Are old consoles worth anything

I have a 60's arvin 75 p 88 console with tube amp and radio and TT that dont work.
Its near impossible to fix the amp inside the thing, and removing it requires cutting wires and unwinding that tuner string. The easy thing is to yank the amp+tuner+ speakers and toss the rest.
What would it be worth in 99% mint condition.

I also have a zenith MM2603 in almost the same situation. Again worth what ?
Thanks guys.

Cool.
Srinath.

srinath said:

......and removing it requires cutting wires and unwinding that tuner string.

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I don't know anything about Arvin specifically, but I've never had to cut wires and unwind a tuner string to remove components from a console. Usually there are connectors for everything. The speakers are normally the only solder connections, and even some of those will be spades.

I think the mere fact that some of the old consoles possess tube amps has some people thinking that these console amplifiers must sound great and worth eviscerating from all that wood to use as standalones. When I was young my parents owned several of these types of record players and I don’t remember them sounding that good even when I would hook my Infinity POS 1 and BIC Venturi speakers up to the speaker extension jacks.

The zenith may come out with minimal cutting. Just speaker wires on that one. But its got tuner and amp on 1 board and the output on another. But it has terminal strips no PCB per se.
The arvin has a tuner board with a string that crosses into the face plate. The amp of course is mounted on the back of the face plate. That makes for a string crossing 2 separate units on the thing. Have to remove that to get the amp and tuner out. Maybe just the amp can be removed wihtout the string getting removed.
Its got several soldered connections which need to be cut. Antenna, speakers, board to board etc all have to be cut.

I am not thinking the amp is really going to sound like a high end anything. But lets call it a cheapo tube experiment. If I like it I'll buy a bigger and better one.
Cool.
Srinath.
Cool.
Srinath.

kconnor said:

I think the mere fact that some of the old consoles possess tube amps has some people thinking that these console amplifiers must sound great and worth eviscerating from all that wood to use as standalones. When I was young my parents owned several of these types of record players and I don’t remember them sounding that good even when I would hook my Infinity POS 1 and BIC Venturi speakers up to the speaker extension jacks.

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Some sound great. Some don't. Some are platforms for easy modifications and upgrades. Others aren't.

How do people like Grundigs? There's an ad in the Dayton paper for a '50-year-old Grundig, needs repair, has manual and electrical panel sketch, $100.00 obo."

If it's worth anything, I'm thinking $50.00 tops. If you really like Grundigs. Actually, the pics I've seen of 1960ish Grundigs don't turn me on a bunch....

Are you asking about what the intact console is worth or what the amp chassis is worth (cash value)?

Unfortunately much of the time the intact console is worth much less than the sum of its parts. What the amp chassis is worth kinda depends on the output tubes and the transformers, known performance etc. Magnavox seems to gather quite a bit of respect. Zenith has some fans too I guess. Assuming stereo, the zenith amps I've seen have had Single Ended EL84's with less that great OPTs but on a pretty much stand alone amp chassis. Zenith has done some 'creative' things with bass boost and mono boost that unfortunately make them harder IMO to convert to straight amps. Check ebay for past values on similar chassis. Seems I've seen them go untouched for 30-50 and refurbished from 50-100 depending on components used, cosmetics, etc.

The arvin sounds like tuner and everything is integrated into one chassis. In those cases where they have good iron and tubes I think I'd salvage those and rework into a new circuit and basic wood skirted chassis. Most (but not all) of those console tuners are not worth the trouble of running stand alone.

All that said, if the console is near mint, by all means try to save it. Recapped and tweaked they can sound really good. Those old filter caps on the speakers need to be replaced as well. Huge difference in sound.

DonQuixote99 said:

How do people like Grundigs? There's an ad in the Dayton paper for a '50-year-old Grundig, needs repair, has manual and electrical panel sketch, $100.00 obo."

If it's worth anything, I'm thinking $50.00 tops. If you really like Grundigs. Actually, the pics I've seen of 1960ish Grundigs don't turn me on a bunch....

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Grundigs of that vintage have a great reputation for a very good tuner and great sound. The ones I know of looked like a PITA to work on. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I've always liked their look.

DonQuixote99 said:

... $100.00 obo. ....If it's worth anything, I'm thinking $50.00 tops.

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Depends on the Grundig, but yeah I would agree.

Thanks guys.

That is all good advice.
I guess I mod the arvin amp I yanked out and see what it sounds like. Then decide if the arvin is worth it.
The Zenith - I will take that on later I guess.
BTW the thing says 85 watts on the back side of it, that is what it uses right. Not its output. What is a good guess as to its out put. I thought 25 or so a channel, too much ? maybe, maybe closer to 20 or under ?
Cool.
Srinath.

Oh sorry cubby, I didn't answer the question you had.

I was meaning the thing working and looking as it left the factory. Cos the 2 I have look that way now, and can atleast theoretically made to work the same too.
In fact the paper inside the arvin's were 100% intact, as was the original sales brochure in that zenith with the schpeel about the "new FM" and it said chicago 39 Illinois. Meaning before 5 digit zip codes. Its TT works ... sorta, needle/arm or somehting is off on it. But it spins just fine. And rubbing that needle part makes some sounds out the speakers.
That way, vs the amp out in a wooden box and the console working as a table/storage ... may go that way ... 30-50 bucks isn't enough to motivate me to go through the pain of fixing it intact. Not worth the risk of damaging the amp or my self trying it.
Cool.
Srinath.