Hi, I'm new to this antique radio/phonograph thing. I recently purchased above for 80$. All the parts seem to be intact, but doesn't work. The power supply plug is missing and I assume this unit needs a good overhaul in order to get working.

My question is: Has anyone had one restored? If so, how much $$$ am I in for? I like the piece and would like to get it working again. Also, can anyone recommend a service engineer, company that does this sort of thing. I imagine there's only a few but I could be wrong.

Thanks,
Mike

Mike, where are you? More importantly, place a want ad for the missing major part, it may turn up. Craig

Greg, I'm in North Carolina.
Since I'm new to this, I don't know what part to start with. Even plugging it in is a problem because the cord is cut(i.e. there is no plug). I guess the place to start would be to see if I can wire a new plug. Also, the power supply isn't connected to the main electronics so I need to figure out how they are connected unless someone on here knows about that?

Thanks for the response,
Mike

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the forum.

Do NOT attach a plug and plug it in. The chord was almost certainly cut for safety reasons. If you plug the unit in without servicing you could damage some parts that are expensive or unobtainable.

Prior to energizing the unit the capacitors and resistors will all need to be inspected / changed.

Does the tuning dial turn freely? this is a big problem with the old majestics if I remember correctly.

Cheers

Start here: https://antiqueradio.org/begin.htm. A valuable resource for you.

Tom

Does this look familiar?
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/grigsby_gr_101.html

Definitely do not attempt to apply power until some work has been done.

In my shop, the electrical restoration would be in the neighborhood of $300. The big unknowns are things like the power transformer, speaker, and the tuning capacitor (some Majestics have issues with these, but I don't know specifically about yours.

Sending you a PM with a bit of a crazy idea....

Thanks for the responses!

Okay, I will not try to plug it in(fix the plug). Thanks for the beginner link Tom.

There doesn't seem to be a group/club in NC unfortunately.

I'll see if my local antique shops have any ideas.

Thanks,
Mike

Oh, also I'll post some pics tomorrow or tonight. Seems like my "legs" are different than what I'm seeing online for this model. Maybe they were retro fitted at some point. idk

Here's some pics.

It looks like it might be all original.

I have a soft spot for the 1930-ish "big iron". If the cabinet is OK, I'd say get it running. The long tent poles include power transformer, speaker, and the tuning capacitor. The latter is in the long housing that looks like a Quonset hut..in the middle of the chassis.

I'm going to give it a try and get it running. Yes, the cabinet is in good shape.

Luckily, I found someone close by to get it running for me. Excited to hear what this will sound like.

I'm going to drop it off at "the guys" place next week (he's been doing this for 45yrs). When it's done I'll update y'all about how it went, cost, etc...

Thanks for everyone's thoughts, help.

Mike