UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Powered By Google Custom Search Vintage Radio and TV Service Data

Go Back   UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum > Specific Vintage Equipment > Vintage Television and Video

Notices

Vintage Television and Video Vintage television and video equipment, programmes, VCRs etc.

Closed Thread
 
Thread Tools
Old 26th Apr 2021, 9:48 pm   #1
Colourstar
Octode
 
Colourstar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 1,397
Default A look at a GEC Fineline

Further to Mick and John's recent successes with their Sobell/GEC dual standard sets, it struck me that there seem to be more of those left than the single standard chassis that followed it, the Series 1 and 2 Finelines.

I believe the Series 1 with mechanical pushbutton tuner appeared sometime around 1971/2, which makes me wonder if, like some other setmakers, there was an interim single standard 625-only chassis sometime around 1969/70 based on a stripped down dual standard chassis.

Anyway here is a rare Series 2 survivor (varicap tuner) in really super condition. It continues the GEC 'blue front' styling and has a wooden cabinet far nicer than those pesky plastic 1500s! This one seems to have had only one repair in it's lifetime- an RS 'polo mint' on the dropper- and that's it. The crt is good as new. The photo shows the first power-up after at least a year. The brightness and contrast controls are a bit touchy.

I don't know why these sets are so thin on the ground, as they were popular in their day and still fairly common well into the 1980s. Does anyone else have one or have memories of servicing them?

Here are some photos to prod the old grey cells! Incidentally there was a Sobell version of this set with a darker front and a silver speaker grille, rather than the woodgrain effect.

Steve
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	GEC1.jpg
Views:	259
Size:	77.0 KB
ID:	232701   Click image for larger version

Name:	GEC2.jpg
Views:	208
Size:	70.3 KB
ID:	232702   Click image for larger version

Name:	GEC3.jpg
Views:	207
Size:	70.6 KB
ID:	232703   Click image for larger version

Name:	GEC5.jpg
Views:	194
Size:	70.6 KB
ID:	232704  

Last edited by Colourstar; 26th Apr 2021 at 9:54 pm.
Colourstar is offline  
Old 26th Apr 2021, 9:49 pm   #2
Colourstar
Octode
 
Colourstar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 1,397
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

And a few more for the service engineers
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	GEC7.jpg
Views:	235
Size:	96.4 KB
ID:	232705   Click image for larger version

Name:	GEC8.jpg
Views:	238
Size:	102.8 KB
ID:	232706   Click image for larger version

Name:	GEC9.jpg
Views:	230
Size:	78.2 KB
ID:	232707  
Colourstar is offline  
Old 26th Apr 2021, 10:18 pm   #3
Richard_FM
Octode
 
Richard_FM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,999
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

I nice looking set, was there a McMichael badged version of this model?

Larger B&W sets like this must have been easy to service with just one circuit board all that space inside!

I do wonder if people got rid of these in the 1980s because they were a bit big for a second set, & assumed anything with valves would become unreliable & hard to service in time.
__________________
Hello IT: Have you Tried Turning It Off & On Again?
Richard_FM is offline  
Old 26th Apr 2021, 11:03 pm   #4
neil29
Heptode
 
neil29's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Newport, Gwent, UK.
Posts: 961
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

Hi Steve, This was the set you had from me wasn't it?. if so i think i'm to blame for the polo dropper.

Cheers
Neil.
neil29 is offline  
Old 26th Apr 2021, 11:24 pm   #5
jamesperrett
Octode
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Liss, Hampshire, UK.
Posts: 1,870
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

I had a variant one of those for a couple of years as a teenager in the 70's. I think it was the same as the one shown in

https://www.vintage-radio.net/forum/...d.php?t=135188

The chassis looks very familiar. It was an ex-rental set and I remember that it wasn't very reliable so I think it got dumped in the end. I still have the Granada portable that replaced it which still worked when I last tried it a few years ago.
jamesperrett is offline  
Old 27th Apr 2021, 7:18 am   #6
Colourstar
Octode
 
Colourstar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Ilkeston, Derbyshire, UK.
Posts: 1,397
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

Hi Neil, yes this GEC did indeed come from one of your sheds!

Hi James, I'd completely forgotten I'd already done a thread on these sets a couple of years ago. I must be losing the plot....

Steve
Colourstar is offline  
Old 27th Apr 2021, 2:32 pm   #7
slidertogrid
Octode
 
slidertogrid's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, UK.
Posts: 1,897
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

A nice looking set you have there! I have one with a mechanical tuner with the chipboard cabinet, the board is a bit flaky, a bit like having a cabinet made of Weetabix !
I don't think these were as common as the earlier dual standards even when new, As others have said there was a lot more 1500s about than these.
slidertogrid is offline  
Old 27th Apr 2021, 7:32 pm   #8
mark pirate
Dekatron
 
mark pirate's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Worthing, West Sussex, UK
Posts: 5,185
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

I have the 20" Sobell version, wood veneer cabinet & grey front, it was no problem to get it going after decades in storage, just needed a new boost diode as the original had gone to air.

I am amazed how well it works, with all original components.


Mark
mark pirate is offline  
Old 28th Apr 2021, 9:30 am   #9
Welsh Anorak
Dekatron
 
Welsh Anorak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
Posts: 6,884
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

That's a nice TV! I suppose these weren't sold in huge quantities as colour had definitely arrived by then. I sold a few second hand and never saw them again.
The 20" was in the famous GEC plastic case so the speaker used to fall off and the mechanical buttons on the Series One fall into the cabinet with hilarious results!
They certainly were a change from the more conservative 1500's styling.
I remember the early Series One was in a more conventional cabinet that was the same as the late dual standard but without the VHF tuner, obviously. I sold one to an old lady and it went wrong every week. Well, actually it didn't, but she was lonely and used to remove the aerial plug just to get a visit! 'I can't think how that happened...'. When I caught on I fastened it with a clip so she couldn't remove it any more.
__________________
Glyn
www.gdelectronics.wales
Welsh Anorak is offline  
Old 28th Apr 2021, 10:55 am   #10
Heatercathodeshort
Dekatron
 
Heatercathodeshort's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Warnham, West Sussex. 10 miles south of DORKING.
Posts: 9,145
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

Yes a bit sad really. A lot of these elderly ladies [My Golden Girls] never spoke to anyone other than paying the milkman and were indeed very lonely. Their highlight of the year was going on a coach trip to Eastbourne.
I used to give them special treatment both in service and a very low invoice usually FOC or just a small call out charge so they felt they were paying their way. The guys that pulled up in the latest BMW compensated for the slight loss.

The series 1/2 were very rare on my service bench. As Glyn mentions, colour was arriving fast and many of these late single standard receivers were not used for very long before a colour receiver replaced them. I guess very few have survived, a similar case being the RBM A816. John.
Heatercathodeshort is offline  
Old 28th Apr 2021, 11:09 am   #11
Welsh Anorak
Dekatron
 
Welsh Anorak's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Wales, UK.
Posts: 6,884
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

I suspect there are so many 1500s about is that lots started life as rental sets that were given away to customers or disposed of through trade outlets. The A816 was an expensive beast in comparison, and the excellent picture quality was lost on the average black and white buyer. Similarly these GECs and the excellent ITT VC 200s and Decca 2020 series were thin on the ground. I'm surprised new chassis were made for the single-standard monos. ITT with the VC100 and Bush with the A794 were very good single-standard versions of well-established sets.
I agree with John - I'd often come away from an old lady with just a couple of pounds so as not to hurt their pride but not take their meagre savings.
__________________
Glyn
www.gdelectronics.wales
Welsh Anorak is offline  
Old 28th Apr 2021, 10:28 pm   #12
Richard_FM
Octode
 
Richard_FM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2017
Location: Stockport, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 1,999
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

The Phillips 320 was another big B&W set, I'm not sure when they were replaced by various other models as Philips started to consolidate their R&D operations worldwide.
__________________
Hello IT: Have you Tried Turning It Off & On Again?
Richard_FM is offline  
Old 28th Apr 2021, 11:32 pm   #13
stuie319
Pentode
 
stuie319's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Stockport, Greater Manchester, UK.
Posts: 229
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

Hi Steve

We had one of these when I was a nipper, I believe it would have been a Granada rental set. I seem to remember it having a black front, but it was a very long time ago. It replaced a dual standard Stella which my parents had owned, but had been declared beyond economical repair. I can very vaguely remember it. I think we must have only had the Fineline for a few years, since by the mid 70's it had been replaced by a colour set, this was definitely a Granada rental, badged Granada, but I suspect another GEC internally

Best

Stu
stuie319 is offline  
Old 29th Apr 2021, 11:31 am   #14
Hybrid tellies
Nonode
 
Hybrid tellies's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: 1966-1976 Coverack in Cornwall and Helston Cornwall. 1976-present Bristol/Bath area.
Posts: 2,965
Default Re: A look at a GEC Fineline

That is a nice looking example of a GEC Series 1.
As Glyn says there were some very good hybrid large screen single standard UHF 625 black and white sets from this era.

My favourites include the GEC Series 1,2 and 3, Pye 169, Decca 2001 and 2020 and the ITT VC200. All nice to work on and gave good results including a picture with a decent black level unlike most earlier dual standards and 1500's.

I did look after a few of these GEC's and they gave very little trouble, very pleasant to work on and gave very good pictures.
__________________
Simon
BVWS member
Hybrid tellies is offline  
Closed Thread

Thread Tools



All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:31 pm.


All information and advice on this forum is subject to the WARNING AND DISCLAIMER located at https://www.vintage-radio.net/rules.html.
Failure to heed this warning may result in death or serious injury to yourself and/or others.


Powered by vBulletin®
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2002 - 2023, Paul Stenning.