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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment. |
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22nd Oct 2018, 11:53 pm | #41 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 177
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Re: Astoria Gramophone
Now had time to spend more time on the cabinet, courtesy of some linseed oil, small nails and wood glue. See the result, I’m pleased with it. Still has a patina that suggests old but cared for. The finishing touch will be the replacement of the gaskets in the soundbox. A job for Tim Weeks, The Gramophone Guru!
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23rd Oct 2018, 12:00 am | #42 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 177
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Re: Astoria Gramophone
Although this type of gramophone looks good and sound impressive, they do not appear to have much of a following, or appeal like the HMV 101 and 102 portable models. I bought this in a poor state off eBay for £25, but I doubt if it sell for £75 - £80.
Still it’s great fun. Looking for a similar HMV model, it would be intersting to compare.
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”From today everything is different” Joseph Haydn on Beethoven’s third symphony |
23rd Oct 2018, 2:03 am | #43 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 4,985
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Re: Astoria Gramophone
That's looking really good. So what did you actually have done to the motor in the end, did it need a new spring or springs, or did they just need a clean and re-grease?
Both the gramophones I mentioned earlier in this thread I got working in the end. The small table model with similar brake and speed control to yours, although working, has a major fault in that the tone arm is of very poor quality and has no proper bearings, so friction causes the arm to stick in places. It wouldn't have been so bad if it had the up and over top swivel support that yours fortunately has on the arm bearing. I would have scrapped it but for the fact that the woodwork of the case isn't in too bad a condition, although I tend to think that it's definitely the Crosley/GPO of the 1920s quality wise! I repaired the broken spring on the HMV 145 and it worked extremely well - the HMV quality really does show through on this machine compared to the previous one mentioned, with its proper ball bearing race in the tone arm. However, after playing a few records on it I then dismantled it again to start to do a bit of repair work on that rough cabinet. I started a thread on this particular gramophone a while back and although I've been rather tied up with other things just lately, I must get round to updating it, hopefully in the near future. Don't forget to tell us what had to be done to the motor in yours when you took it to the Guru - that's if you know. |
23rd Oct 2018, 7:17 am | #44 |
Pentode
Join Date: Jan 2018
Location: Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 177
|
Re: Astoria Gramophone
The motor simply neede a clean of the old grease and relubricating. Plays very well, and is now almost silent. Neede a new winding handle, which was the end of the homemade handle and a new handle grafted in a metal sleeve. Looks excellent.
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”From today everything is different” Joseph Haydn on Beethoven’s third symphony |