ARCHIVED FORUM -- March 2012 to February 2022READ ONLY FORUM
This is the second Archived Forum which was active between 1st March 2012 and 23rd February 2022
I mentioned in another thread that I was getting another 60's item and it arrived with me yesterday. A Grand Prix Present 610. Pretty much top of the range for 1964. As usual its not perfect but it will clean up nicely and it actually works. AM is perfect, it sounds great connected to an ipod but FM is nothing but static. I live in a dip and surrounded by tall trees so reception here is terrible but I expect there may be a problem with FM. My first port of call will be to change the valve as they are known to be dodgy and I will go from there.
Any way you want pictures dont you. Here it is as it arrived
As usual, the first thing I do is take it apart! This proved to be a problem. Some b****r had obviously taken the knobs off before, lost the grub screw on the echo knob and so had glued the knob on. As you have to remove the knobs to get the radio apart I was a bit stuck but eventually managed it. So now its apart and the cabinet is getting a good clean and oil. It didnt look it but it was filthy Heres a before picture.
More later.
Very nice !
This is one of the most beautiful B&O radios from early 60's. And the rare to.
More pics please ...
Vintage Bang & Olufsen
So Ive finished cleaning the Grand Prix and put it all back together. The buttons and knobs were filthy. The knob second from the left is the one that was glued on. To remove it I very carefully cut it off. A bit drastic but I couldnt think of anthing else! Its still dirty as I am letting the glue I used to stick it back together harden before cleaning it. Also the covers for the dial lamps have discoloured slightly due to the heat but then theres not much you can do about that.
The wood has come up really well. IIt really does look nice now.
I also thought that I would reunite it with its relatives, all named 610. I obviously like the produclts from 1964.
One other picture, after my hard work cleanig it, I left it playing whilst it was sitting on the floor went out of the room for a couple of minutes and came back to discover that the lovely warm valves had met with someone elses approval!
Im not really going to do much else to this, I will try and get the FM section working properly soon. Apart from that its just going to have occasional use whilst looking impressively large on a shelf.
Beautiful pieces !
Martin
Congratulations, I love my Grand Prix Moderne 610 too.
There is an ECC85 valve hard at work in the IF section; mine needed replacement - they usually aren't that expensive as the heaters are differently laid out compared with the other valves of the ECC8x range
Vinyl records, cassettes, open reel, valve amplifiers and film photography.
Just Beautiful Beaker, cant wait to get my 608 over here, my first valve radio, but I will have to wait until January, and as it is big and heavy, my son who will bring it, maybe has to find a big enough box or suitcase to pack it in. He is allowed to bring 2 x 22 Kg without charge over the Atlantic. I wonder if he can bring my BM and BG 1000 too
BTW can the BG 1000 play with the Present de Luxe 608 ??
Collecting Vintage B&O is not a hobby, its a lifestyle.
Søren Hammer: Congratulations, I love my Grand Prix Moderne 610 too. There is an ECC85 valve hard at work in the IF section; mine needed replacement - they usually aren't that expensive as the heaters are differently laid out compared with the other valves of the ECC8x range
The ECC83, in particular, has only risen in value (read: purchase price) because some so-calledaudiophiles started to use them for their projects.There's nothing special about the valve itself though some modern valves may have been producedslightly differently to suit the audiophiles even better.
The frontend valve ECC85 never found use in audiophile circles so is still absolutely reasonably pricedand would also be the first thing I'd replace. It's a hard working valve and when emission startsto fall reception is gradually decayed.
The ECC83 is also used in many guitar amplifiers pre amp section for decades.