[nicfic]

I think this is the model.
I have an opportunity to buy this radio. Owner will haggle. He's at $60.
Says it was his mother- in -laws radio and he knows only that it delivers only static.
Assuming that the turntable needs full restoration, is it practical?
Are needles available or is it possible to replace it with a 50's 3 speed model.
Any suggestions?

[Squire]

Nice looking unit! If you can talk him down a bit I'd say go for it! I enjoyed restoring my D-10 phonograph. It was easier than I thought it would be. The biggest drawback with them is the tiny 6" platter and the fact that they only play 78's. You'll need a new idler, cartridge and possibly a platter reflocking. I installed a Pfansteihl P51-3 cartridge in mine. No modifications were needed and it works great! I have pdf's of the service literature I can send you and may be able to help with a spare part or two. OTOH, It is possible to install a newer changer but it will probably be smaller than the D-10 so it may really look out of place.

[morzh]

$60 is a nice price in my neck of the woods.

[SteveG]

Looks like a pretty nice unit for the price you'd pay for two steak dinners......

[D R FORD]

the 1209 has push buttons over the dial

[Kenneth F. Besso Jr.]

  Looks like my 46-1226  code 125,,,,,,

[Squire]

So the 1209 has the D-10A record changer with the magnetic cartridge. I've heard those are harder to restore due to the unavailability of replacement carts. Can you just swap the tone arm and make it a regular D10 or are other modifications necessary?

[Arran]

 I would offer as little as possible for this unit, it's post war, it does not play, and it has a record changer, which is only really useful if you have 78 rpm records to play, but adds to the restorations costs. Some may bring in non sequitur comparisons like restaurant meals, or white walls tires, but the main cost of a radio is not the purchase prices it's in the restoration, and post war radio-phono combo units cost more to restore then a pre war radio console but are less collectable and worth less in resale. When you see units like this on fleabay the listings usually cycle through without any bids, and get relisted again and again or the seller gives up. At a radio swap meet they usually sell cheap, go on the free pile, or at one meet their end on a bonfire if nobody takes them. I would count on spending $50 or more between the radio and the record changer in restoration costs, getting a later three speed changer may make it more useful, but those have to be overhauled too, and you would have to modify the drawer to make one fit.
  In spite of what some may say you don't necessarily have to replace or have the idler wheels rebuilt, the tires are not always bad unless you live in a hot climate that destroys rubber. In rebuilding the idler wheels one of the parts suppliers I have purchased from has a selection of tires available, wjoeradio.com , he may or may not have one that will work on this changer but it's worth investigating rather then paying out $30 (plus shipping) to get an old one rebuilt if you don't have to. If this has a magnetic cartridge, and it has not been molested by some dummy trying to fit a steel needle in it, that could actually work in your favor, the number one thing that seems to fail in 1940s phonographs and changers is the Rochelle salt crystal elements forcing you to either replace the cartridge or rebuild it, like my 46-1201 (Canadian model 76). I don't know if there are replacement needles available for the magnetic cartridges or not, but the one in it may be fine depending on how much it was used or if it was replaced sometime before the unit was retired. The flocking on the platter may come up with a careful vacuuming and a brush, but if it's damaged you can restore it yourself, others have.
Regards
Arran

[Warren]

You would have to swap the whole changer as far as i know. I was lucky to have found another changer with a good cartridge but had to find a new needle for it. Finally found one on ebay. Hard to find though.

[mikethedruid]

Since the motor runs on 110, and is not used as part of the radio/amp circuit, but is completely separate, ( I checked the schematic) you could easily work a modern changer into the existing cabinet where the old one is. Parallel the outputs, and you can then play any modern record through it. You may need a crystal rather than magnetic cartridge. It would be very doable, and you could always pass the existing mechanics to someone who wants it for a museum type restoration and needs parts.

[Arran]

 If you want to go ahead and put a later three or four speed changer in there I would try to do so in a way that is reversible, and keep the original changer with it in case you want to put it back to original or have to sell it again later. Right now they are not especially collectable, but they are even less so when they are hacked up to fit a 1970s era BSR into them. As I said before you will most likely have to restore a record changer either way.
Regards
Arran