Packard-Bell RPC-39 Solid State Stereo c. 1966

No problems to report, just posting pictures of my vintage stereo: a Packard-Bell RPC-39 Solid State console, made in 1966. I got it for $85 from a local seller on craigslist...it hadn't been used for 15 years by the time I looked at it, but everything worked right off the bat!



The turntable appears to be a Garrard AT-6, but looks different than all of the AT-6s i've seen online:





Since I got it, I've disassembled and re-greased the changer, ordered a replacement LRS-3 45 adapter and needle from voiceofmusic, and plan to replace the amplifier caps to improve the sound. Very happy with my purchase so far, I just love how it looks.

You did good, El Ramos...

My goodness, these kids don't know what they're missing with their MP3, IPods, etc. I think that this is a technology that many folks just won't let go, inspite of all the new media out there. Your unit is truly beautiful and what a magnificent piece of furniture, too. These beasts serve a dual purpose with their styling.

Some folks have long cabinets like those in their dining room...I forget the name, but I keep an Astro-Sonic under the big window near my kitchen table. It matches the table set/chairs and all the kitchen cabinets. --BB


Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

Okay, I think I do have a problem: the installed cartridge is wedged in at a severe downward angle because it's too long to snap into both the front and back clips on the tone arm. Which replacement cartridge(s) fit the clips on a Garrard AT-6 tonearm, and what needle would pair with it/them?

I can tell you a good one for sure...the Shure M3D cartridge with Shure N21D needle. It's expensive but that's relative.

las radios en barracas

Update: The clip appears to be an aftermarket piece...it's black plastic like the cartridge.

Maybe a picture would help:
It seems like I could remove the clip from the tone arm and install a modern cartridge having two screw mounts, like the Stanton 400 V3:

http://www.needledoctor.com/Stanton-400 ... tegory=381

I looked into the Shure M3D and M7D, but they are WAY beyond my price range. I just want an affordable cartridge that tracks reliably and sounds okay, which is probably all the original buyers of this stereo wanted, too.

The picture is blurry, but if it is a magnetic cartridge, a 400V3 is a good choice.

Hello El Ramos!
Next month, I'll be getting my parents' 1965 Packard Bell console stereo. It looks identical to yours on the inside. I'm a newbie and I'm not a techie or a collector but I want to get this stereo working because it's the one I remember as a child.
For starters, where can I get a new needle? Are they available?

Thanks,

Get the number off your cartridge and read through the FAQ list near the top of this particular forum.
Just an example, you may have a cartridge with a stenciled Magnavox number 560345. The cartridge is actually an Electro-Voice EV275 or an Astatic 165D, and several needles may work. See below. --BB






Here is another example of a cartridge that came from a VM (Voice of Music) turntable:
An Astatic 133


Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

Wow, that is a huge help. Thank you very much.
I'm going to tackle it next month. As I go forward with it, may I ask you more questions if I hit a roadblock? Please.
Scott Sepulveda

Oh crap, my last reply was lost (I think).

Scott, put your questions out there so others may help you. We have a few experienced techs up in this camp, and alot of us get by with the advise from them and each other. And yes, needles are still out there. Check out the FAQ about where to get them. Know what cartridge is in you unit first. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

I've installed the Stanton 400V3 cartridge with a compatible needle. Results:

* Tracking is much, much better. No more skating or skipping!

* Compared to the radio, the phono audio is now VERY quiet, and very tinny. To hear anything satisfactory, I have to turn treble down to about 3/10, and bass and loudness up to almost maximum. (Packard-Bell owners will know that the radio is almost deafening at this setting)

I guess the original cartridge was not magnetic after all. The new sound is like a phono output being fed into a line input. Hmmm...

What if I install a phono preamp between the turntable and the amplifier? Could that fix both the volume and timbre problems?

That should-outta fix it ! Ron Rich

Hello,
I am a proud owner of a very similar Packard Bell High Fidelity Combo Phonograph radio stereo. I inherited it when I bought my house 3 years ago and the previous owners didn't want to take it with them so they gave it to me. I'm a recent college grad and just got married in the last month.

My roommates and I would listen to records from one of their parents collections quite often, the automatic multiple record changer is pretty cool. So it is in great working condition and sounds great. That even a newbie that has never seen a record player before this one could figure it out and get it to work.

However, now that I'm married, we do not use it very much and are looking to remodel the house, and we are thinking of selling it. So I did a search for the RPC-39 model number on a service receipt dated 9-13-1965 to see if I could find ideas for places to sell this. And I found this recent post. Please look at the pictures below (I can take more if needed). And if maybe somebody on here would be interested or if I could get advice of how to sell it.

I live near Denver, Colorado. Thanks.

I would personally keep it and fit it into the scheme of things. Don't plan on retiring from the sale. Unless there's something truly unique about this unit, you may get $50 bucks depending on where you live. Don't go down the road like some of us older regretting, "I wish I could have kept up with my piano lessons as a kid."

Surely, you could squeeze that into a rec room/great room somewhere. You may regret getting rid of it, especially if it performs well. And, if the urge comes back to get another one down the line, no telling what you may pay for it, if it even may be available at all.

We collectors tend to hold on to our stuff, not in it for the money, but just love that older technology and sound,And if we do part with it, it may come at a price. I even keep a big console (actually about 4) out in the garage to listen to while working out there.

Neighbors like it..."Oh, Mozart/Schubert piano music out in the garage?" or, turn on some Michael Jackson or what ever, and people come out the wordwork, dancing in the street. --BB


Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

Installed a pre-amp, and the turntable's volume and timbre now matches the other sources. The next, and hopefully final, restoration step is to replace the caps in the amplifier.

The originals are 1000uF & 500uF @ 50V. I have 1000uF caps, but 500uF-rated caps are proving hard to come by. Would 470uF caps be suitable replacements?

Do I need to replace the crossover caps as well? They're 25uF @ 25VDC, and seem to be non-polarized (both ends are marked with + signs.)

Finally, I'm having trouble finding a 45 adapter that works well. The LRS-6 won't drop records that are too thick, or have too little space between them when stacked. The LRS-20 tends to drop two at a time, and even dropped a record on the stylus while it was playing another one.

Thanks for any help...