Goodwill/SA/Thrift Store Discussions & Finds

[seek/destroy]

It just keeps getting better and better:

Thorens TD124 - Pritchard Audio Dynamics tone arm - Pickering
Harman Kardon HK1000
Onkyo CP-1130F - Black Grado
Pioneer PL-117D - Audio Technics
Yamaha CT-610II
KEF Model 200C

all for $50, and a smile.

Wow. You must have one hell of a smile :yippy:

 

[jimash]

It just keeps getting better and better:

Thorens TD124 - Pritchard Audio Dynamics tone arm - Pickering
Harman Kardon HK1000
Onkyo CP-1130F - Black Grado
Pioneer PL-117D - Audio Technics
Yamaha CT-610II
KEF Model 200C

all for $50, and a smile.

I'm going to want to see that smile . Can you teach it ?

 

[Jay Pemberton]

$50 for this Pioneer SX-34B at the local Salvation Army....

The complete manual was there with it, schematics and all.

That price originally included a pair of speakers, but between not seeing any worth grabbing there and not having room for any more speakers as it is, I only took the receiver.

 

[Van_Isle]

Re: Weld Bond on Polk Speaker Magnets

Can You Explain please what this means?

The magnets on Polk mid-woofers are 2-piece and they are glued together. A common issue is that the glue fails and the magnet shifts - taking the pole piece with it - so the voice coil is pinched and the woofer becomes frozen. Even a minor 'bump' during moving the speaker can result in a frozen speaker. Some report success in re-aligning the magnet, using home-made jigs.

To avoid this you put epoxy glue around the outside of the joints of the magnet - many use Weld Bond. If you do a search on this web site ... or also try the user forums at http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/ ... you should get more detailed instructions on doing this.

 

[Pio1980]

No doubt an oversight of Matt Polk's "genius". Got to be the most ridiculed ad campaign of it's time, the speakers themselves weren't bad.

 

[Van_Isle]

No doubt an oversight of Matt Polk's "genius".

Actually if you do some searching you will find other brands with the same issues - some even advocate doing this with any vintage woofer you acquire.

 

[Pio1980]

I think the TOTL of the Yamaha NS series are also likewise prone to detatched magnet/polepiece syndrome. I'm grateful my NS 690II haven't fallen to it.

I still envisage Matt in the lab coat with the logo "The Genius of Matthew Polk" whenever his speaker is mentioned, so that part of the ad campaign worked. The sniggering was an unanticipated side-effect, making him the laughing stock of the industry. The speaker line was notwithstanding rather good and good value.

 

[Van_Isle]

Bingo ... I think you are correct on the Yamahas and that is where my recollection of this is coming from.

 

[Todd MacDona]

Went to the Sal near me and saw a pair of B & W bookshelf speakers ,6.99 each. Picked one up and was getting the other when some guy 10 feet away starts yelling that he was thinking about buying them and I should put them down.:screwy: Since I go all the time, I did not want a scene. So I said fine. I looked around and continued to grab a NAD amp, Nad receiver, an Outlaw 1050 receiver, and a pair of a/d/s bookshelf speakers. All still in the box. Passed on a pair of 901 and a NAD cd and an Adcom cd.
Piled all that by the register while the other guy was still futzin' around with the B & W.
Total bill was about $125.

 

[OLDisGOLD]

Went to the Sal near me and saw a pair of B & W bookshelf speakers ,6.99 each. Picked one up and was getting the other when some guy 10 feet away starts yelling that he was thinking about buying them and I should put them down.:screwy: Since I go all the time, I did not want a scene. So I said fine. I looked around and continued to grab a NAD amp, Nad receiver, an Outlaw 1050 receiver, and a pair of a/d/s bookshelf speakers. All still in the box. Passed on a pair of 901 and a NAD cd and an Adcom cd.
Piled all that by the register while the other guy was still futzin' around with the B & W.
Total bill was about $125.

Looks like you got the better part of a the haul anyways. I hate guys that pull that crap, most of us are not mind-readers, but Karma is also a good thing & can bring you rewards down the road.

 

[beekeo]

Went to the Sal near me and saw a pair of B & W bookshelf speakers ,6.99 each. Picked one up and was getting the other when some guy 10 feet away starts yelling that he was thinking about buying them and I should put them down.:screwy: Since I go all the time, I did not want a scene. So I said fine. I looked around and continued to grab a NAD amp, Nad receiver, an Outlaw 1050 receiver, and a pair of a/d/s bookshelf speakers. All still in the box. Passed on a pair of 901 and a NAD cd and an Adcom cd.
Piled all that by the register while the other guy was still futzin' around with the B & W.
Total bill was about $125.

wow! I think you spent a year's worth of Sal/GW karma in one trip!

 

[davew833]

Ooh- I hate it when I pick up something in the thrift store to look at it and someone rares up and shouts: "Hey, that's MINE!!!!!" In the first place, it's NOT yours until you pay for it. In the second place, a calm, polite, "Excuse me, I'm going to buy that" would work fine in most situations. My favorite comeback of late is, "Oh- sorry, I didn't see your name on it." Courtesy goes a long way folks.

There's a major chain of church-owned thrift stores called Deseret Industries in my neck of the woods, and the behavior of customers there is getting to be almost unbearable sometimes. Most of the stores have 2-3 "regulars" that often work together and are allowed to loiter in the store for hours at a time waiting for new carts of electronics stuff to come out from the back. They immediately grab anything of value and put it in their cart whether they need it or not. Many times at the end of the day they put the stuff back and don't buy it anyway. The result is that the stores have jacked the prices sky-high because they KNOW these guys will most likely buy it, and if they don't, at least it will fill the shelf for a while. The 'regulars' are all resellers, but if you ask them they deny it. Of course the prices for anything 'collectible' are checked on ebay right away and priced accordingly. The stores have a strict "No pre-selection" policy which means you can't ask to buy something you saw on the donation dock, or even get any information about when it might be priced and put on the floor, and FORGET about getting an employee to call you if something cool comes in. I've still had a few good recent finds there, though, but not in the stores in 'affluent' areas any more. The stores in outlying areas are a little better.

 

[JimmyNeutron]

Went to the Sal near me and saw a pair of B & W bookshelf speakers ,6.99 each. Picked one up and was getting the other when some guy 10 feet away starts yelling that he was thinking about buying them and I should put them down.:screwy: Since I go all the time, I did not want a scene. So I said fine. I looked around and continued to grab a NAD amp, Nad receiver, an Outlaw 1050 receiver, and a pair of a/d/s bookshelf speakers. All still in the box. Passed on a pair of 901 and a NAD cd and an Adcom cd.
Piled all that by the register while the other guy was still futzin' around with the B & W.
Total bill was about $125.

You may have done the more "polite" thing, but I would not have let the speakers go. I've had the same thing happen to me many times at my GW's and I always tell them that thinking about buying something does not make it theirs. If it's on the shelf then it's still for sale - period. Some have argued a bit more but when the salesperson comes over it's a non-issue. If it's on the shelf it's for sale. I HATE people like that and do not tolerate them.

 

[Todd MacDona]

I thought about the whole " If there yours, should have at least held onto them"' but I have enough stress to deal with without inviting more. These days, you never know what someone will do. 10 or 20 years ago, would have been different. But, I also think I got the better end of the deal. Can't have everything, and I don't need to be on Hoarders just yet.

 

[Pio1980]

-----------
There's a major chain of church-owned thrift stores called Deseret Industries in my neck of the woods, and the behavior of customers there is getting to be almost unbearable sometimes. Most of the stores have 2-3 "regulars" that often work together and are allowed to loiter in the store for hours at a time waiting for new carts of electronics stuff to come out from the back. They immediately grab anything of value and put it in their cart whether they need it or not. Many times at the end of the day they put the stuff back and don't buy it anyway. The result is that the stores have jacked the prices sky-high because they KNOW these guys will most likely buy it, and if they don't, at least it will fill the shelf for a while. The 'regulars' are all resellers, but if you ask them they deny it. Of course the prices for anything 'collectible' are checked on ebay right away and priced accordingly. The stores have a strict "No pre-selection" policy which means you can't ask to buy something you saw on the donation dock, or even get any information about when it might be priced and put on the floor, and FORGET about getting an employee to call you if something cool comes in. I've still had a few good recent finds there, though, but not in the stores in 'affluent' areas any more. The stores in outlying areas are a little better.

I check the D.I. on 45th So when in town on my annual visit to see family & friends, big place always on my way to somewhere. Always only get cheap clothing items, never see anything neat worth hauling back otherwise. The old Veterans thrift in the old pawn shop district on West Temple had fabulous stuff in the basement back in the early '60s, bought a Motorola 7" electrostat TV and a DeForest kit radio and there was always so much more. Big cabinet late '20s "electric" radios, short wave consoles ect. You wouldn't believe the antique 1920's/30s electronic stuff I hauled home out of those places on West temple for a couple to a few bux tops, long gone when it all was cleared out to put up the Salt Palace.
Great days, good times.

 

[VOT]

SSSHHH...
Sansui G-8700DB. Intaker said it did not work. I could not even get it to work at the store. Therefore, $4.99. Took it home, checked fuses. What's that? The power input plug was set at 240v! Switched it to 110v. Plugged in headphones and heard some sound. Gave the balance knob some turns and...LIFE! Deox'ed the balance knob and, oh yeah! Now kicks butt. There are some other issues, but who cares? 160 WPC for $4.99!!

 

[highping]

SSSHHH...
Sansui G-8700DB. Intaker said it did not work. I could not even get it to work at the store. Therefore, $4.99. Took it home, checked fuses. What's that? The power input plug was set at 240v! Switched it to 110v. Plugged in headphones and heard some sound. Gave the balance knob some turns and...LIFE! Deox'ed the balance knob and, oh yeah! Now kicks butt. There are some other issues, but who cares? 160 WPC for $4.99!!

Score!!!!! congrats! :thmbsp:

 

[Sam Cogley]

Went to the Sal near me and saw a pair of B & W bookshelf speakers ,6.99 each. Picked one up and was getting the other when some guy 10 feet away starts yelling that he was thinking about buying them and I should put them down.:screwy: Since I go all the time, I did not want a scene. So I said fine. I looked around and continued to grab a NAD amp, Nad receiver, an Outlaw 1050 receiver, and a pair of a/d/s bookshelf speakers. All still in the box. Passed on a pair of 901 and a NAD cd and an Adcom cd.
Piled all that by the register while the other guy was still futzin' around with the B & W.
Total bill was about $125.

I'd have told him that if they haven't been paid for, he can shove it.

 

[Agellius]

DaveW:

I love Deseret Industries! I went to visit my dad in SLC and my wife and I hit every store between SLC and St. George on our way home. Picked up a nice pair of speakers for $11. I hear there's one in So Cal way out in Redlands or some place. One of these days I'll make my way out there.

 

[VintageFreq]

Walked into my local SA today and came out with these -

A pair of Infinity SL 30 bookshelf speakers in like new condition.

3/4" Ferrofluid cooled polycarbonate tweeter...

And 6 and 1/2" polypropylene woofer and dual ports...

Cost me $16.00 for the pair. I haven't had the chance to listen to them yet - I'll probably hook them up to the upstairs system.

Mike