Removed Guts From An Early 1960's HiFi Console

e30m3mon

Chief Journeyman
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
872
Location
Hudson Valley NY
Tagline
---
#1
One of my neighbors had to clear the contents of his parents' house a few months back, never an easy task if you've ever had to do it. But one of the family "treasures" was a very long floor standing console that had a (West) German stereo system, tubes naturally, that my neighbor gutted for me, as he knows I like to tinker with such things. The case had warped in the center, so it was not interesting to some folks who restore the cabinets and then stuff them with modern-day components.

Anyhow, I've had these in climate controlled storage for the past several months - and frankly I don't have any interest in refurbishing this stuff. I'd like to offer it up to anybody who might want it for parts/project/target practice...etc. You can take it all for FREE. The Valvo tubes might be worth someone's time, but they're untested, although my neighbor said the unit was still working (sans the turntable as they had no records). There are some rather large paper cone speakers, also in good shape.

The only caveat is that I would prefer not to ship any of it as it will likely need more cushioning and larger boxes, which would cost a lot more than what it is worth (in my uneducated estimation). I'm within zip code 12569, NY state, about halfway between NYC and Albany. Please PM me with questions or additional pictures.
I will have some other things to add shortly.
Thanks
Al
 

Attachments

mlucitt

Veteran and General Yakker
Joined
Jun 24, 2011
Messages
3,339
Location
Jacksonville, FL
#2
I would pay the shipping for the tubes. I am working on repairing a tube tester but I have no tubes to test...
I can send you a PM for the shipping address. Just wrap each one of them in a paper towel and put them separated in a box with crushed newspaper until no more will fit.
 

BlueCrab

Journeyman
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
229
#3
I've worked on similar radios/stereos out of Germany - Saba (top of the line), Telefunken, Grundig, Siemens, AEG. This one was make for the American market, hence FM goes to 108 MHz. Europe originally had FM (there called VHF) to only 100 MHz, later extended it to 104 MHz, and finally to 108 MHz. This one must be from the early 60's, probably built by Loewe (or maybe Videola) since it was stereo, but the FM would not have had the stereo decoder. It has the standard tube lineup of that era. All the tubes are worth something - the EL84s a bit more. The magic eye is probably weak. I've never been partial to the console style since it takes up too much room. With 4 speakers I'm sure it sounded great.
 

e30m3mon

Chief Journeyman
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
872
Location
Hudson Valley NY
Tagline
---
#4
Very interesting background of the vintage systems out there. I had no idea about the various brands. I took a quick look at ebay to see if the tubes were common types or some obscure, uninteresting varieties. Without being able to test them, I'd not want to sell them.

The back story on this particular stereo was that my neighbor's mother won it on "The Price Is Right" / Monty Hall hosting it back then in the early 1960s.
 

Gepetto

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 15, 2011
Messages
13,473
Location
Sterling, MA
Tagline
Old 'Arn Enthusiast
#5
Very interesting background of the vintage systems out there. I had no idea about the various brands. I took a quick look at ebay to see if the tubes were common types or some obscure, uninteresting varieties. Without being able to test them, I'd not want to sell them.

The back story on this particular stereo was that my neighbor's mother won it on "The Price Is Right" / Monty Hall hosting it back then in the early 1960s.

Hey Al
That will easily fetch $100K on Ebay with that kind of provenance :)

Advertise it as Monty Hall's personal stereo...
 

BlueCrab

Journeyman
Joined
Nov 10, 2019
Messages
229
#6
The 50's were the heyday for German radios. All sorts of bells and whistles - competition was fierce. 3D sound was big (think Bose with direct and reflecting sources) and they were putting more and more speakers in the cabinets - and this was before stereo - 6 speakers in some cases - 2 woofers, 2 mid-range, and 2 tweeters. With FM delivering high quality signal, it was the beginning of hifi. I have a couple of radios that offered remote control - with a 30 ft cable that plugged into the back of the radio. Automatic tuning (full mechanical servo systems) as well. TV hadn't really captured the market yet in Europe, so radio was king. In contrast, radios in the US at the same time were generally small, something that could be tucked away. TV had just taken off and that was where the money was. But Fisher, HH Scott, and others were just around the corner bringing true hifi in their components and receivers.

I do enjoy the history and each decade brought something new.
 

e30m3mon

Chief Journeyman
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
872
Location
Hudson Valley NY
Tagline
---
#7
I certainly appreciate your vast knowledge in the roots of radio and hi-fi, @BlueCrab, and it seems others do as well.
Thanks for sharing!

What fascinates me most about vintage (stereos, cars, typewriters, etc.) equipment is the amount of hands-on assembly and attention to details the engineers who thought this stuff up, and then machined the individual pieces for assembly by thousands of workers....in comparison to today's simplistic packaging. Granted, the density and details are often buried in silicon these days, which we take for granted, as we can't see all that stuff...I'm still flabbergasted how old stuff just "worked".

I just received a 1960's Grundig reel-to-reel tape player from a friend who asked if I could fix it. I'm a glutton for punishment LOL!!
 
Top