Magnavox? Did I hear someone likes Magnavox??

With three sets by Magnavox, I'm thrilled to hear that.
I have a 1947 three way Maggie Radio, 12" tv, and, two spd. phono.,
a 1946 Book case style Maggie radio phono with the 198C chassis,
and, an early sixties Maggie portable hi fi phonograph.
What's out there, guys???

Wildcat445 and Neali are the "go to" guys when it comes to Magnavox!

Neali IS the man when it comes to Magnavox.  I have three Maggie console stereos.  They are not only repaired, but also souped up, per the instruction of "a certain banned individual" before he decided he hated me.  Giving credit where it is due, he knows how to repair audio equipment.  We use two of them on a daily basis and the third has a wonky cabinet.  Somebody tried to refinish it, and removed all the photofinish on the lids and the front of the cabinet.  That one may get some kind of ebony finish, if I can figure out how to do it and have it come out nice.  I have a Console Grand on my bucket list.

I didn't figure you for a Magnavox man, Bill. Welcome to the club.   

Regards

Wc

Why not?? My father used to have a 1946 Maggie  radio phono with the deluxe Old band am fm sw radio, push button reject for record changer on front panel of radio, and, the deluxe PP parallel 6L6 amplifier driving  two 12" woofers, and, a small horn tweeter. Alll in a fairly small case. It was crammed in tightly.

I have one downstairs, I'll have to pull it out to see what I have. it's not stereo,but I remember the power amp there were 4 6V6's in parallel push-pull and 2 12" speakers.

Also in high school in the mid 1970's we would make fun of hifi consoles like Magnavox, because anything with tubes is junk!

As I remember, anything that wasn't a component setup was junk as well. Youth's are so fickle.

I remember feeling like I killed the fatted calf when I got my Pioneer SX-1050 to replace the Dynakit SCA-35 that I built from a kit. Solid state stuff was a big deal when it was new. Why did we keep the old tube stuff it replaced?

Regards

WC

Maybe I was different, but in the late 1960's I was in high school (64-68) In wood shop I designed and built my own stereo console, then at home built the amplifier, purchased a BSR turn table and speakers from Lafayette. The amplifier was a tube amp. Early on, I felt I could tell the difference in quality between tubes and transistors.

I went to high school from 71 to 74, and it seems the only things we did in wood shop was cook hide glue and create scrap lumber.  

I have 3 and maybe a 4th Maggie in the home fleet.
-1949 Windsor Imperial with TV built in
-1961 Concert Grand
-1947 Regency Supreme (was my garage radio till retired by a Scott 800B)
-maybe a 1958 300H CG if the seller comes through and delivers it.

I had a NIGHTMARE last night where I dropped my 300H CG on the floor and the cabinet broke into pieces and all the guts spilled out. I have no idea where that one came from either.

y2kbruce wrote:I had a NIGHTMARE last night where I dropped my 300H CG on the floor and the cabinet broke into pieces and all the guts spilled out. I have no idea where that one came from either.

Perhaps it came from the story of what happened when I shipped my 330H cross country. Did I tell you that story?

No you did not. Would you care to share?

Regards

WC

I shipped it from Seattle to Long Island. I put out a request on Uship, and I got an offer for about a dollar a pound.

My friend in Seattle went out and found a palate, wrapped it with a table cloth, then created a cardboard box around it by taping boxes together. Bound it to the palate with steel straps, Shipped the glass separately of course. The legs were secured by screwing 2x4 scraps to the palate to form corners.

It made on a really round about route to long island about 25 miles west of me. The driver had two drop off's and a pickup scheduled before mine. On his pickup, he could not slide his load behind mine in the truck. So instead of taking the time to lower his load from the palate jack, move mine to the side, he set his shoulder against the CG and pushed it like a blocking sled into the side of the trailer body. When it stopped, it shattered the beautiful curved legs as they took the full impact of the 285 pounds against the corner blocks. It had listed, steel straps no longer tight. If you pulled it away from the trailer body it would have fallen over without a hand to steady it.

What was I going to do? Refuse delivery and send it back? Shipping was over $300 and more than I paid for the CG and it was going to fall over as soon as it was unsupported.

When he arrived, big greasy dirty foul smelling gorilla that he was, he told me that the package was this way when he picked it up. Even had the cajones to say that it should have been packed better.

So I figured out all this later as the depot 25 miles away had taken a picture of it when it was loaded on the truck and it was fine.

Repairing it was beyond my skills. Luckily the whole thing was wrapped in shrink wrap which kept me from losing most of the leg fragments except for a single piece of molding that disappeared into the palate cracks.

I started to try and get quotes from furniture restoration places. Most quoted high three of four figures and wanted me to bring the piece in.

That was not happening. Finally I find this guy listed on YELP from Sag Harbor who offers to come out and take a look. Nice guy who looks exactly like Joe Torre which I did not hold against him being a Red Sox fan.

He pieces together two of the legs that were in a bunch of pieces. The other two were mostly intact. Dowels them on after making some reciving holes in the base and feet. Doesn't mind me watching. For the missing molding piece he takes out a jar of mahogany saw dust and mixes in some walnut sawdust and epoxy. Shapes it rough with his fingers. Shapes it more finely with some curved homemade metal scraper bits.

Mixes up a little stain from a couple of bottles by eye into a Dixie cup. Wipes it on. Goes over it with a really mild heat gun. Gives it a shot of gloss from a rattle can. A little more really mild heat. Some waiting. Rubs it out with 1000 grit and a little wax. Done PERFECT. Like it was never messed with.

The guy's name is Jeff but it should have been Merlin. I ask him how much to I owe him and he says 40 bucks. It was twenty bucks in gas for his van to drive from Sag Harbor to my place and back, so I gave him a C note and my undying gratitude.

I think I told this to Bruce, not sure. That might be where his nightmare came from.

That is a great story. Thank you for sharing. It is amazing what some people can do. Even if they look like Joe Torre.   

Regards

WC

Another neato Magnavox on ebay.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1956-MAGNAVOX-MID-CENTURY-STEREO-CONSOLE-FM-AM-RADIO-RECORD-PLAYER-EXCELLENT/111349038867?_trksid=p2050601.c100085.m2372&_trkparms=aid%3D111001%26algo%3DREC.SEED%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140211132617%26meid%3D6856078780175188684%26pid%3D100085%26prg%3D20140211132617%26rk%3D3%26rkt%3D4%26sd%3D251528485338%26clkid%3D6856081284010457020&_qi=RTM1562571

What a gorgeous cabinet. What can you tell us about it? I figure it would not be stereo, but might just be a magnificent performer.

WC

Wildcat445 wrote:
What a gorgeous cabinet.  What can you tell us about it?  I figure it would not be stereo, but might just be a magnificent performer.

WC

I don't know, wildcat. Never seen the like before. Like you said, definitely mono. It has the AMP from the 1958 CG, 2 5U4GB, 4 6V6 PPP bass driver, single ended 6V6 horn driver. Mono tuner a lot like mine. But a very economical cabinet. A 15", a 12" and two 10" horns and 25W of biamped tube power, it would rock.

Since I posted it, it sold. Hope someone here got it.

It's mono, but, looks like a beauty..............

Wildcat445 wrote:
What a gorgeous cabinet.  What can you tell us about it?  I figure it would not be stereo, but might just be a magnificent performer.

WC

Hey WC,

I looked at it again. You can make out the paper work saying that it is a model 270C. I think was a called a Berkshire and was probably a step down from the Imperials. I found the tuner/preamp having different EQ settings for the various recording curves to be interesting. The ebay model has a 78, RIAA, LP and FFRR which I thought was a different 78.

Magnavox has so many variations that there units are practically custom. Here is a youtube clip of another 270C with the same tuner, same amp, same speakers and same cabinet, yet the faceplate has 78, RIAA, LP and EUR stencilled on it. Weird. From the comments on the video that was a London Records EQ.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0koAk26Teo

Guy has a few fifties magnavox videos. Worth a look.