Curtis Mathes Console Turntable System

[voice1]

Hi All,
Recently I found what initially seemed like a TV stand at a friend's garage. I thought I will just refinish it and use it as a TV stand.

While working on that project I found out that this was Curtis Mathes Console. I didn't realize this also because it was missing all the sound related parts. No speakers, no turntable and no stereo was there.

Now I have a finished wood console and have no idea where to start to get this working as it was initially intended.

Attached is a picture of what it looks like as of today. I have no experience in turntables or old style stereo systems but the idea of finishing this is very fascinating.
Can you guys please help in whatever way possible to guide me where to begin to find the exact version of the parts and also where to get the missing parts?

Thank you for your help.

 

[gadget73]

Just a personal opinion here, but if none of the original guts are there, you have no real reason to find them and put it back together. Fair bet it would cost a whole lot more than buying one that isn't gutted already too. Most of the C-M stuff I've seen was mediocre at best in a fairly decent cabinet. Were this me, I'd load it with whatever modern electronics I wanted to and end up with something that is a fair bit better than it would have been originally. Something you have very much on your side is that the gear loads in from the front. Wouldn't be a major ordeal to re-configure that center hole to have just some shelves in it to sit gear on. Many other consoles have a lid on top so you can't easily use them as a media stand, and it makes it far more annoying to re-stuff with other electronics.

 

[raycarr00]

Interesting, found one at a habitat for humanity store several months ago for one seventy and walked away from it. I was too ashamed to just take the amp and leave the rest behind; as I did before. It was a really nice piece. It even had Curtis Mathis tubes still in it.

 

[Fishead]

What @gadget73 said.....unless you just have your heart set on spending quite a bit of money (and who knows if you'll even find the right parts, although Gary at Voice Of Music might be able to help you with that.....I say might). These were, compared to even the most modest present-day systems, not very great-sounding units so temper your expectations as far as the sound is concerned. If you are thinking of resale value.....don't. Not many will pay more than a Jackson, if that, for this stuff. Now if you like the vintage look, do as Herr gadget says and populate with modern equipment and retain the look but upgrade the sound dramatically. That said, internal speakers without proper enclosures and positioned/oriented as they often are (firing often from the sides outwards) is going to limit you sound quality-wise although this model appears to have the speakers pointing towards the front on both sides. Look it over very carefully.....most will have a sticker or markings of some sort identifying the model which can be used to look up the parts if you have your heart set on trying to do a restore to original. Here's an example of what I mean:



Good luck, amigo.....

 

[gadget73]

also just to qualify that a wee bit, by "modern" I don't necessarily mean something you can buy new today. Modern in the sense of more capability than what was originally there, depending on what you'd use it for. It could be a 70s receiver if that fills your needs. For speakers you could load the original baffles with drivers, or remove them and tuck a complete speaker that fits into the available space in there. Speakers close to a turntable are usually not a great combo though so just be aware of the risk of feedback problems if you do that. The original speakers and amps were usually pretty limited in the bass department to deal with that issue.

 

[Fishead]

tuck a complete speaker that fits into the available space in there

Yup, but as you said that may cause resonance issues. If I had a set on hand that fit in there, I might try that first to see how things sound and what the disturbance might be, if any. I rather doubt one would be able to play at any advanced volumes though without the stylus showing adverse effects. I guess it just all depends on what the OP has in mind for the cabinet.....right now, it would appear it is serving its purpose as a simple stand for the TV.

 

[gadget73]

Lots of options, but what makes sense depends heavily on intended use.

personally I'd love one of these. The speakers in the cabinet would be run from a little amp that only plays TV sound. The shelves in the middle would have the preamp and whatnot and that would feed external speakers.