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Curtis Mathes Monster Console

cademan

cademan

Lunatic Member
Here's a little something for your viewing pleasure. Just picked this up today (SUN 10/24/2010).

This Curtis Mathes console was just given to me by a woman who's husband had just died. She was going to have hauled away to the dump. I am going to keep it all intact as it is in excellent working condition.

She says she always hated it (don't know why) but her husband used it everyday, and it was playing when I arrived to pick it up.

I saved another one from the landfill!

Everything works, the turntable, tuner/receiver and reel-to-reel tape deck.

This thing is exactly 100 inches long!
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Holy cow! You weren't kidding about the monster part. That thing is enormous. Does it have a model name or number? Any documentation that would give a hint as to what year it's from?
 
Wow!:drool:...that thing looks like a cadillac at a camry convention, Cutis mathes must have thought their customer base had some free room around.

Not to mention the tuning dial and tuner gangs, some of the biggest i've seen, and I don't think that's forced perspective...magic eye tube is a nice touch as well.

I bet it sounds pretty good:yes:
 
Is that a single ended power section in the receiver? Would have expected a couple of mono blocks. Bet it wasn't an easy move. Congratulations.
 
Its hard to believe they would use a single-ended 6BQ5 amp on such a big unit. Magnavox would have -at least- had a push-pull 6BQ5 amp, or possibly PPP.
 
TheRed1 said:
Holy cow! You weren't kidding about the monster part. That thing is enormous. Does it have a model name or number? Any documentation that would give a hint as to what year it's from?
Click to expand...

This is from the only sticker that I could find inside:
PS1288U107
Made in Great Britain
CM PART No. 11A3OA
 
pich said:
Is that a single ended power section in the receiver? Would have expected a couple of mono blocks. Bet it wasn't an easy move. Congratulations.
Click to expand...

Yep, it's single ended 6BQ5/EL84 per channel. Something like 5 watts per channel.

I was hoping for some kind of big tube amp or amps inside. I was sorta disappointed, but at least it's all tube. :yes:

It actually sounds quite nice with its highly efficient JBL 12's. Clean, clear, and no distortion. The FM section is pretty remarkable as it picks up stations quite well with its built in FM antenna.

The lady says the reel-to-reel was hardly ever used, and I believe her as I have one of my tapes that I recorded using one of my TEAC's playing Boston's More Than a Feeling. The heads are very clean with no treble loss and equal sound on both channels.
 
holy crap! godzilla-console! i havnt seen too many big ones lately.
i used to have one made by symphonic that was really big like that. it was a healthy 7 feet long! it had a bar built into it, and looked alot like your c-m. mine was solid state though, it only had 2 8" full range speakers in it with a 5 watt amp :D
one might ask, -why?
 
You should find a model number on the "bottom" side of the amp chassis. On a horizontal mount it would be on the back side. It is ink stamped and usually surrounded by a black outline.

Pic is of my C/M that I found. Sounds great, playing through Klipsch Forte 1 speakers. Other pics are on this thread: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=289564
 

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I read somewhere that C-M used or was contracted to use JBL speakers in some of their products. It is stamped 12JB1!

I am sure their are lots of JBL's you have never seen. They have been around sinse 1946. Unfortunately, James B. Lancing took his own life in 1949.

Read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JBL
 
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You are correct that there could be jbls that i havent seen. Most that i have seen arent
Made like this. Small light weight magnet on a thin stamped cone. I would look for some other numbers to find a date manufacture code.

Please dont think i am knocking your console i think it is way cool.
Btw are you in the dfw area?
 
WarrGo said:
You are correct that there could be jbls that i havent seen. Most that i have seen arent
Made like this. Small light weight magnet on a thin stamped cone. I would look for some other numbers to find a date manufacture code.

Please dont think i am knocking your console i think it is way cool.
Btw are you in the dfw area?
Click to expand...

Oh no, I didn't take it in a negative way! :no: I actually read it here on a thread about a year or so ago about someone else's C-M stereo, and they had the exact same 12JB1 speakers, and they said they were made by JBL so I took it as that. They may not be, but that's where I refferenced them from. :thmbsp:

I think I am a little further north than you! Up in the Seattle area.
 
CM consoles use CM speakers from all Ive seen.

Curtis Mathis Made its own speakers. They were trying to emulate the Japanese that took American ingenuity and improved it.
It didnt quite work for CM.
They were all American with 2 factories. Georgia and Texas.

Its not always so but if you find a speaker without codes in a console or even in a cabinet, it usually means it was made by the company of the unit it is in. If a speaker was made for use by another company, it was fully coded. Not nesessarily so if used as a part in the principles mechandise.

This is just a guidline but Ive seen Stromberg, Fisher and CM speakers from their consoles that are unmarked.

Ive never seen a generic, stamped steel JBL speaker

Does anybody here remember the CM Ads from the 70's? I think they would do better in todays environment.


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