Motorola 3-Channel Saved From Dump!

[Donny]

I don't know what the lid should look like but you could prob make a decent one with a router and table saw. Mdf and vener it? Solid wood as an edge? Just an idea anyway.

[Tony V]

I've had two of these Motorola's of the same vintage. One was the basic 3 channel set up like yours and the other was 3 channel but also had reverb. These play great and if you have any discreet stereo recordings such as the Mama's and Papa's you'll see just how well these are with the stereo separation. They're not the most powerful consoles out there but when recapped and tweaked they definately get noticed and are ideal for playing the older recordings whether stereo or mono. Only drawback i had with mine was the FM had a little bit of drift because they didnt have an AFC circuit. If i came across another one of the same era i would buy it in a heartbeat. The newer ones werent as good perfomers as the one you have and that i had. The Sonotone cartridge with the J-style needle worked best in these so i would recommend finding another one for it instead of using the Varco cartridge. You will definately notice a big difference. Definately a good find!
-Tony

[holmesuser01]

Originally Posted by Tony V

I've had two of these Motorola's of the same vintage. One was the basic 3 channel set up like yours and the other was 3 channel but also had reverb. These play great and if you have any discreet stereo recordings such as the Mama's and Papa's you'll see just how well these are with the stereo separation. They're not the most powerful consoles out there but when recapped and tweaked they definately get noticed and are ideal for playing the older recordings whether stereo or mono. Only drawback i had with mine was the FM had a little bit of drift because they didnt have an AFC circuit. If i came across another one of the same era i would buy it in a heartbeat. The newer ones werent as good perfomers as the one you have and that i had. The Sonotone cartridge with the J-style needle worked best in these so i would recommend finding another one for it instead of using the Varco cartridge. You will definately notice a big difference. Definately a good find!
-Tony

I've got lots of LP's. Thousands. Ditto for 45's.

This tuner has AFC for FM, and it seems to stay on frequency pretty well, so far.

The Sonotone cartridge is safe, and I do want to find the J-style needle for it. This Varco cartridge is very hard to balance in the tonearm. This arm uses a spring counterweight. Its either too light, or too heavy. As I said, this is a temporary swap. Could always install a coin over the Motorola 'M' on the arm

I am keeping an eye out for a large finished piece of wood to fit this cabinet. I can always change it out later. I just want to protect the turntable and tuner.

The whole cabinet got lemon oiled last night. The whole house reeks of oil now. This morning, I notice that the cabinet has soaked up the oil. Im sure it needed this, and will get some more in a day or two.

I sure do appreciate all the interest in this old baby. I cant wait to post pictures.

Bruce

[Tony V]

Bruce,
If your looking for the J-style needle for your Sonotone cartridge, it is one of the most common needles that pop up on Ebay. Also several of the jukebox sites carry them also as that cartridge was used in a few Wurlitzer jukes. Good thing is that its a cheap one that only fetches a couple bucks. I ran into the same problem with balance when i tried to use a sub in that particular changer. And if you get the weight right then you have problems with it tripping the mechanism at the end of the record. Its the same type of problem i've run into when trying to sub out a cartridge in a Magnavox micromatic changer. If you need links just let me know and i'll look them up for you. Somewhere i have a pic of a Motorola in the Drexel cabinet that you descibed and if i find it i'll post it so you'll have a reference of what the original top looked like. It had a scalloped edge similar to what you find on french provincial furniture.
-Tony