Newbie with an 800B

[Day Radebaugh]

Hello:

I'm Day Radebaugh from El Dorado, Kansas, and was happy to find this site.  30 years ago, when I was a starving student, I lived in a house in Baltimore that was in the process of being sold.  They had an old Scott console (with a phonograph, as i recall) which i bought for $5.  I couldn't keep the cabinet, but kept all but the phonograph.  It's been stored inside ever since.

So now I'd like to have it restored, and I would build a new console to contain it.  Do you have any suggestions about how to proceed?  Anyone you know of who could tackle a functional restoration of this unit?

Thanks for your help.

Day Radebaugh

[David C. Poland]

How is the chrome condition? Do you have the receiver, the amp and the big 15 inch speaker, probably the blue coax version speaker?
If so, you have the complete set. Suggest you upload a photo or two to thisr thread.
Watch ebay,for a cabinet, sometimes an empty one shows up which would be easier and less expensive than replicating one. Or watch for any cabinet big enough for it, not necessarily a radio cabinet.
Go to the Scott Info Archive above, and select set folders, then open up the folder on the Scott 800 to find some information on your radio.
I have restored an 800-B but I am not up for another. There is a lot of work to restore one. but it is a very good sounding set restored.

[Day Radebaugh]

David C. Poland said:

How is the chrome condition? Do you have the receiver, the amp and the big 15 inch speaker, probably the blue coax version speaker?
If so, you have the complete set. Suggest you upload a photo or two to thisr thread.
Watch ebay,for a cabinet, sometimes an empty one shows up which would be easier and less expensive than replicating one. Or watch for any cabinet big enough for it, not necessarily a radio cabinet.
Go to the Scott Info Archive above, and select set folders, then open up the folder on the Scott 800 to find some information on your radio.
I have restored an 800-B but I am not up for another. There is a lot of work to restore one. but it is a very good sounding set restored.

david:

thanks for the suggestions.  I believe I have the complete unit, but I will get it out of storage, take some pictures, and upload them to the thread.  I've already printed off the contents of the folder, and will study up on it, to help identify what I have. 

I'll be back in touch soon.

Day Radebaugh

[Day Radebaugh]

Here are some pictures of the unit.  It's dusty, chrome seems ok.  would appreciate your opinion.

thanks

Day Radebaugh

Day Radebaugh said:

David C. Poland said:

How is the chrome condition? Do you have the receiver, the amp and the big 15 inch speaker, probably the blue coax version speaker?
If so, you have the complete set. Suggest you upload a photo or two to thisr thread.
Watch ebay,for a cabinet, sometimes an empty one shows up which would be easier and less expensive than replicating one. Or watch for any cabinet big enough for it, not necessarily a radio cabinet.
Go to the Scott Info Archive above, and select set folders, then open up the folder on the Scott 800 to find some information on your radio.
I have restored an 800-B but I am not up for another. There is a lot of work to restore one. but it is a very good sounding set restored.

david:

thanks for the suggestions.  I believe I have the complete unit, but I will get it out of storage, take some pictures, and upload them to the thread.  I've already printed off the contents of the folder, and will study up on it, to help identify what I have. 

I'll be back in touch soon.

Day Radebaugh

[Day Radebaugh]

and some more pictures

[David C. Poland]

Your photos confirm an 800-B with good cosmetic condition. Chrome should clean up nicely - I use Turtle brand Chrome polish - a liquid.
As for a cabinet substitute, you could look for a cabinet big enough to hold the receiver with the amp below on a bottom shelf, behind the speaker. Scott cabinets were open back. As an example, for the past 40 years, I housed my Scott Philharmonic in a Victor phonograph cabinet I found gutted in a Goodwill store which I refinished. This cabinet was big enough, deep enough and strong enough to hold the radio and accommodate the 15 inch speaker. The receiver sat fully exposed on the upper shelf, which displayed the chrome. I installed 3/4 inch plywood below as a speaker board , and applied speaker cloth to protect the speaker cone and for appearance. My amp sat behind the speaker as would be the case in a Scott cabinet.

[Day Radebaugh]

david:

if i can get this running, i think i'll build a brand new cabinet to show it off.  i'd like to display the radio, obviously, but not necessarily the amplifier chassis.  the speaker i would put behind grille cloth, clearly.  i think i could design something that showed off the best features of the old unit in a new setting.

day

David C. Poland said:

Your photos confirm an 800-B with good cosmetic condition. Chrome should clean up nicely - I use Turtle brand Chrome polish - a liquid.
As for a cabinet substitute, you could look for a cabinet big enough to hold the receiver with the amp below on a bottom shelf, behind the speaker. Scott cabinets were open back. As an example, for the past 40 years, I housed my Scott Philharmonic in a Victor phonograph cabinet I found gutted in a Goodwill store which I refinished. This cabinet was big enough, deep enough and strong enough to hold the radio and accommodate the 15 inch speaker. The receiver sat fully exposed on the upper shelf, which displayed the chrome. I installed 3/4 inch plywood below as a speaker board , and applied speaker cloth to protect the speaker cone and for appearance. My amp sat behind the speaker as would be the case in a Scott cabinet.

[Day Radebaugh]

The unit is back, and sounding fine.  I'm looking forward to designing and having built a cabinet to house it.  It will have 3 shelves; the top will hold the tuner, middle amp, bottom speaker.  Will have to recreate the wooden faceplate (escutcheon) which was damaged in shipping, but that should be easy with a router.

Have attached a pic with the unit on my bench.  Restoration done by Kevin Frattalone and Tom Anderson at Antique Sounds.  They did a fine job.  It's been 40 years since I first acquired this radio, but it's worth the wait.

Day Radebaugh

[Dave]

Hello Day. Thought I'd answer your question re my custom cabinet here for all to read. As a boy I'd frequent grandpa's radio/tv store. When stereo was coming on, many a budding audio dad would rifle thru discarded TV cabinets. Many were well made with doors. Still see dad cutting the tops to hinge, allowing access to a turntable fitted below. For a while it was a "cottage industry" that supplemented the income of many a craftsman. Much of the early amps, tuners, and integrated, were open chassis just begging to be in a cabinet or wall enclosed. Then again, if you had "jewelry" like the 800b PS, why hide it ? Many were fixed such as mine or had a special place on the "mantle" of sorts. This was a time that coffee tables served the purpose of housing speakers !! Anyway, my 800 resides in a pickled oak 1957 RCA TV console. These were also commonly used for phonograph consoles. Having full length doors speaks for itself. Anyway, to this day, I have an eye out for TV "boxes". Found one awhile back, same as seen in my avatar. It might make a good home for my MC30s and C8s.

[Day Radebaugh]

Dave:

Didn't pick up on your reference to MC30's and C8's, but if your talking about vintage McIntosh gear, here's some of mine.

[Dave]

Yes, the unity coupled McIntosh 30s ! And the overlooked (by modern day audiophiles) C8 preamp "compensators". Those rebuilt right, outshine the c11 and post offerings, for dynamic limited early recordings. They are outstanding duos for LP and tape....as worthy as any effort pre or post offering. For me, all early post tube offerings only approximate their predecessors. The limitations of RIAA was built into the C8s. These are overlooked and like radio, are worthy of attention.

[Day Radebaugh]

Getting ready to have a cabinet built for my refurbed 800B.  It will have one horizontal shelf, on which the tuner will sit.  Below that, I'll put the speaker.  Because of room, I'd like to install the amplifier section a bit below and behind the speaker magnet in its own little cubbyhole.

Does anyone know why the amp couldn't live within, let's say, 6" of that honking big magnet?

Thanks

[Dave]

Do reason why not David.
My Masterpiece power supply is approximately just that.
I have in placed against my upstairs stairwell so I can adore all the chrome at rear as I ascend. My wife thinks it crazy but I insist the resulting reflection helps illuminate the steps.