Hi acy76,
I was the lucky guy who could not sleep one night, saw the new listing with buy it now, and was able to bring the V home. Its like the vintage audio lottery...! I have looked for more than a decade closer to 20 years just for a listing to have a chance at one.
My first Nikko was in '74-5. A STA6060. I traded it for a TRM-800 in 1977 at the distributor I worked at. We rep'ed the line. I still have the 1978 little Nikko book the ABG series was listed. My first Alpha came to me about 15 years agp, and I have collected, turned over and loved a lot of the rack series. All the time dreaming of an opportunity for a V.
I also picked up a Gamma V this year.
So, to your musings about pictures etc.
The Ebay listing is the real unit. Btw, it is Serial #00002.
It is thinner by 1/2" than all the other preamps. I currenty have a Beta I, II, 40 and 50II. Had the 20 and 30 once too.
The V is a one lug mount, not 2 like the rest. It is as deep as wide. The body is...unlike the rest. Lots of pieces and screws. My understanding is these were hand assembled. I believe it. The circuit board soldering looks it.
The board is also in upside down. yes, the board rests at the top of the unit, the componants facing down.
The top is a solid panel, the bottem is vented. Weird, but venting the top would be disasterous is something metalic fell in. It is not obvious in the little Nikko books, but the phono section has 3 "channels". For 3 tables. Ch1 has the 5 resistance setting switch on front, all 3 have capacitance switches on rear. All RCA are gold. Aux, tape, outputs.
Oh, and no tone controls. No loudness switch. Signal in, signal out. It sounds just like that.
If you google a Nikko c-201 PRO, you will find the Japanese domestic version. Is silver/chrome. Where you noted the little bolts on the front on Ebay, the C-201 has small handles. The C-201 also has a finished one piece cover folded over the sides like all the rest of the ABG line.
Pictures.... Yes in due course. I have given the controls a first cleaning. It works 90% of the time at the moment. Still a contact, or the relay, cutting out some. I will re cap.
I have never found another piece of info on it. No manuals, schematics. You will note I have reached out to the other 2 old posts to those who had actually worked for Nikko back then.
Sure would be fun to know how serial #2 came to North America. Sold to the first customers, or an office demo for Nikko in N.Y. Or L.A., or a store demo show piece....$750 USD then, is about $3000.+ now.
IF ANYONE KNOWS THE SOURCE OF A MANUAL! Please let me know!
More later.
