CTC17X Combo Set

[hi_volt]

I may be getting a CTC17X combo set in danish modern cabinet. It's a local CL listing. This would look cool next to my CTC16X, though frankly I'm not sure where I'm going to put it yet, considering I already have two combo sets plus numerous consoles. Can you say "hoarder"?.........

[sampson159]

i have a ctc17x combo sitting in my garage.french provincial cabinet.crt is excellent with a cataract.cabinet is great but radio is dead.i rescued but cant find a taker!

[DavGoodlin]

Originally Posted by sampson159

i have a ctc17x combo sitting in my garage.french provincial cabinet.crt is excellent with a cataract.cabinet is great but radio is dead.i rescued but cant find a taker!

How about a trade for a smaller RCA CTC68, Sampson? PM me if you're ever headed east.
I like frenchies and the only CTC17 I ever had was a teak-danish modern one with a toasted flyback and new Sylvania CRT, which I used for a Mag, so Im due for one.
If there is any better combo to have other than Zenith or Magnavox, Im not sure what it is.


Hi Volt; Real nice Speakers there!RCA was givin Mag a good run in those days.

[Jeffhs]

I would say it will depend on the overall condition of the TV. I looked at the attached picture of the set and see that it will need, at very least, a good cabinet cleaning, not to mention the usual overhaul -- recapping, at very least the fiters in the power supply, and so on. Many times these combos are sold on CL and/or eBay with either the TV or the stereo inoperative, or else the owner just got a new flat screen and has no use any longer for the huge console; that or the owner(s) are moving to smaller quarters and need to downsize, which these days also means replacing the big set with a smaller one -- a flat panel, of course.

If you get this console, please, also make certain the CRT is good. There is no sense in driving a long distance to pick up the set, then to get home with it only to find out that the tube is dead or close to dead -- or, even worse, discovering that the chassis has major problems. If at all possible, I would suggest testing the set before buying it, to avoid major disappointment if there are such problems; if the CRT is a dud or has been necked, or the yoke and/or chassis wiring are missing (the latter being the work of copper thieves), I'd forget it.

[hi_volt]

The set is about 10 miles from my house, so it's not too far to get. I need to go take a look at it this week. From the photos, it does look like the cabinet needs some minor finish work, but I've done lots of similar cabinets so that's not a major concern. Unless there's major parts missing, I'll likely get it, as I'm thinking about making this one a daily driver.

[DaveWM]

CTC-17's make very nice pics. watch out for corrosion on the jumper wires that run along the top of the chroma board. They break right at the board, sometimes inside the insulation. You will know this when the screen looks like the red or blue drive is turned all the way up, but its not. I gently tug up on the wires to make sure they are good, sometimes they just about to break.

[bgk283]

that would be a cool set to have, i feel your pain, ive been off the forum for a while because of the "hoarding" bug, ive got two of the same big combos, a ctc16 console set and more console tube stereos and radios than i will ever have time to play with. High class problems huh?

[kx250rider]

I feel the same thing; having been a collector now for nearly 35 years, as I have too many BIG sets to ever have time to enjoy restoring or even displaying/appreciating. I think I'd call it hoarding, but I draw the line at where I will not allow anything to deteriorate, and I only have one vintage TV at a time in the livingroom. After all, it seems "real" when it looks like a 1965 Zenith roundie, or whatever I might have in place at the moment, is the "main family TV".

So I rotate sets. I have a 1200-sf building on a rental property down in Los Angeles, where I keep a lot of sets, and just pull one out and put one away now & then. My mini & pocket TV collection is all on a set of neat shelves in the family room, so that's not too imposing. I would NOT have any of these extra sets, if I had to pay storage costs, or if they were stored in a way that they were going to deteriorate or pose a nuisance.

Charles

[hi_volt]

Fortunately, I have a large enough house that I can display pretty much all of my sets without it getting too crowded or look like a museum or TV store. I still work full time, so I don't have a lot of time to do the necessary electrical restorations yet (I do get to retire in a few more years). When I get a set, my short term goal is preservation and display. In my shop (garage), I clean up the inside and outside, do some minor cabinet restoration if needed, check the CRT, do a quick, careful electrical check to determine the operating condition of the set, and then bring it into the house for display. Once I retire, I plan to start on the electrical restorations.

[hi_volt]

The CTC17X combo unit is now sitting in my garage. The thing was filthy and had lots of paint splatter on the top of the cabinet. Spent the evening cleaning the outside of the cabinet and getting all the damn paint off. Fortunately it was latex paint, so it at least came off. The inside is just as filthy as the outside was, but at least is all there. Looks like it's had a new CRT installed at some time in its life, as it's definitely not the original one and it looks like it doesn't have a lot of hours on it. Whoever installed it didn't do a very good job, as it doesn't sit flat against the front bezel. There's about a quarter inch gap. Emissions are good on all three guns and just some green halo for a cataract. Will post pix on Sunday morning.

[hi_volt]

Pictures below. The cabinet is going to need some work. Not sure if the original finish can be salvaged or not. May need to strip and sand this one. At least it has a good 25AP22.

[hi_volt]

One final picture