Calling All Motorola Consoles!!!

[jeffhamman]

Thats it! 1961 OK these ads are great!

Though your console may have been advertised, manufactured and sold any time from Sept. 1960 on, it was probably considered a 1961 model. September seems to have been the month that most of the console manufacturers debuted the coming year's new models. Your console appears to be one of the higher-priced "regular" Motorola consoles from 1961. "Regular" meaning it's not a Drexel model ($625-695) or a Heritage model ($895 and $995). It may be the one referred to as the $457 model in the 1961 Roundup above. Here is an advertisement from Sept. 1960 for your model:

Yes it does not appear to say drexell on it so your probably right, anyway I will get it refinished one of these days, I will get a pics as soon as I uncover it. BTW where are you finding all your ads, they look like newspaper ads? thats awsome!

 

[jeffhamman]

motorola high priced line?

What about this 3 piece model Im hearing about would you have any info on it? I would love to see a pics.. I did see a add in craigslist in fayettville ar about a two peice. about 2 months ago radio/record in one cab and large seperate matching blonde speaker. he quoted it was a 57 model.

 

[TheRed1]

What about this 3 piece model I'm hearing about would you have any info on it?

The 1960 SK-31. Yea, that one is really intriguing. No pictures - no details of any kind other than the MSRP. But the mere knowledge of its existence has made the world at bit more interesting, hasn't it? I bet Motorola put the phonograph in a one of the pieces without the bass channel, too.

 

[TheRed1]

Here's a little something I picked up the other day for 8 bits. Model SK100MP.

No way! I was just about to post a little blurb about the SK100 - what are the odds?. It was the only model mentioned by number in the 1963 model write-up in Billboard:

One of the highlights in the [1963] line is the revolutionary model SK100, a stereo phono housed in a contemporary styled coffee table 16 inches high by 50 inches long. The piece, which lists at $129.95, can be used as a room divider or coffee table.

I had incorrectly identified it earlier in this thread as a 1964 model since this ad was from Nov. 63 and I wanted to correct myself. Any indication what MP stands for? The hexagonal SK100 in the ad is from Drexel's Triune collection, I believe. Perhaps MP might reference whatever furniture line your coffee table console was a part of. Or the "M" part might stand for "maple" - it kind of looks like maple. I wonder how many styles of SK-100 there were.

 

[TheRed1]

A warning to those of you hope to find some of these nice Drexel Motorola consoles:

http://retrorenovation.com/2008/08/...l-stereo-and-an-update-on-her-other-projects/

You may have competition from an unexpected segment of the population - women.

 

[Codyman]

Does anyone have anymore information about the SK54MB? I am still waiting to hear back from the owner but would love to know anymore information about it such as output watts etc.

 

[chompo7]

motorola sk13

hello

i dont have pics but here is a link to a video of my sk13 console

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5f_mYIJMsk

 

[nitrous]

Motorola SK-31 (?) Console

Here's my Motorola 3 channel stereo console from '59/60. I believe it's a SK 31 model (I'll have to dig up the original sales receipt to verify) purchased new by my parents when I was a kid. This console does not have the AM/FM tuner in it, so it would be 1 step down from the TOTL. The amp uses four EL84/6BQ5 output tubes and a 5U4GB rectifier. The preamp uses two 12AX7A tubes. I love listening to this console; been doing so since I was 6 years old.
This console played so loud, that I remember as a kid mowing the lawn with a gasoline powered engine roaring, yet I was still able to hear this stereo blast out my R'n'R records when turning the volume dial up to "10." The neighbors were not thrilled when my parents left me home alone.

 

[relaximus]

Nitrous:

That is absolutely gorgeous, and the fact that you have a personal connection to its history is so very cool. Cherish that piece and the memories associated with it. You have a beautiful console with a legacy that is your own. You will, hopefully, be able to pass along both to your children when the day comes. Have you re-capped the amp yet?

BTW: Get that McCrap off the top of her! What are those line-arrays?

Dave

 

[TheRed1]

Nitrous, I think it's an SK-30 from the 1960 model year. Check out the ad from Oct. 59. That's one very elegant Motorola console. But Dave's right - it would look much nicer without all that stuff on it . . . maybe over by your fireplace with a potted plant next to it.

Do you remember your parents getting it? Was it a Christmas present for the family or did dad get a bonus at work and buy a nice new Motorola without telling mom? And, besides the receipt, do you have any of the original paperwork like owner's manuals, brochures, catalogs, etc.?

 

[relaximus]

And please post some pics of what's "under the hood"! Pics of the amp, speakers and TT/Control Panel would be much appreciated. Gawd, I love these things!!! :thmbsp:

Dave

 

[MickeySmile]

Here is my SK163 model, 3 channels _ 2 SE EL84 & 1 PP 6V6.
Golden Voice driver. Have no idea when its made.

 

[perchdog]

anybody know anything about a sx79 ?? more likely sk79

 

[nitrous]

Motorola SK-30 Console

Nitrous, I think it's an SK-30 from the 1960 model year. Check out the ad from Oct. 59. That's one very elegant Motorola console. But Dave's right - it would look much nicer without all that stuff on it . . . maybe over by your fireplace with a potted plant next to it.

Do you remember your parents getting it? Was it a Christmas present for the family or did dad get a bonus at work and buy a nice new Motorola without telling mom? And, besides the receipt, do you have any of the original paperwork like owner's manuals, brochures, catalogs, etc.?

Red,, I think you're right- my console is a SK-30 model. My dad purchased it in late '59 from A&S (Abraham & Straus) department store on Long Island for $300 (A&S was later bought out by Macy's in the '90s.) My father was an excellent competitive shopper. He bought the stereo as a gift for my mother, who loved music & had a nice record collection. I have the Jonathan Winters stereo demo record & the sleeve which came with the unit, but I can't find the original owners manual yet. I must have played that demo record hundreds of times. I couldn't get enough of the ping pong ball jumping from speaker to speaker. Or of the train roaring across from the left channel to the middle 15 " Jensen woofer to the right channel. Now that was fascinating to a 6 year old. Dave, the McIntosh equipment is temporarily driving the speakers as I'm in the process of restoring the Motorola amp & preamp. The tweet array that you see to the left of the console are part of my Bozak Symphony (B-4000)speaker system. I'll post additional pix of the console tt, pre & amp soon for you to view.

 

[relaximus]

... Dave, the McIntosh equipment is temporarily driving the speakers as I'm in the process of restoring the Motorola amp & preamp. The tweet array that you see to the left of the console are part of my Bozak Symphony (B-4000)speaker system. I'll post additional pix of the console tt, pre & amp soon for you to view.

Thanks, I'm looking forward to seeing more of it (and those Symphony's too)!

Dave

 

[relaximus]

Here is my SK163 model, 3 channels _ 2 SE EL84 & 1 PP 6V6.
Golden Voice driver. Have no idea when its made.

Mickey:
That's a nice looking unit and I'll wager it sounds good with that tube complement! Does the front open to reveal a central woofer? The date code, on the amp, would indicate October of '63 as its birthday.

Dave

 

[MickeySmile]

Mickey:
That's a nice looking unit and I'll wager it sounds good with that tube complement! Does the front open to reveal a central woofer? The date code, on the amp, would indicate October of '63 as its birthday.

Dave

No, it doesn't have the front open. I would love have that too. By the way, I would like to recap the unit, do you know where I can get the manual or schematic? Thank you.

Binh

 

[relaximus]

I just checked at techpreservation.dyndns.org and the copy there appears to be corrupted. Perhaps someone here has the Sams for it.

Dave

 

[Codyman]

Good news everyone!

Google has been going on with this ambitious "scan every newspaper / book ever" campaign called Google Books

Well, this includes vintage newspapers along with vintage ads

and I found my SK54!

http://books.google.com/books?id=H08EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA88&dq=SK54+motorola&lr=#v=onepage&q=SK54%20motorola&f=false

If you want to find your model, go to www.google.com/books and type in the search your model number followed by motorola, see what comes up!

Edit:

Wow, my console went for $695 big ones in 1960, that's nearly $5,000 today - http://books.google.com/books?id=LS...otorola&lr=#v=onepage&q=SK54 motorola&f=false

 

[jln1966]

Here is my SK163 model, 3 channels _ 2 SE EL84 & 1 PP 6V6.
Golden Voice driver. Have no idea when its made.

Thats a nice console. Is it record player only? It looks like a 1963 model. The amp has a 10/63 date on it. Its just a couple of months newer than my Motorola which has an 8/63 date on it.
John