decca single play portable...

hello there,

is anyone here familiar with a (im guessing) a earley 60's Decca portable, that is exactly like the Beatles record player. but with the Decca name. they came in blue and black, grey tone arm, and speaker in the inside. my mom and aunt had one each when they were kids. ive seen both at one time and remember them very well...but they both got thrown out on various moves....please help me find one....or at least a year and model and all that...thanx..=)

About the only one I can think of is the Decca Palm Beach model, which was popular in the early to mid-1960s, but that had the speaker in the front, rather than inside the cabinet, next to the turntable.

SEE: http://www.google.com/search?lr=&cr=&sa ... igKd9YGoBQ

The Beatles Phonograph was distributed and licensed by NEMS ENTERPRISES LTD., but I haven't been able to determine what company actually manufactured it.

Your best bet might be to search from time to time on eBay for Decca Phonograph or Decca Record Player, and see if anything matches. Make sure you also look over the service manuals.

Another place to check is Craigslist. Here's a handy tool to check all of the postings made on the craigslist sites which I've set up for Decca phonographs:

http://www.google.com/search?q=site:cra ... 80&bih=589

You can further refine it by clicking "search tools" and then selecting the date range under "Any Time".

HTH,
JDS

thanx fro your reply.....

but please trust me. it is the EXACT same thing as the Beatles record player, just with out the Beatles decorations. i know that cause i always thought that growing up and seeing the Beatles version. same tone arm, same case, same speaker placement, same turn table, same tone and vol knob placement. just under the Decca name.

Well, if that's the case, then the Beatles phonograph would have had to have been manufactured by Decca, since the style of the case, etc., would have been exclusive to the manufacturer.

Since the Beatles phonograph dates from 1964, most likely the ones your mom & aunt had were from that time.

JDS

i figured it was probably right around then. but what model would that have been??....anyone else know what im talking about????....i have a pic of me with it from when i was a small kid, i need to find and scan it....=)

trimline62 wrote:....i have a pic of me with it from when i was a small kid, i need to find and scan it....=)

A photo would really help in this situation. I had a few hours of free time yesterday, and out of curiosity, I googled about 50 different Decca models, by number, produced during the 1960s, but nothing came close.

The Beatles phonograph had a unique appearance--wider than most models. According to what I've read, 5,000 were sold, each with its own serial number. As you've probably noted, they are selling for astronomical sums today--upwards of $5,000--in good to excellent condition -- http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/s ... clnk&gl=us


In any event, it's possible that the production run for this particular phonograph exceeded the 5,000 units earmarked for the Beatles model, and the remainder were sold in the conventional cabinet--sans pictures of George, Ringo, etc.--bearing the name of the manufacturer instead. In this case, it's possible that a model number was never assigned to this particular record player.

The links I've supplied above should be useful for your hunt, nonetheless, especially the one one for craigslist, since thousands of portable phonographs appear for sale on the various sites every year.

A general search for Phonograph OR "Record Player", limited to the past week, shows what I mean -- http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl ... LQMsjAcz-I (Ebay, of course, is another option.)

JDS

i will find that pic as soon as i can. wouldn't you know it, the model i want to find and it just happens to be one of those models that's gonna be hell to find..lol.....knowing large companies there were some more made than we think, but just never sold well, so they are now classified as rare. when i was a kid ive always thought the Beatles version was a copy of the Decca, but that's before i knew anything about private labels...lol....

ok heres the pic.....this is the best i could get it...

as you can see in the lid it does say Decca, and something else that i cant make out or remember...

Okay, here it is, I think:







DECCA Model DP-597 -- SEAFORD IX

FROM: http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/vie ... p?t=109253

THATS IT!!!!!....i posted the blue cased version, and you showed the matching black my aunt had. i also now remember that name....thank you. see how its soo uncanny similar to the Beatles RP that i was talking about?

I'd say it's virtually the same model. There are differences in the motor-board--it's not divided into separate sections for the speaker area and turntable--but all of the controls and components are the same.

Based on what I've found, googling the model name in the news archives, this was sold in 1965, which means it's nearly 50 years old. So when you find one--and I'm sure you will--and if you buy it in original or "as is" condition, it's not a good idea to plug it in until you've had a qualified repair shop go over it and do whatever overhaul work is necessary--replacing the caps, wires, crumbled solder, etc.

Good luck with your hunt.

JDS

Joe----
Whut is I goin' to do wit you ?? It iz SO much more fun to just "plug them in"! Iffin they work, so beez it, ifin not, and you are real lucky, they will blow up a large "paper" capisitor---cornfettie all over the pace--whut more cood U want ??
Ron Rich

Ron Rich wrote:Joe----
Whut is I goin' to do wit you ?? It iz SO much more fun to just "plug them in"! Iffin they work, so beez it, ifin not, and you are real lucky, they will blow up a large "paper" capisitor---cornfettie all over the pace--whut more cood U want ??
Ron Rich

You mean something like this?

yeah...i love blowing every breaker in the house...=).....nothin better..lol