Thinking of buying an old radiogram have I done mad?

jonnyburgo

Looking at some on local gumtree, I love the retro looks but wonder about the turntable, most seem to have the old flip stylus. Would it be difficult to fit a stereo cartridge? Then there's the caps etc....potential money pit? I wouldn't be looking at more than £50 on the initial outlay. I remember them sounding wonderful as a child.

steveledzep

If you have a decent record collection, then I wouldn't play them on a radiogram.  More like plough them on a radiogram !  If you have James Last #17 and Sing-a-long-a-Max (Bygraves) then go ahead and enjoy.

shrinkwrap

You could drop in a modern turntable - but yeah don't play your records on the autochanger!

jonnyburgo

Yeah I’ve got a couple of turntables so definitely doable.

Philly_Q

Love that word, radiogram.  We inherited a huge old thing like a sideboard from my grandfather, I used to listen to the Friday Rock Show on it.

But we never used the turntable bit, we had one of these:

ICBM

Potential money pit, but you might be lucky...

Or just play a modern turntable through a guitar amp.

spark240

I’ve got rid of loads of radios and radio grams ...you can pick them up easily for £50 and under ...they can be cumbersome things, valves cause problems, electronics can be shot...unless your keen they’re a bit of a pain 

Snags

I kinda wish my folks hadn't ditched theirs. It was ace, Garrard turntable, played 78s, mahoosive beast of a thing where you opened the doors at each end to expose the speakers, and there was storage for records as well as the radio behind the drop-down front, and access to the turntable from the top.

Caffeine_Vampire

Arms & needles on those things are like pitchforks. 

scrumhalf

We had this massive Pye radiogram when I was a kid. I can still remember the smell of it as it warmed up. I can also remember the smell of it as it burnt out and died.