[Ron Ramirez]

Blonde is another toner color, just like Medium Walnut, Bleached Mahogany, etc.

You can never duplicate a factory finish with stains; only with tinted lacquers as was used by the factory.

I saw that FM tuner, it ended at $152.50 which I thought was ridiculously high. The high bidder placed four bids on it; the sniper at the end didn't break the high bidder's third bid. Obviously this person was willing to pay any price for that tuner.

[Michael Dennis]

That seems to be the type of people i end up bidding against, someone who just has to have the item.

[Doug Houston]

When you're going after the FM receiver for these postwar Mag sets, there are two versions of the FM tuner. One is right side up, and the other upside down. The Regency-Symphony has the right side up model, and the others appear to have the upside down model. Also, the R-S has a panel that stays in the cabinet, and the other sets have a panel on the FM tuner, that's mounted to the tuner, and comes out of the cabinet with the tuner chassis. Why they had to go through all of that monkey business, I'll never know. On the chassis number of the tuner (CR189), there is an "A" suffix for the right side up one, and a "B" suffix for the upside down one.

They're a pretty nice tuner chassis. I fired one up once, and it was a good little performer. I don't know if all of the Mag combos had the FM tuner mounting hardware, but I have a Maggie Georgian with the brackets in it for the FM. I plan on installing an FM tuner in it when I advertise it. Ron tells me that his Regency doesn't have the FM tuner brackets.

One other thing....never apopogize for the lower power output of the Belvedere and the Regencies. They'll both loosen the wallpaper in your house. BTW, that amplifier was used on the Magnasonic models, with the same two speakers. Those phonographs are going begging, and are a bargain to latch on to. One of the guys at work gave me one a few years ago. His wife was going to put it out on the curb!!!

[Michael Dennis]

I remember my Regency Symphony as having a lot more volume than my parents wanted to hear. Now that I know of the existance of older Belvederes, and such, with the central tuning knob, I've been keeping an eye on Magnavox listings on ebay. In fact, I may start a Maggie collection. I very fondly remenber my Regency Symphony, and now Ron has one that's very similar if not exactly like my old one. I'm sure he's gonna love it when he gets it going.

Apparently there used to be a lot of info on Magnavox radio/phonos of this era that is no longer available. i would like very much to find such information on these from about 1940 - 1950.

Mike

[w4rtc]

Hi Ron
I took a change and bid on a Magnavox changer on Ebay. I won the bid for the changer for 99 cents . It is just like the picture you sent me, except it is two speed. It is in very good shape even the idler wheels seem to be soft , I think it will work in my 1946 magnavox just fine and will look the "period". I did not get a changer with the radio. I even have a spare tone arm and pickup I won on Ebay. I plan to finish the cabinet next spring. I will stay with Blonde, I was thinking of stripping the blonde and finshing wood under the blonde but changed my mind. I may need some help when I get to this as I have not ever refinished completely before. I Just wanted to tell about the changer.
Happy Thanksgiving to all
Joe

[Doug Houston]

Most of us, who have fiddled with phonographs, know that Webster-Chicago upgraded the 56 as playing speeds came on. In 1950, I bought a new W-C 56 changer, with the accessory base, which made it a pretty nice player. I was using a Motorola 45 attachment with it, and had it with me at achool.

Later, I decided to upgrade my system, and bought the 356 version of that changer. There was a plug-in head model, as the 356-27, where I could use two GE VR pickup cartridges (3 mil, and 1 mil styli). If you have the 78-only W-C 56 changers, and have trouble getting a pickup cartridge, look into either mounting a GE 3 mil VR cartridge in the pickup arm, and finding (or building) a GE preamp, and installing it in the cabinet. It would give you a better pickup than the crystal that was the original.

The changer that I'll be sending Ron is a Webster-Chicago 256, that came from a Maggie Windsor, and has a small pickup head. Some cartridges might not fit in it, I fear. We might need to work out an E-V Power Point cartridge for it. More news to follow.

Another possibility might be for W-C 256 or 356 changers, is to get the 78-only pickup arm (They're all bakelite), drill the hole in the top of the arm for a GE turnaround cartridge, and use the preamp with it. Anybody with these changers wil have these problems, getting them to work.

[w4rtc]

Hi Ron
Well I got me a FM tuner for my Magnavox . I bid and won one on Ebay it is missing the power transformer but I have one that will work and look orignal. I gave $21 for it it is in good shape other than the power transformer. Now I have a changer (W-C 256) and FM tuner It is now complete. Now the cabinet I will start it in the spring. I am getting to many radios why is that when I go out I find the radios following me home ???
Merry Christmas to all
Joe

[Ron Ramirez]

Congratulations, Joe. I saw that one on eBay.

I am hoping to get a Maggie FM tuner for my Regency Symphony eventually.

Speaking of the Regency, I will start recapping it very soon...maybe even today.

[Ron Ramirez]

It's alive!

Today I completed recapping the set. Upon intial powerup, though, I heard a sizzling noise coming from the input filter cap!

A thorough check of the circuitry found nothing amiss. So I replaced the new 33 uF cap with another new 33 uF cap.

That took care of it - the set then came to life without any further issues.

Every once in a while, we find a new cap that is bad; and that was the problem here. Fortunately, it does not happen very often. I think I can count on one hand the times it has happened to me over the past 36 years of restoring radios. And a LOT of radios have crossed my various workbenches over the years.

Here is the CR-188A chassis, AMP-101 amplifier, and the two 12 inch speakers spread out on my workbench. As you can see, these items took up nearly my entire bench:

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...maggie.jpg]

After an alignment, the set is back in its cabinet and playing as I type this. I can hear it playing downstairs (my computer is upstairs). I'm a happy camper.

[Michael Dennis]

Well done! Glad it's singing those songs and sounding great! Even apart and on the workbench this unit is impressive looking! And now, recorded live, from the Regency Symphony Hall, the music of Ronald Ramirez and His Orchestra!!!

Best regards,

Mike

[Ron Ramirez]

Thanks, Mike.

I recently had the phono cartridge from the RCA-Seeburg changer rebuilt by West-Tech Services. On Monday, I put the newly rebuilt cartridge back into the changer, and hooked it all up to the Magnavox. Now I can listen to records as well.

I will be acquiring the correct Webster-Chicago changer for this radio in the near future; but until then, this will allow me to play some Christmas 78s in the Regency.

[w4rtc]

Hi
O K on the recap and rebuilt cart. I would like to know how the rebuilt cart works. O K on getting a changer. Your magnavox looks good in the pictures. The changer I have is the two speed I think it is the 256 I won it on ebay for 99 cents I found new rubber mounts from Gary (The VM guy) and I have taken it apart and cleaned and lubed it. It has something missing in the power switching I cannot determine what it is yet I think it is some kind of AC switch. But it is in very good shape. I also won the bid on a FM unit which was missing a power transformer and choke, I had both and they fit just as the orignal, I replaced most of the tubes and recapped (most of the caps were cracked they were the square type) it and it came on very strong, it is very sensitive and very stable.
I have bent your ears enough so
Merry Christmas to all
Joe

[Ron Ramirez]

Joe

Lucky you. I'm still looking for an FM tuner.

The rebuilt crystal cartridge works just fine. West-Tech did their usual good work.

In case you were unaware, my friend Syl has posted how to rebuild your own crystal cartridges here on the Phorum...

http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/showth...p?tid=1019

I was getting close to college final exams at the time, so it was easier for me to just have it done. Sometime I am going to try doing it myself, though, using Syl's method.

By the way, the caps in my Magnavox (in both the AMP-101 and CR-188A chassis) all looked like large mica caps. The Micamolds were actually paper, and were all replaced. The real mica caps, Sangamo? brand I believe, were left in place. The caps that were cracked in your tuner were probably Micamold paper caps.

[Ron Ramirez]

With many thanks to "joybird," I've added a Titan FM tuner to my Magnavox.

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...magfm1.jpg]

[Image: http://www.philcoradio.com/images/phorum...magfm2.jpg]

I'm hoping to find an original Magnavox FM tuner eventually, but this Titan works very well and will serve the purpose nicely for the time being.

And with many thanks to Doug Houston, I now have a Webster Chicago 256 two speed changer in my possession, which is pretty much the correct changer for this radio. (Since my Regency is a 1947 model, it would have had a W-C 56 changer, single-speed 78 rpm, originally. The 256 is an upgrade, and offers 33-1/3 and 78 rpm operation.) It even has the name Magnavox molded into the tone arm! I will be installing this changer in place of the working (but non-original) RCA-Seeburg changer in the near future.

I really need to change that grillecloth...

[w4rtc]

Hi Ron
O K on the titan tuner. There is a magnavox Georgian here in Louisville for sale it was on CL but it has been removed. I called about it they want $125 for it it has the 56 changer and the FM unit in it. I almost went for it but I didnt I am running out of space. I looked at my cabinet which is in the garage and I will have to refinish it, the finish is very bad, no serious dents tho, it is blonde. But I have the FM and AM working pretty good. It has two 12 inch speakers. I am having trouble finding a cartridge that works good in my 256 changer I have three tone arms for the 256. I found the orignal pickup on the internet but they want $53 for the pickup but it is orginal ( the one that tilts when you move the counter balance) The out put of the pickup is .35 volt, the ones I have that fit the tone arm are 3 volt and they over drive the amp. The Magnavox I have it the Duette it has the CR-193 chassis. I think the changer that belongs in this one is the 56 but it was missing but I got one on Ebay for 99 cents. I believe your cabinet will polish up pretty good. Do you know if you can get the correct grill cloth?? Boy am I windy. One more thing , Gary at VM has motor mounts for the 256. I can give you the number if you want.
Take care I hope you are doing well
Joe