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Bob Bell
Dec 1, 20241 min read
PICTUREPHONE
The Salesman's Friend ... Here is an odd item - the Picturephone, the film projecting record playing way of selling! Reading the sheet of...
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Bob Bell
Oct 5, 20241 min read
NEWCOMB TR-16 AM (1950?)
I was given two of these wonderful players by Dave of Dave's Record Shop, San Pablo Avenue, Berkeley, CA - the hippest record store in...
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Bob Bell
Oct 5, 20241 min read
EDISON Standard Cylinder Phonograph (1906)
This little beauty came my way this year (2024), together with a handful of cylinders. It has been fitted with the Edison adapter (the...
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Bob Bell
Jan 6, 20241 min read
V-M 121 Tri-o-Speed (1954)
A delightful one-tube wonder from V-M ... not a great sound, and the tracking weight of the tonearm (non-adjustable by the way) is hard...
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Bob Bell
Jan 6, 20241 min read
V-M Songfest 215 (1958)
Nice little portable from The Voice of Music (V-M) who consistently made dependable and well-constructed players. The company's record...
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Bob Bell
Jan 6, 20241 min read
Ultratone PC-55 (1951-2)
One of the first record changers I restored. Made in 1951 or 1952, the changer was made by V-M, and also had a radio - AM only, of course.
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Bob Bell
Jan 6, 20241 min read
RCA SHF-7 (1958)
The doyenne of 1950s record changers. Looked great, worked great, and best of all, sounded great! I have had a couple of these over the...
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Bob Bell
Jan 6, 20241 min read
Silvertone Super Deluxe (c. 1930?)
Although there is a lot of info on the internet about Silvertone players, I have found it hard to date this particular model. I can see...
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Bob Bell
Jan 4, 20241 min read
RCA 6-J 78 Player (1946)
Made by RCA-Victor just after the war, this simple but elegant tabletop 78-player plugged into an amplifier or more likely, a radio. The...
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Bob Bell
Jan 3, 20241 min read
Columbia 360 (1953)
The 'Hi-Fi in a Hatbox' was the name given to Columbia's very popular 360 Model. The player has a fantastic sound for it's size, and with...
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Bob Bell
Jan 3, 20241 min read
Westinghouse H-122 Radio/Phono Combo (1946)
Manufactured in 1946, the wooden cabinet has a rather home-made look, no doubt due to -war austerity. The 78rpm changer is functional,...
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Bob Bell
Jan 2, 20241 min read
RCA VICTOR U-9 78rpm Radio/Phono (1939)
Made in 1939, this RCA-Victor radio/phono has an attractive cabinet and a very distinctive tonearm, which was also used, I believe, in...
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Bob Bell
Jan 2, 20241 min read
Airline 04BR 615A Record Player, Recorder & Radio (1941)
Made in 1941 by Montgomery-Ward, and marketed through their Airline brand, this preceded the tape recorder, and enabled familes to record...
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Bob Bell
Jan 2, 20241 min read
Columbia 33/45/78 Player (1950?)
A gloriously basic table top multi-speed player from Columbia. No model number is to be found underneath - indeed, the only manufacturer...
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Bob Bell
Jan 2, 20241 min read
Aviola 301 78rpm player (1946?)
I've been unable to find any information on this little player. It was given to me a few years ago by a satisfied customer. 78rpm only, I...
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Bob Bell
Jan 2, 20241 min read
Zenith Cobramatic. (1950?)
What's not to love about this delightful hunk of bakelite? A wonderful fifties piece of space-age styling, these Cobramatics are fun. The...
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Bob Bell
Jan 2, 20242 min read
Rheem Califone Promenade II Model 42VA (1950?)
They say you can’t judge a book by the cover, but if the author is Califone, I reckon you can. This Rheem Califone was dragged home from...
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Bob Bell
Jan 1, 20241 min read
Webster-Chicago 760 (1949)
I found this at the flea market a couple of years ago. Cost me all of $4. It came with a lot of dirt. It was made in 1950 by...
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Bob Bell
Jan 1, 20241 min read
Columbia 103 A (1950)
A very early Columbia LP player - 33 and 1/3 rpm only. The paper tag underneath the player says 'Columbia LP Record Player' ... and model...
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Bob Bell
May 12, 20231 min read
Silvertone 7056 (1941)
A rather clunky-looking 78 player, made in 1941. It has an AM radio so that you can tune into the world of religious cranks, sports...
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