[Head Creep]

Today, while going through my great-grandmother's house (she passed away a few months ago), there was a big wooden cabinet sitting in the corner that nobody wanted. I opened it up, and it turned out to be a Wurlitzer stereo and record player with two speakers. Needless to say, as soon as I got the go-ahead, I put my name on it and took it home. Very nicely made wooden cabinet, taken straight out of the 60's or 70's (two side-panels, housing speakers, are criss-crossed wood with orangish fabric covering it). Inside the middle cabinet is a stereo (labeled Wurlitzer Solid State Stereo) with a record player on top, complete with a thrashed copy of a company's greatest-hits record. The back says it's model number 101 MO (MO in bold), serial number 2505. Unfortunately, a Google search turns up absolutely nothing on it. My question is, has anyone ever heard of this thing before? Is it a vintage stereo that I should treasure with my life or a piece of junk? It looks very nice, and sounds good too (hasn't been used in years, so I might keep the headphone amp running overnight to burn it in a bit), but I can't find any info online.

 

[zowie]

More likely than not it's junk or near-junk, but if you can post or email some pictures I'll have a much better idea.

 

[agile_one]

Whoa ... don't throw that bad boy away just yet ...

Wurlitzer was huge in juke boxes and commercial sound stuff back in the day, and this may be a rarity. All the big brands (GE, RCA, Magnavox, Philco, etc) put out really bad quality, but what is now collectible home stereo consoles back in the 60's, and that was what there was for mainstream USA- components were just considered exotic, and just coming in, plus they were foreign

(time police, rewind the clock to 1958, and call off the PC police - that's how it really was - with no offense - we were all just really stupid and ill informed/under exposed back then).

Do you have any photos or manuals you can quote from? Beware of anyone who tells you it's worth nothing, the say's yjey will take it off your hands for a small $$$.

Be patient - if storage is not a problem - just keep it.

Best,

Gene

 

[zowie]

The vast majority of consoles -- bare-bones solid state receiver plus BSR or Garrard auto-slim changer from department stores -- are never going to be worth the cost of moving them. People who store these huge things thinking that they have or are appreciating from their original often high origianal price are going to be very disappointed.

Certainly there are exceptions. Fisher and german tube gear, astro-sonics 'verbs, the occassional custom cabinet mounted with real components (I've seen Dynaco, Dual and even McIntosh) come to mind. Also certain extra-nice period or quirky cabinets. There are the exception.

I suspect the piece in question falls in the first category, but of course we don't yet know enough about it.

Head: I am sorry about your loss.

 

[agile_one]

Quote:

Originally Posted by zowie The vast majority of consoles -- bare-bones solid state receiver plus BSR or Garrard auto-slim changer from department stores -- are never going to be worth the cost of moving them. People who store these huge things thinking that they have or are appreciating from their original often high origianal price are going to be very disappointed. Certainly there are exceptions. Fisher and german tube gear, astro-sonics 'verbs, the occassional custom cabinet mounted with real components (I've seen Dynaco, Dual and even McIntosh) come to mind. Also certain extra-nice period or quirky cabinets. There are the exception. I suspect the piece in question falls in the first category, but of course we don't yet know enough about it. Head: I am sorry about your loss.

Agreed, in spite of my optimistic post inspired by the Wurlitzer name - most importantly, I am also sorry for the loss of your loved one, Head Creep, and I should have said so in my original post. Let me say it now - may your great grandmother rest in peace, and may you gain from whatever you have learned from her in your lifetime (there is more to come ...)

 

[Head Creep]

Thanks for the condolences. It seems like it happened ages ago, so it's a bit odd accepting condolences at this point in time.

As for the reciever, with a little bit of tweaking on the bass and treble knobs, the speakers are sounding very nice. I was going to burn-in the headphone amp last night, but I forgot to set my CD player to repeat. Oh well... I plan on taking pictures of it as soon as possible, though it's not guaranteed that I can get my hands on a camera in the first place.

I'm not holding onto this for material worth, if that's what I conveyed in the original post. There is a sentimental factor, but also it's a very big step up from the bootleg rig I had going before. And it has a very retro look going to it, which makes it hard to listen to anything new on it. I've been listening to Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath all day, though I did play White Zombie once because its AM-radio-ish clips made it seem older than its age in places.

 

[John Drewes]

I have one of these. I purchased it at an estate sale.
 
The cabinet is perfect and the unit plays. I can send you a picture if you would like to check  it out.
 
As far as the value, it is hard to say because  of how rare they are. You would think the Wurlitzer name would help that.