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Vintage Audio (record players, hi-fi etc) Amplifiers, speakers, gramophones and other audio equipment.

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Old 16th Sep 2019, 10:03 pm   #1
Victoria.
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Default A new and clueless member - help! :)

Hi All,

I hope you don’t mind me asking in here as I haven’t a clue about any of this!

I’m currently volunteering with a charity and meet with an absolutely inspirational 94 year old navy veteran weekly. He has more passion for music than anyone I’ve ever met and regularly serenades me (which is impressive at 94!) with some great 30’s/40’s songs.

Sadly he has Parkinson’s and is also almost completely blind. Despite all this he’s the happiest man I’ve ever met and if I can be even a shred as positive as he is when I’m older then I will have had a good life.

The reason I’m here is because he has over 200 LP’s and many years back when his record player broke his granddaughter replaced it for a CD player. Unfortunately his sightloss means that he can’t see the buttons on the CD player and he has this incredible collection of LP’s that he can’t enjoy.

As a gift I would really love to surprise him by getting him something to play his LP’s on, but at 30, I missed the LP days and haven’t a clue what I need! Obviously a vintage one would be lovely but I can’t really spend too much on one so will get a newer style if need be but either way I want to do something nice for him.

Could someone recommend something either old or new that I could play his favourite songs back to him on?

Thank you for reading! I look forward gratefully to any replies.

Victoria.
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Old 16th Sep 2019, 10:39 pm   #2
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

We would all like to recommend a suitably serviced vintage machine like a Hacker Gondolier or Pye Black Box or one of the better Bush or HMV players from the period, but something like this:


https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bluetooth-B...669223&sr=8-13


might be a reasonable alternative which will work straight out of the box.


It isn't an automatic player, though, so if his sight is really poor and his motor control is dodgy a period autochanger would probably be easier to use as well as being a familiar piece of equipment. A quality, serviced vintage player with some sort of warranty will probably cost >£200, though, unless you find a local tech (possibly someone from on here) who might be able to service an untested or spares unit "at cost" for you.


Good luck!
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Old 16th Sep 2019, 11:04 pm   #3
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

If he is blind and has Parkinsons then he may have more trouble controlling a record player than a CD player, even if it's fully automatic. It may be better to look for a CD player which is easier to control. Some have large, clear buttons, sometimes with raised dots or even Braille text on the surface. Remote controls are widely available too.

Roberts make a portable player optimised for the visually impaired, though it is very expensive: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roberts-Ver.../dp/B00AELH5M6

Good luck with your search - I hope you find something suitable.
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Old 17th Sep 2019, 12:28 am   #4
jamesperrett
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

For my father, who is now blind, I ended up transferring his favourite records onto computer and then putting them onto a USB stick that he can plug into the player that he uses for his talking books. He has had various record players in the past but simply can't cope with the rigmarole of playing a record any more.

The player that he uses is the one at https://shop.rnib.org.uk/home-and-le...g/sonic-2.html
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Old 17th Sep 2019, 6:00 am   #5
Michael Maurice
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

If you went down the route suggested by James, then he would need to have someone to transfer the records for him.

Although I wouldn't have the time myself, I would be prepared to help get you started and point you in the right direction to do this for him.

One problem with giving the gentleman a record player, is that its quite likely that his records are 78's and therefore likely to get broken, something I'm sure we all want to avoid.
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Old 17th Sep 2019, 12:54 pm   #6
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

An obvious resource is the RNIB: https://shop.rnib.org.uk/accessible-technology.html who feature some of the devices already mentioned.
Possibly a leap too far could be one of those talking assistants, Alexa et al. I've no experience, but reputedly you can ask for any music to be played (if the choice offered is wide enough of course)
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Old 17th Sep 2019, 2:31 pm   #7
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Maurice View Post
One problem with giving the gentleman a record player, is that its quite likely that his records are 78's and therefore likely to get broken, something I'm sure we all want to avoid.
Well, Victoria did specifically refer to a collection of LPs and a lot of vintage stuff has been re-released on LPs over the years. However, if, as she says, she missed the LP era it might be that she believes the term includes all forms of disc, so that really does need to be clarified.

I have an idea which might help, though. Brian Gaff is blind, has a technical background and is a prolific poster on the uk.d-i-y, uk.tech.broadcast and uk.tech.digital-tv Usenet groups (and possibly others). It occurs to me that he might be best qualified to address this situation.

I'm not suggesting that Victoria ventures into the unmoderated world of Usenet, which can be a bit evil at times but, if she wishes, I'm prepared to approach Brian and ask if he would be able to help, either by e-mail or, better still, as a member of UKVRRR.
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Old 17th Sep 2019, 6:02 pm   #8
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

Quote:
Originally Posted by Victoria. View Post
Hi All,


Could someone recommend something either old or new that I could play his favourite songs back to him on?



Victoria.
It reads as if Victoria will be spinning the disks so a straight-out-of-the-box option might well be optimal.
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Old 18th Sep 2019, 10:53 am   #9
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

I wonder if his old record player still exists? If so, and someone nearby could get it going again at moderate cost, it would fulfil the request and he would also have something with which he is already familiar, should he choose to play his records himself
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Old 18th Sep 2019, 5:07 pm   #10
Victoria.
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

Thank you everyone! I’m going to see if he still has the broken player so that I can see if that helps! Really appreciate everyone’s help.
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Old 20th Sep 2019, 8:17 pm   #11
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

Depending on where you are in Essex I am happy to take a look at his record player if he still has it, no charge for labour just parts.

Mike
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Old 21st Sep 2019, 8:28 am   #12
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

I saw a Bush record player MTT1 yesterday in the charity shop for £4 and thought of you and the old chap. It's a small record player about 10" x 10" x 4" - 25cm x 25cm x10cm , with a 45 sized platter, but plays 12" LP's. I had one years ago and from memory it has a pre-amp inside, all you'd need is a small active speaker to plug it in to.

The Bush is very easy to use, one or two buttons and would take some gyp I think. If of any use I'd happily get it for you, check it over and find or build a small active speaker. Drop us a PM if interested.

Andy.
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Old 21st Sep 2019, 10:43 am   #13
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Default Re: A new and clueless member - help! :)

Victoria's offer to help the gentleman enjoy his LP's and CD's is wonderful.

For members to make recommendations for what is in effect a gift to a person who being partially sighted and with Parkinsons, which may include tremor, requires some thought.

My 98 year old father inlaw has a sight problem. He can recognise the CD cover but must use his memory for the track. However, it is hit and miss pressing the right button. This goes for the TV remote control as well. His wife is beside herself!

As for playing records, my father inlaw again can recognise the sleeve and his Aiwa thingy has an automatic player, put the disc on the turntable, press the start button and off it goes and returns to rest at the end. Manually choosing a track is no longer possible.

As Victoria is gifting, cost is important. We don't know the gentleman's financial circumstances so the internet might not be viable and who is going to set up the Echo 5 Alexa voice operated device.

Should Crackles kind offer be practical then subject to the gentleman agreeing and his record deck offering automatic play all should be good.

Alternatively, maybe the Charity shop could find a suitable record player and, through Victoria, gift it to the gentleman.

The only issue is that there are some really rubbish new record players out there with Bluetooth etc; some even called BUSH, some even sold by Amazon, no wonder that they are given to the charity shop. You might recognise the tune but can't quite place the artist. But I digress.

There should be LP's in the shop to see how practical a potential record player could be, should his old one not be available.

Such a kind thought, I hope it can be realised.

Chris

Last edited by simpsons; 21st Sep 2019 at 10:52 am.
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