Estate Sale

oldrocker

Out about doing my thing today and as I was heading home, saw a sign that said Estate Sale.

I thought meh, been skunked forever it seems but I turned around, went back to see what they had and found this.

1970 Magnavox Astro-Sonic console stereo model #1P 3652 with a "don't laugh" Micro-Matic turntable.

As per the manual, the Micro-Matic thing means you can stack up to 10 albums at once.

Besides the maual, I got the original receipt something that looks like a quality control punch card??? and a few other small papers.

The receipt says LS Ayers & Co. Dated 02/06/1971 Total Price when purchased $306.00.

I also got 97 albums with it. Any fans of Sonny & Cher, Floyd Cramer?
I have not went through all the albums yet.

I did a pre clean, powered it up and everything works.

Sadly when they set up the sale, they had stacked some glassware on the cabinet and it now has a few scratches. See pics, if I can get them to load.

Oh, the price on it was $25.00. I mentioned that it was to bad on the scratches and the lady said "how about 20 bucks then".

I said ok.

cfrizz

Cool score, I was 10 years old when it was bought!

Have you listened to the Floyd Cramer album? He had a very unique way of playing. I love his version of Last Date. His Grandson has taken after him and is just as talented.

mhardy6647

Unfortunately, the AstroSonic consoles are soiled state and pretty unremarkable -- from my perspective, that is.

If you're happy with it for 20 smackers, that's the important thing.
The records might include a few keepers -- nothin' wrong with Floyd Cramer ("Last Date") or Sonny & Cher!

oldrocker

Clipdat

Worth it for the records alone, assuming they are in decent condition.

It's pretty cool looking as well. Think about the mods you could do. You could take out all the stuff and replace it with high end components.

pitdogg2

WOW nice find that would be 1872.77 in today's dollars.

One of my relatives had a maggotbox just like it.....

shut up jose

oldrocker

As I was waiting for some help to load it up, I sent a pic of it to my wife who then sent it to my daughter.

I got a text from my Daughter shortly after I got it home and apparently she has claimed it

Kid loves that 70's looking stuff.

oldrocker

Wish it had a tube amp in it.

Actually was looking at it for Enders but I think it's too big for what was looking for if he's even still after these things so to the kids place it will go.

[Deleted User]

When I got out of the military I started working in a audio/video store in 1971 in East Baltimore and we sold that model. You could buy the cabinet in pecan, walnut, oak or maple finish. There was an upscale model that had FM station presets and you could get a tape deck (Sony) builtin.

Clipdat

I was wondering if it was tube based? Because one piece of literature shown in your photo mentions tube replacements.

oldrocker wrote: »

Wish it had a tube amp in it.

Actually was looking at it for Enders but I think it's too big for what was looking for if he's even still after these things so to the kids place it will go.

oldrocker

I think the tube model was a different model. I'll did back inside it in a bit.

It is a maple finish. The manual does show 3 different style tuners.

Been playing a few hours now, kind of neat to tinker with...

Viking64

I used to think that a "Floyd Kramer" was a Kramer guitar with a Floyd Rose locking tremelo until I bought a CD instrumental compilation that included Floyd Cramer's song "Last Date".

oldrocker

A bunch of Floyd Cramer.

The people running the sale said the Gentleman who passed away and had a ton of vintage fishing equipment.

In the basement was lots of pictures of some of the fish that the guy caught over the years.

FYI, almost all the fishing stuff was sold in the first 30 minutes apparently...

[Deleted User]

In the photo with the turntable visible the square object on the upper left is a 45 changer adapter. It slips over the center spindle and lets the owner put on a stack of singles. The choice of which wooden cabinet to pick was pretty important to the distaff buyer.

Viking64

Tax was 2%!

aprazer402

Nice looking old console, great price! Cool looking conversation piece of real wood, if nothing else. I have a 1959-61 something Pilot console (w/tubes) in beautiful condition, I'll post photos of it sometime. These old consoles are kind of neat and people seem to be snatching them up more recently. Many just went to the dumps in the past.

oldrocker

Price was 300 on the receipt tax part says 6 bucks

Yep it does have the original 45 adapter, been years since I've seen one.

I did notice next to the stereo indicator light is a small signal strength meter, seems to be also working.

oldrocker

cfrizz wrote: »

Cool score, I was 10 years old when it was bought!

Have you listened to the Floyd Cramer album? He had a very unique way of playing. I love his version of Last Date. His Grandson has taken after him and is just as talented.

Have only played the Sonny & Cher for a brief moment.

I think I saw a few albums with that song on it. If so you want one??

I doubt I'll ever use the albums unless the Daughter or Wife would want some.

oldrocker

Clipdat wrote: »

I was wondering if it was tube based? Because one piece of literature shown in your photo mentions tube replacements.

oldrocker wrote: »

Wish it had a tube amp in it.

Actually was looking at it for Enders but I think it's too big for what was looking for if he's even still after these things so to the kids place it will go.

That literature seems to be about a tape player/upgrade??

oldrocker

I just glad I didn't get skunked AGAIN

Too bad there wasn't some old Macs in the basement, you know the ones that weigh a ton and got those Big Blue Meters

EndersShadow

Looks good man! Your right, wouldn't work for what I want (but I think I got that covered, more later).

The scratches will come out easy with a simple stain pen from Walmart. Personally I like that my Magnavox console has some wear and tear on it (I mean its from the 50's so cmon, it shoulda shown a little bit of love marks on it ya know).

Some time with a stain pen and the scratches are there but not that bad. This picture is from before I did anything with the stain pen. Dont have any afters yet as I'm waiting to get the tube amp redone and add in the Chromecast Audio or Alexa to stream music through it .

Click here for one you can zoom in one to look at the damage

agfrost

KennethSwauger wrote: »

In the photo with the turntable visible the square object on the upper left is a 45 changer adapter. It slips over the center spindle and lets the owner put on a stack of singles. The choice of which wooden cabinet to pick was pretty important to the distaff buyer.

...unless I'm interpreting this incorrectly, that's a much cooler way of saying "WAF." Like it.

mhardy6647

Clipdat wrote: »

I was wondering if it was tube based? Because one piece of literature shown in your photo mentions tube replacements.

oldrocker wrote: »

Wish it had a tube amp in it.

Actually was looking at it for Enders but I think it's too big for what was looking for if he's even still after these things so to the kids place it will go.

AstroSonic was Maggotbox's nomenclature for their soiled umm, solid state stuff.

Their vacuum tube consoles were pretty darned OK. I have previously recounted my surprise, in the second half of the 'seventies, to discover that Soundscape's John Dorsey (Polk's first dealer, AFAIK) had a tubed Maggotbox console in his home. Had a hifi store full of Quad, KEF, Rogers, Luxman, Yamaha, harman/kardon -- stuff like that... and a Maggotbox console.

It was many, many years later that I understood that it wasn't an ironic statement on his part.

The drivers in the titular Magnavox of this thread are more or less identical to the earlier, midline consoles -- the only real difference in the one I have here is AlNiCo magnets on the woofers vs. ceramic magnets on the one in this thread. The manufacturer of the treble horns varied over the years - earlier consoles had Jensen RP-109s, later one had clones made by Heppner (maybe others, too).

The top-line Magnavoxes, particularly of the 1940s and 1950s, were pretty serious hifi hardware and not inexpensive. Magnificent Magnavox, as their sales literature (and sometimes their console's labels) themselves put it.

indyhawg

Nice find, Dave. I would not mind finding a console for my office. You and Dan should become console pickers.

oldrocker

indyhawg wrote: »

Nice find, Dave. I would not mind finding a console for my office. You and Dan should become console pickers.

Thanks,

Do you have a preferred make/model/size-dimensions?

The company that did the estate sale have a few more sales coming up soon that I'll probably go to.

oldrocker

mhardy6647 wrote: »

Unfortunately, the AstroSonic consoles are soiled state and pretty unremarkable -- from my perspective, that is.

If you're happy with it for 20 smackers, that's the important thing.
The records might include a few keepers -- nothin' wrong with Floyd Cramer ("Last Date") or Sonny & Cher!

Daughter just looked at it, told me she a spot all picked out that would work perfect.
20 bucks well spent for her smile

Ended up with 10 Cramer albums, don't look to terrible.

Anyone want em??

cfrizz

Floyd Cramer's Last Date
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ty0yWjY0n0

oldrocker

Ok one last pic.

As I was going through the albums, found these.

I also found some family pictures and an envelope in one of the album covers.
Looks like I'll be heading back to the sale tomorrow.

cfrizz

And his Grandson Jason Coleman, keeping his memory alive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTo8k12DrU4

smglbrth

I think you got good deal for $20. But, then again, I like old (wood) furniture in practically any form and I think what you have looks great. They definitely don't make things like they used to, unless you want (can) spend thousands, on one piece...

Toolfan66

It was/is worth more than $20 IMO!!!

Nice score!!!