This is a higly collectable RCA Model QU57 Valve Radio with AM and Short-Wave bands and an original Thorens turntable from the late 1930's. It is all original, even the speaker, and has been serviced by Huisraad's valve radio and antique phonograph expert, Gary Kirk.
Gary said: "This is an amazing find. The Thorens turntable is really the great grandfather of the record players that we use today. I managed to rebuild its original pick-up by replacing the rubber that went hard with the latex tube used in a bicycle valve. On the radio and amplifier section I replaced all the capacitors encased in wax and the electrolytic capacitors under the chassis, and I replaced the one valve in the unit that lasted for about 90 years!
"The Thorens turntable, apart from the repairing the rubber in the cartridge, only needed a drop of oil on the main spindle. That is pretty impressive."
Have a listen to the video that we posted to get an idea of the sound. It is old-fashioned sound, long before the clarity of wifi, but with a wonderful charm of its own. The turntable still works with old-fashioned needles - the steel ones that we included, only last for one record, and the brass covered ones in the tin (100 needles) that comes with the purchase. We include ten of the hard shellac 78 rpm records that were used on these phonographs, in the time before vinyl.
This radio does not have FM reception, since it was made decades before FM. You can clearly receive two or three AM stations in most places in South Africa, and you might be able to still pick up some international shortwave stations if you add a very long aerial.
Take note that this is not a record player that you want to purchase for listening to normal 33 long play vinyl records and 45 singles. It cannot play those but only the old 78's.
Dimensions: 95 x 43 x 81 cm (h)
