by Joe_DS »
Sat Nov 04, 2006 5:22 am
Hi Neophone:
I remember when I removed my Credenza's tone arm, the gasket was coated with dried grease. It's possible that the workers at the Victor plant forgot to apply grease to the one you have, but who knows...
Anyway, it sounds like you are going about it the right way. As has been noted, an air tight tone chamber will ensure that there is no loss of bass, and will enhance your Victrola's overall sound quality. (This applies to all acoustic phonographs/gramophones; not just Orthophonic-era machines.)
As for varnishing the horn, I do NOT recommend this. At the suggestion of a well-known--though now deceased--sound box technician, I coated the horn of a Consolette I once owned with Enviro-Tech epoxy polymer. This put a plastic laminate coat on the surface of the wood--similar to the effect achieved by applying several coats of varnish. While the volume was substantially increased, the reproduction sounded harsh and "blasty" as if the sound waves were being shot out of a cannon. Just before I sold the Consolette, I used Jasco finish remover to remove the Enviro-Tech, and it literally exploded off the surface!
A well restored Granada, based on what I've listened to, should sound very much like an electric phonograph of the 1920/30s, with a mellow, bass-like tone. It pumps out a very convincing "impression of bass," and electrically recorded records sound very nice, though, in some cases, earlier acoustic recordings come out rather dull sounding.
A couple of weeks ago, I worked on the tone chamber of my 4-40, which as you probably know, is the follow-on to the Granada. (The horn is about a foot longer, and the mouth is about twice the size. Nonetheless, the two sound very similar, though the 4-40 does have more bass, and because of the larger mouth, gives more of a concert hall impression, though not as full as that of the Credenza.)
In any event, I checked all of the seals, worked in some fresh wood-glue at the corners, and then, for good measure, applied a liberal coat of "Howard's Restore-a-Finish" directly onto the horn's surface. After letting it set for about ten minutes, I wiped off the remainder and let it air dry for about a day before reinstalling the grille. It may be my imagination, but to my ears, it sounded considerably "fuller." I know I can now hear certain low end notes I could not hear before, and more of the mid-range is filled in. It still has the same mellow tone, overall, but with slightly more volume. Another option would be to apply a liberal coat of a penetrating oil-based matching stain to the wood.
I think, once you have a carefully restored sound box, you'll notice quite a difference in the Granada's reproduction. In the meantime, here are a few quick fix tips, providing the ball bearings are properly seated, and there are no tears or punctures in the diaphragm.
Put a few drops of "Goo-Gone" or "Goo-B-Gone" onto the corrugated edge of the metal diaphragm, near its gasket area, and then swish it around so it lightly coats the entire gasket area. Only a few drops are necessary, and try not to get any on the spider legs. For whatever reason, this made a tremendous difference to the sound quality of my as-is" Orthophonic sound box. Perhaps, the Goo-Gone, which softens glue, rubber, etc., caused the paper-backed rubber gaskets to swell slightly and seal the edge. After you do this, be sure to apply a little light weight oil directly onto the ball bearings that hold the needle bar pivot posts in place. Then, insert a steel needle and loosen and tighten it a few times to flex the diaphragm. You should hear a noticeable improvement in the sound quality--I know I did when I did this to mine earlier this year.
If you have a chance, please post of few more photos of your Granada on this board.
Take care,
DS
Sorry I don't have any photos with the tone doors open-soon.
