I have a couple of VM record changers I have pulled from consoles. I was wondering if it would be worthwhile to overhaul them and build wood bases for them to make them into component players. The labor part is no problem as I enjoy working on them but are they worth putting money into for possible resale. I have wood around for the bases but they need 50.00 -70.00 in parts from Gary Stork. They look great cosmetically.
John

I don't see why not. That way if you have an older set you could still leave the old 78 player in but have one of these off to the side plugged in and ready to go.

"but are they worth putting money into for possible resale"

No. You need to do some research on ebay completed sales.

Bill J.

What are they from? I have a Fisher 500B receiver that I need a stereo changer for...

Are you really thinking about running a low end changer with one of the best receivers of the day.....? Kinda defeating the purpose.

One is a Zenith microtouch from 1962. The other one is from a Curtis Mathis from around 1965-66. They both came out of tv-stereo combo units that were not worth fixing up.
John

I'm really aiming for a Garrard which is what Fisher used in their consoles...

Doesn't VM have a decent reputation as far as quality is concerned?

Let's say VM would be a Ford and Garrard a Mercury.

So basically your saying they both built crap turntables.

I'm a Cadillac man. What's the record changer equivalent?

I thought a Garrard would at least make Bentley status!

If we are using GM comparisons:
VM would be Chevy
Garrard would be Buick
Dual would be as close to a Cadillac as you could probably find in an old changer.

Dual is probably as good as you can find in a changer of that vintage. You would have to go to a single play turntable to get better quality.

VM made good reliable changers that are pretty simple to service. It's in the arm and accuracy of speed (motor quality) where the main difference is. VM's were always built to be competitive in price.

In my opinion, with that receiver, you need to find the highest end single play turntable you can find. If you have to have a changer, Dual is as low as I'd go. Find a seventies turntable to use until the right sixties one shows up if you have to. There are many brands of seventies turntables that are of good to exceptional quality. Make sure the cartridge is a decent magnetic cartridge, not some console pull changer with a ceramic cartridge. You can't even plug that into the phono jack, you will have to use an auxiliary or tape play jack plus the sound will be as different as AM and FM.

If you had just a run of the mill amp, my story might be different, but the Fisher 500 is one of the finest tube receivers ever made and you need to make sure your other components measure up.

Looks like the Duals are worth some serious coin--at least on ebay. Considerably more than the Garrards.

Lots to consider. First I have to find out what the shop is going to snag me for the receiver refurb...

Others may disagree with me; but, an Elac-Miracord TT would be a good one that's from around the same time period as the Dual and probably won't be as expensive. Years ago, I had a Realistic (Radio Shack) branded Miracord TT that worked fine for me and looked similar to a Dual. It was a 4-speed idler driven TT that could be used as either a manual or automatic TT and it had a decent Shure magnetic cartridge installed in it. Otherwise, look for a single play model (Pioneer, Technics, Kenwood, Marantz, etc) from the '70's or mid '80's. After the mid '80's, records started to lose popularity and turntables started to be made that were not that great as far as quality goes.

VM, BSR, and Garrard changers are all decent for what most of them were designed for and that was for use in the average low-to-mid line console stereo or "all in one" system that was designed for a ceramic cartridge. When these changers are used with something high end, the shortcomings of these changers make themselves more well known.

I would agree. You see them called Benjamin Miracords too. Had one years back a little later model maybe?? Also Lesa and especially Lenco made some decent turntables and other companies, like Presto and Bogen, marketed turntables of good quality, some made by Lenco I believe. Back then you could buy your own motor and arm and homebrew your own if you wanted also. Rek-O-Kut, Shure, Empire, and ESL, just to name a few all sold their own arms usually through jobbers like Radio Shack or Lafayette. Some of the best turntables were priced without the arm so you could add the one you wanted.