1950’s Audio | Hepcats Haven

Tag Archives: 1950’s Audio

Rare 1956 Crescent 45 Record Player

Posted on June 28, 2017 by Hepcats Haven

I am a record player fanatic! There were so many makes and styles that the options are almost endless. As usual, I was cruising eBay when SHAZAM, I came across this rare 1956 Crescent 45 record player.

This unit is farm fresh. It needs some cleaning up and a servicing to make it fully functional again.

I love the slanted design with the metal hairpin legs on the front. I also dig the atomic green fabric with the gold diamond accents on the front.

This unit has a speaker underneath. This is what drove the slanted design of this record player.

I will use some light grit sand paper to clean up all the gold accents and paint them with the 24K gold spray paint carried by Michael’s.

The grey material on the outside of the case is in good shape, but will need some freshening up.

I will reach out to my faithful repair guy Justin from Stellar Electronics. I know he will fix her up!

Here is the original ad showing this little gem towards the bottom.

For all of you who noticed the record in the background, it is a Les Baxter 10″ 33&1/3 album. This cover is so fantastic and came out at the same time the player did.

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Posted in Restorations, The Makin's Of Our Pad and tagged 1950's Audio, 1950's record player, 1960's Audio, 1960's record player, 45 record player, 50's Audio, 50's record player, 60's Audio, 60's record player, atomic record player, audiophile, fifties record player, mid century record player, midcentury record player, Phonograph, record, Retro Audiophile, retro phonograph, retro record player, vintage record player, vinyl records. Bookmark the permalink.

1958 RCA Victor Mark IX “Stereo Twins” SHP-9

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Hepcats Haven

I have always been a fan of RCA. I like the styling of their units and they always seem to be reliable. I was cruising Craigslist as usual, when I saw this unit in Merced and decided to zip down and pick it up. Overall, it’s in great shape, but the needle needs to be replaced. The cabinets of both units are also in good condition.

Obviously, this unit is called “Stereo Twins” because it has the main unit and a matching satellite speaker. This sort of set up fills a room with sound, it’s fantastic!

Someone at some point mounted a Heathkit tuner (AJ-14) into the record storage area. I am not sure if I am sold on it yet. I might remove it so it looks more original. When I checked with our good friend Justin at Stellar Electronics, he said that he has only seen these units with a phonograph. He said the Heathkits were usually sold as kits which were assembled after you bought them. So, this is a DIY job.

This still has the original 45 adapter.

Justin was also able to help me find a replacement needle (EVM-80x), thanks Justin!

The speaker fabric is in fantastic original condition. This set was cared for and loved by someone to be in this great of shape.

This looks great in our office and will really be a nice addition to all the other vintage audio equipment in our collection. I have alway been drawn to vintage electronics, and I love the quality of the sound they produce.