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Post by kubykid on Sept 11, 2009 20:11:05 GMT -5
Hello all...I've been in the market for a Laboratory Model for some time, and came across one in an antique store the other day. It is oak, and the case is in remarkably good condition with the inside looking nearly new. Oddly...the fancy wood adornment that is normally attached on all three sides near the top is missing with only its shadow remaining. There is also a bit of damage on the speaker cover. The wood finish is like new on the interior. The ID numbers for the records are missing, although the upper compartment is full of discs. The crank is missing, and the reproducer is in bad shape with the stylus completely missing. I removed the turntable, and a quick "flick" of the motor had it turning in what appeared to be a normal fashion The ID plate in the player area shows it to be a C19 #SM80704 Model 250. The owner is asking $250.00 for it. Any thoughts??? Thanx.
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Post by Edison Restorer 64 on Sept 11, 2009 21:30:39 GMT -5
Grab it Youll wil not regret it although Those whom hestate may have lost out already
If I knew where it was it would not be there now now thats my $.02 worth for ya
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Post by kubykid on Sept 11, 2009 21:57:22 GMT -5
Thanx much for the input. I appreciate a comment based on experience.
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Post by martin1 on Sept 11, 2009 22:16:06 GMT -5
Hi kubykid.
Welcome aboard! It sounds like the Phonograph Bug has bit you. In proper operating condition, the C-19 is a very nice machine. I love mine. A good, complete one should be in the $350 - 450 range. An oak one would be on the higher side as they aren't quite as common. The question you should ask yourself is how much of the restoration work you'll do yourself? I'm not sure what the wood pieces would run you. (I think they're available as reproductions?) A reproducer re-build will cost quite a bit: about $120 for a stylus alone.
If the records are good titles and in nice shape (and I really wanted to do a lot of work), I would offer $150 for the whole thing. There are quite a few C-19s and C-250s out there in pretty good shape for not a lot more and you won't have to work so hard. You might want to search the past ebay auctions to get an idea of how the prices run. If you don't already have it, I'd recommend buying Eric Reiss' book: "The Compleat Talking Machine". Let us know how it goes. You'll find there are some pretty helpful folks on this board.
Regards,
Martin
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Post by tarheeltinkerer on Sept 11, 2009 22:53:03 GMT -5
You can never do enough research is my advice, and that includes hunting for other C-250s/C-19s. Being a fairly common model, rest assured there will always be one for sale on Craigslist, ebay, or elsewhere. I'd also check the costs of parts/restoration work. No point in buying something and ending up having to put just as much into fixing it, when for slightly more initially you get a better machine requiring less clean-up work.
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Post by maroongem on Sept 12, 2009 6:54:54 GMT -5
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Post by kubykid on Sept 12, 2009 21:11:51 GMT -5
Hello all...sorry it took so long to respond. We shuffled off to Buffalo for the annual antique boat show. Awesome as usual. Thanx for all the valuable input on the C19 purchase. It's just the sort of info I needed to make a decision.
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Post by larryh on Sept 14, 2009 16:33:45 GMT -5
I don't think I would advise jumping into a machine with so many issues to deal with. As mentioned it is a pretty common machine and many show up often at less than the asking price, which for the work it needs is high in my opinion. I would wait it out a bit, I don't think you would be sorry.
For my self I did buy and C 19 that needed considerable cabinet work. But the machine only sold for 25.00 at an auction. At that price some work and expense wasn't a problem.
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covah
New Member
Posts: 20
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Post by covah on Sept 22, 2009 23:07:51 GMT -5
"the fancy wood adornment that is normally attached on all three sides near the top is missing with only its shadow remaining" is the kiss of death on these models. Just try to fix that! And the corner moldings are often missing and impossible to replace. Pass on it, get a good one.
Figure a hundred bucks to fix the original stylus, $60+ for a functioning replacement reproducer on eBay.
I got one like that for $150 and sold it for $150 because I could never get the cabinet parts.
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Post by larryh on Sept 26, 2009 18:08:58 GMT -5
I was able to move a missing corner bracket from the rear to the front and fashioned new one for the back. It is nearly impossible to tell them apart. I think I laid out the original over a block of wood and made a tracing of the various ways the originals were cut then duplicated that, it worked well once stained to match the machine. I don't have any fancy tools either. I think I used a hand saw and perhaps a coping saw for the curved part in front.
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Post by Valecnik on Oct 5, 2009 2:22:26 GMT -5
Kubykid,
I'd also recommend you wait. You will have quite a bit of money into it unless you do the restoration all yourself and a poor restoration can be worse than no restoration at all.
As others have correctly pointed out, these machines do turn up in very good condition. I know of one in brown mahogany in Minnesota in almost perfect conditions. I think the guy want's $350 if it's not already sold. Of course with these big ones, it's not just "how much" but "how far away" that one needs to consider....
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shellophone
Junior Member
Stand close enough and you can hear the ocean!
Posts: 69
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Post by shellophone on Oct 5, 2009 4:07:58 GMT -5
Another thing about C-250 vs C-19, is that C-250's have two drawers for record storage. C-19's were redesigned to be less expensive to manufacture and the divider system was substituted for the more-expensive-to-manufacture drawers. The dividers are pasteboard strips with a metal stiffener strip down the front edge and with the front edge wrapped in red leatherette paper. The hide glue that affixes the leatherette to the cardboard frequently releases along the back edge and the edge raises slightly. Just enough, actually, to have the nasty habit of snagging the white paper label on Diamond Disc records -- since the white labels also have a propensity to raise along the edges (if not fall off altogether) -- and shear the label in two when the record is withdrawn from the cabinet. I also think the drawers of the C-250 look more elegant than the dividers of the C-19, but that is just my opinion. That being said, I have one of each in my collection.
I agree that these machines are extremely common as it goes, and that you should hold out for a clean example. Don't overpay. The last two C-19's I had didn't bring $200 at the Mooresville show about four years ago.
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