quasi Report This Comment Date: September 05, 2012 07:41PM
The earlier talk about tapes & albums made me dig out of a closet my
mom’s old RCA Victor Model 9-Y-510, 45RPM record player with AM tuner. The
thing is probably near 60 years old or more (couldn’t find a date on it),
hasn’t been used in over 30 years (I was the last to use it when I was a
teen), and I’m not about to plug it in to see if it works at all. When I was a
kid this old unit with it’s orange glowing tubes would pick up on the skip at
night stations from over a thousand miles away; in the very room where I now
sit, in 1977 I first heard Led Zepplin’s “Kashmir”, coming to me from some
far away place very faintly through the AM hiss and crackle, a surreal
experience.
The old school “compact discs” that some of you might recognize around it
are clockwise from upper right:
“The Ballad of Davy Crockett” by Loren Becker with Vincent Lopez and his
orchestra on the “18 Top Hits” label
“Time, Time” by Ed Ames (who later costarred with former Davy Crockett, Fess
Parker in the “Daniel Boone” TV series) on the RCA Victor label
“It’s Only Make Believe” by Conway Twitty on the M-G-M label
“Dragnet” by Lew Raymond and his orchestra on the Campus label in red
vinyl
“Dragnet” by Enoch Light & his orchestra on the Waldorf label in red
vinyl (mom must’ve liked Dragnet)
“Peppermint Twist” by Joey Dee and the Starliters on the Roulette label
(must be my sister’s)
“Moments to Remember” by The Four Lads on the Columbia label
“The Ballad of the Green Berets” by SSGT Barry Sadler, U.S. Army Special
Forces on the RCA Victor label (also must be my sister’s)
There are a bunch of other “discs” by people I’ve never heard of on labels
I’ve never heard of though some of the titles are familiar. I think that
somewhere around here are more of my sister’s old 45's from the sixties with
an assortment of famous songs and artists among them.
BlahX3 Report This Comment Date: September 05, 2012 08:29PM
Don't plug it in. In a 60 year old thing like that several things would have
deteriorated in the circuit. For starters the electrolytic capacitors will be
dried out inside and no good by now. Rubber used as wire insulation then is
likely falling off the wires too.
These old phonographs were direct wired to the AC mains and the chassis is AC
hot if the two prong plug is in wrong so you've got a 50/50 chance of a shocking
experience.
Goodwill has one online for $5.95 plus shipping.
You'd think they'd be worth more.
quasi Report This Comment Date: September 05, 2012 08:42PM
I knew better than to plug it in. I saw on one site that fully restored they
can fetch over $1200.
[
www.youtube.com]
BlahX3 Report This Comment Date: September 05, 2012 09:02PM
Good for you. I figured you'd know better but I still warn people about shit
like that just in case. Burning electronics is a smell best done without, not to
mention other possible attendant hazards.
That one in the video is 511, not a 510. Still about the same age though. There
was a previous model (also not a 510 though) made in `49 that I read has a
mahogany or oak cabinet. That one would be worth a lot for sure.
I remember a friend who's dad had a wooden cabinet console type RCA multi-band
radio with phonograph and that thing looked so awesome and we had loads of fun
fiddling around on the sort wave bands too.
When I was a teenager me and a buddy started doing DX (distance) AM radio
listening. We used the good ol' 5-tube radios but tweaked them to perfection and
built our own external antennas. Up late at night tuning far, far away stations
in Africa and Asia from the ionospheric skip. Skip is always better at night due
to less interference from the sun.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/09/2012 09:11PM by BlahX3.
quasi Report This Comment Date: September 05, 2012 10:19PM
Yeah, I noted it was a 511 with different turntable mount and arm but basically
the same unit. I remember hearing broadcasts at night in foreign languages and
once I heard a New Orleans station in Ohio - quite a skip for the internal
antenna.
BlahX3 Report This Comment Date: September 05, 2012 10:31PM
If you have any electronics know-how it would be a fun restoration project.
BlahX3 Report This Comment Date: September 07, 2012 12:12AM
Ironically the album was still recorded and distributed using digital
technology.
pro_junior Report This Comment Date: September 07, 2012 02:03AM
and he has a fb page...go figure
