by MattTech »
Tue Jan 17, 2012 9:15 am
Nice gift from the wife!
As a professional electronics repair tech, I have to state that anything "vintage" should be gone over by a knowledgable tech to insure reliability and safety.
Even though the wife got it for you, and it plays (or played), the first thing you should have done is get it worked on.
Now, you're seeing the results of neglect and aging.
Hopefully, using it in that condition didn't cause more issues now - some critical parts like transformers are very costly to replace.
Virtually all of these sets including table radios, need attention. - it's mandatory.
The tubes run out of specification due to aged, dried-out capacitors - causing them too to fail.
The changer's 50+ year old grease has now turned to glue, the rubber motor mounts get hard, and the drive tire rots.... and patsy cline will sound like Barry White.
You certainly wouldn't drive a car for a long trip if it wasn't serviced in 40 years, and had original tires, oil, and gas in it, would you?
Same applies here.
Best advice from me is - unplug the thing before more damage is done, and get someone local to work on it.
The Internet is a marvelous thing, however it's not a good substitute for actually being there.