Classic Hifi Care

My cousins continue to empty the attic of my uncle's little cape prior to putting it up for sale this fall. At the very back they found a speaker and told me about it yesterday, so went over this AM and up into that sweltering space... very hot and humid up there! Well upon examination what looked to them like a speaker was a walnut cabinet phonograph sitting on it's side, looking for all the world like a speaker in that position. They failed to notice that on one side was a lift-up lid. A closer look revealed a solid walnut cabinet with well worn finish on top and tatty speaker cloth, housing an RCA phonograph. Clearly a stereo as it has one speaker that lifts out and detaches matching the one built-in in the cabinet. Both are oval, not round, full range jobs, no tears. The label IDs it as a VFE-01W (walnut). the tubes are date coded '62.Amp is SE 6BQ5, 12ax7 and 5Y3. No tuner. It has 4 legs (not shown). My guess is that it's one of RCA's more deluxe "portable" phonographs for 1962, only slightly smaller than that little Westy "console" that we also found part of up there! (more about that one to come shortly...!). So the attic produces yet another vintage find. I don't expect to find any more now, it's just about empty.

Would this be an RCA RP-205 record player? Looks similar to one on an earlier SHF-1 we once had and gave to a retired TV/radio tech I knew, but that one had an odd moving coil cartridge, this one is more mundane, but not sure what.

That RCA amp looks like it has a nice power transformer in it.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/rca_vfe_0 ... 188br.html

The record changer is an RP-215. A step up from the RP-205.
It uses one idler and a stepped speed turret on the motor.

This is one of my favorite RCA changers. Operates real
smoothly when refurbished.

That one looks like a keeper!

That's a cool looking unit. Like Greg said, it looks like a keeper.

Bill

It sure is a keeper, but by someone else with space! I'm trying to find space for that little Westy console on another thread, as it is, it's in the garage for now, but luckily I know just the right home for this RCA phono, he loves this era and he knows how to make her sing again! Our house is tiny; I'd be in real trouble if I found something like a Fisher President like the one I had 20 yrs ago that I'd absolutely have to keep!

That was the record player I grew up with (68-75), except it was the reader's digest re-badging version.

Roger, did the person you had in mind perform magic on this RCA? Or, is it still in the garage.

Basilo, can you remember how it sounded?

Bill

The RP215 was used in both 3-channel RCA's I have, always need motor mount grommets, usually an idler pulley and sometimes cartridges. The amp is a simple one like most of these early stereo
portables.

This is a nice portable and easily restored but the question always is: restore and clean up OR clean up only and say it needs stuff - not tested - as is - etc.

Still in the garage, and waiting for it's new owner, Dave, aka our own MM!

Motorola minion wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2022 2:55 pm This is a nice portable and easily restored but the question always is: restore and clean up OR clean up only and say it needs stuff - not tested - as is - etc.

One of my obsessions is keeping stuff out of landfills. We're such a wasteful people. So my recommendation would be restore and clean up so the device works and is treasured by the new owner. A new owner who lacks the skills to finish the job will set it aside and it will never get done and at some point it will be tossed.

Chris Campbell

TC Chris wrote: ↑Fri Mar 18, 2022 12:52 am One of my obsessions is keeping stuff out of landfills. We're such a wasteful people. So my recommendation would be restore and clean up so the device works and is treasured by the new owner. A new owner who lacks the skills to finish the job will set it aside and it will never get done and at some point it will be tossed.

Chris Campbell

Chris, that is also my philosophy. Finding a good home for the hi-fi's
is the best part for me, after doing the repairs.

Keeping good old stuff out of the dump is a very good mission. I have no doubt that MM will enjoy it, as '50s and early '60s RCAs are his most-favorites.