A pile of record players just came my way
 

Yesterday, a fellow collector was passing thru town and brought me a load of goodies to play with. These are either unfinished projects (like we all have, LOL) or ones that were never touched.

1. VM "tri-o-matic" from the early '50's.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psvhsjvoww.jpg

2. Alaron 2-speed battery/AC portable from the late '60's.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...pscipa1hni.jpg

3. Steelman hi-fi from the late '50's. I have not looked at the amp; but, it has separate bass and treble controls. So, I suspect it will be a good performer.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psosbltfi1.jpg

4. RCA Victor 45 rpm record player from 1956. This one uses a single tube amp.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psd9kbjjtg.jpg

5. VM "tri-o-matic" from 1952. This one uses a 3-tube (octals) amp and 4X6 speaker.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psfkyaiem6.jpg

6. Emerson Wildcat 2-speed record player from the late '70's. Uses a BSR changer. This one needs a counterbalance spring and possibly a new cartridge.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psanq6exk6.jpg

7. Bradford "all transistor" stereo portable from '64. This one uses a handwired amp and VM changer.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...pso7q2kz7i.jpg

8. Big RCA stereo portable from the early '60's.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psymca0nqs.jpg

9. Califone 1130C stereo classroom record player from '93. Sounds like it has a bad filter cap and the Tetrad cartridge is shot. This is one of the newer ones that uses a DC motor.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...pso4l5gggx.jpg

10. Magnavox stereo portable, probably from the early '70's.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psmomib8rt.jpg

From another source, I also obtained this Meck radio/record player from 1946. I can't find much out about John Meck Industries; but, I think they were pretty much gone by the early '50's.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psmnwwrujk.jpg

I also picked up this monster Motorola luggable mono record player from 1957. The amp in this unit looks like something you'd see in a console.
http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psr2ggn7rj.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps8y7zb4ge.jpg

http://i538.photobucket.com/albums/f...psrzjkqqia.jpg

That Califone looks to be the same model I used to have, with a pair of 70's Panasonic speakers and a replacement cart I got from Radio Shack it was perhaps the best sounding phono I had as a kid. When you get it working you may be surprised what it can do.

When I was in middle school ('88-'90), there was the older brown version (model 1130K) in the music room and it sounded good. A while back, I obtained the older brown version, just like what was at the school. That one used an Astatic 13T plug-in stereo cartridge that was bad and they are hard to find today. So, I replaced it with a Tetrad. I think my older one is from 1980; but, those 1130 stereo models go back to the late '60's-early '70's, during the Rheem-Califone era.

The Alaron is obviously worthless without the 45 adaptor, so I'll be happy to take it off your hands...

Nice haul.

Chip

What a great haul! As a follower of your YouTube Channel I would like to see that RCA 45 player repaired. I don't think I have ever seen you do one of those before.

On another topic I am surprised you have a bad filter cap in something from 1993, I would have expected that one at least to be reliable... Like others here that one is a familiar model from my school experience. I liked the stereo model with the 6x9s the best of all califones.

That Motorola at the end is the only portable record player I have ever seen with a fully enclosed output transformer - cool!!

I was surprised by the bad filter hum in the Califone. I have not actually checked it; but, it could be something else. The amplifier is working; but, I get a loud 120 cycle hum from both speakers.

John Meck Industries.
 

IIRC, Meck started in business around 1946, like Tele-tone and a few others. They actually bought the radio business from E.H Scott in the early 50's and were building the chrome chassis sets.
They seemed to survive to the mid-50's. They sold TV's under the Scott, Meck, Mirrortone and a few private labels, like Spiegel's Aircastle. :scratch2:

If you should ever decide to part with that RCA stereo portable, PM me.

I have a smaller Motorola console with the same type amplifier. The bass speaker is probably a little larger. It also has the optional FM/AM tuner.
It's rather tricky, the way Motorola designed the connections. All you had to do is unplug the record changer, audio and power cable and plug it into the tuner and plug the tuner leads into the connectors that originally went to the changer. Five miniutes tops. :thmbsp:

Looking closely, it's hard to believe that amplifier gets anywhere near enough airflow, it looks like it's waiting to overheat!

It has a screen on the back of the cabinet; but, that still does not seem like enough to give it proper air flow.

Meck Industries was based out of Plymouth, Indiana, which is about an hour south of where I live here in Elkhart, Indiana, if I remember right they may have actually been around until at least the late 1950s if not the early 1960s but they may or may not of been manufacturing consumer electronics whole time, they may have been manufacturing other stuff as well which might of been why you didn't hear much about them after the 1950s.

A nice selection of interesting phonos. All worth attention. Great projects. All quirky in some way, most well made. You'll get them going, if they are worth doing.