12-31-2010, 10:03 AM
Hi Greg
Congratulations, that was a great gift indeed! I think the 48-1276 is one of the best-looking Philco models ever made. I used to own a similar 48-1274; I wish I could have kept it, but when you have a fair-sized collection, eventually you reach a point where you have too many consoles and not enough room.
Anyway...the original changer used in the 48-1276 was the M-4, which is actually a 1946 changer. It is 78 rpm only. The main drawback of this changer is the "dynamic" cartridge used. The cartridge itself was a good one; the problem was the required stylus. It was designed to use a special stylus. The majority of these cartridges have been destroyed by people sticking a steel needle into this cartridge, because it looks like that is what it takes. It isn't. And once a steel needle is inserted, enlarging the opening in the cartridge for the stylus, the cartridge is permanently destroyed. Gib Epling at West-Tech tells me that they cannot be repaired once this has been done.
Philco must have decided the dynamic cartridge was a bad idea also, because a few years later they offered a kit to convert the changers using the "dynamic" cartridge to a crystal cartridge. I think it would be better to come up with a way to adapt a Stanton 500 cartridge to this tone arm.
If you want to play records, and play more than just 78 rpm records, a good replacement would be a three speed changer from an early 1950s Philco. You would have to be sure it would fit in the hole for the M-4, though. It might require using the motor board from the early 1950s Philco you get the changer from, or cutting another board to fit the changer.
Congratulations, that was a great gift indeed! I think the 48-1276 is one of the best-looking Philco models ever made. I used to own a similar 48-1274; I wish I could have kept it, but when you have a fair-sized collection, eventually you reach a point where you have too many consoles and not enough room.
Anyway...the original changer used in the 48-1276 was the M-4, which is actually a 1946 changer. It is 78 rpm only. The main drawback of this changer is the "dynamic" cartridge used. The cartridge itself was a good one; the problem was the required stylus. It was designed to use a special stylus. The majority of these cartridges have been destroyed by people sticking a steel needle into this cartridge, because it looks like that is what it takes. It isn't. And once a steel needle is inserted, enlarging the opening in the cartridge for the stylus, the cartridge is permanently destroyed. Gib Epling at West-Tech tells me that they cannot be repaired once this has been done.
Philco must have decided the dynamic cartridge was a bad idea also, because a few years later they offered a kit to convert the changers using the "dynamic" cartridge to a crystal cartridge. I think it would be better to come up with a way to adapt a Stanton 500 cartridge to this tone arm.
If you want to play records, and play more than just 78 rpm records, a good replacement would be a three speed changer from an early 1950s Philco. You would have to be sure it would fit in the hole for the M-4, though. It might require using the motor board from the early 1950s Philco you get the changer from, or cutting another board to fit the changer.
--
Ron Ramirez
Ferdinand IN
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