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GE Turntable ID, Please

A

appleton71

New Member
I'm going to be picking up a vintage GE console stereo tomorrow but the turntable is missing. I was wondering if anyone can ID the model of the turntable that's pictured so I can try to track one down. I believe it's from 1967.

Thanks!
 

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Nice looking turntable. I would set up a search with email alert on eBay for GE turntable and another for General Electric turntable. You could do a general Google search with pics. Maybe there will be a pic with the model number displayed. Gary at The Voice of Music may know the model number.
 
tnsilver said:
My folks had something like that in the 60's when I was a kid. I was trying to look it up once based on some vague memory. IIRC it's a GE RD-225 (or some variant of).
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That seems to be it! RD-225-4. The bad part is that only a couple results show up in Google. Trying to find a replacement may be like finding a needle in a haystack. I'd prefer to keep the console original but I may have to look at alternatives.
 
appleton71 said:
That seems to be it! RD-225-4. The bad part is that only a couple results show up in Google. Trying to find a replacement may be like finding a needle in a haystack. I'd prefer to keep the console original but I may have to look at alternatives.
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I bet one will show up on eBay sooner or later. I want to read about that model. It looks like a nice turntable.
 
appleton71 said:
I saw a couple different threads on antiqueradios.com but other than that, there's not much out there. I set up two search alerts on eBay and Craigslist.
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It's too bad. That turntable had to have been used in either a number of GE models or many examples of the same model. It looks pretty decent. I like record changers that have a decent tonearm and cartridge that will not damage records. The Zenith MicroTouch(whether the TOTL in house built or VM) was pretty cool with 2 grams VTF tracking.
 
I had some unbelievable luck today. I set an alert on Craigslist and just as I got out of work the stuff pictured below popped up...for $10 and only 30 miles away. It's a 225-3 instead of a 225-4 but it'll do. I'll probably keep an eye out for a 225-4 in the future but I doubt I'll find another deal like this.

Screenshot_20210323-152539_craigslist.jpg
 
I don't suppose anyone knows the difference between the -3 and the -4 ? Curious if its enough to matter. Visually looks like maybe a slightly different shade and the trim piece around the selector knob. Guessing the inner part of the platter mat is just missing.
 
Not sure about any mechanical differences but the -3 came out of a 1966 console. I don't think the platter had a trim ring judging from other pictures I've seen. I just downloaded the Sams for my console and based on the copyright date, it's a 1968, not a '67. Maybe they just had cosmetic changes between years?
 
Yes, they did cosmetic changes thru the years and also to match the cosmetics of the control panels. The models after 1968
changed to a lever type speed and function control instead of the dial type but looked the same otherwise.
Also, the top models used a four pole motor and the very top of the line model used a four pole motor and a ADC magnetic
cartridge. I think it was called the executive.
 
GE bought a builder called Colardo. Not sure of the spelling. My late uncle had one in a component system. The amp/receiver looked a like the amp out of the console picked. He also had a reel to reel. All by GE. Bought in the late 60s.

Eric
 
Colaro - a British maker. They made both single play tables and changers, and were highly regarded when Hi Fi was a big deal. At least some of their changers had the ability to play records of different sizes, which, at the time, was a desireable thing - nowadays, I have to admit I haven't played any 10 inch disks, or even 7 inch ones recently. Or in the last couple of decades.
 
Pretty sure it was Glaser-Steers that GE bought. Collaro was independant so far as I know, though they made changers for assorted brands. Magnavox in particular used them.
 
gadget73 said:
Pretty sure it was Glaser-Steers that GE bought. Collaro was independant so far as I know, though they made changers for assorted brands. Magnavox in particular used them.
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Collaro was independent, until Magnavox bought the company in the early 1960's. GE mainly used VM and then Glaser-Steers (Which GE bought).
 
Didn't know Magnavox bought Collaro, but that does explain why they didn't seem to show up in anything else from the 60s on.
 
They did make an attempt at a comeback under their own name in the late 70s maybe - I came across a Collaro changer that I assumed was a BSR until I looked at the closely, and realized it was completely different. Unfortunately it was made to similar standards as the mass market BSRs, so it wasn't a world beater. Alas, since their early players were among the better ones offered at the time.
 
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