type AT6 Laboratory series' (I have the instruction manual, valves and microphone). Ironically, I found another identical Garrard record player to use for parts many years ago, but lacked the knowledge (and courage) to do the work myself.

The outer case is in good condition, but the microphone cord is perishing. Your comments about the saleability of these items is a valid one - I could only let it go to a good home, so it is better that I keep and repair it.

Thank you so much for your common-sense comments. So many 'technological advances' have been lost over the years. I can spare this one some space.

You're lucky to have some spares on hand. The AT6 was a popular turntable, and there's quite a bit of resto information on the Web if you Google for it.

Associated specs are:

* Sonotone 9TA cartridge
* 9TA SD (diamond) stylus
* Pressure 6 grams

If you "unhide" your email address in your member profile I'll email you the 11-95 schematic.