Philips 'Disc Jockey' Auto-change record player 1950's.

[Mister T.]

Hello. Please can anyone help with the following?
Many years ago I remember a friend of mine had a Philips auto-change record player dating from the 1950s. The player was usable but the automatic function didn't work correctly. I remember the record deck had the speed selector control on the front-left of the turntable with the usual 3 or 4 speeds. On the front-right of the turntable there were three buttons. One was 'Stop' another was the 'Start/Reject' button but the central one was marked with the standard record sizes (i.e. 7" 10" 12"). I have never been able to understand what this button was for as the deck had the normal type of record size selector bar that 10" & 12" records would push down when the record automatically dropped to the turntable.
Many thanks in anticipation.

[G6ONEDave]

The record size selector is probably for correct auto operation of the tone arm, so that it sets down at the correct lead-in for a given record size. Otherwise how does it know the difference between a 7" and any other size.

Dave

[hayerjoe]

Also if you were playing just one record and not using the stacker/changer, by selecting the size button you can still use the automatic play feature. So set size, press start it'll go to the correct start position and start playing

Joe

[Mister T.]

Thanks to you both for your replies and advice on this matter.
Having been accustomed more to the Garrards (1960s onwards) the BSR (and even later Philips) autochangers, it didn't occur to me that this particular machine was designed to allow automatic play of a single disc being placed directly onto the turntable (rather than via the step of the long centre spindle).

Despite the controversial use of the use of the old autochanger machines, there was something magical about watching them at work. Sadly, most of today's youth don't get quite the same entertainment downloading via the internet (or am I just being nostalgic...again!!).

Tony.

[hayerjoe]

Originally Posted by Mister T.

Thanks to you both for your replies and advice on this matter.
Having been accustomed more to the Garrards (1960s onwards) the BSR (and even later Philips) autochangers, it didn't occur to me that this particular machine was designed to allow automatic play of a single disc being placed directly onto the turntable (rather than via the step of the long centre spindle).

Despite the controversial use of the use of the old autochanger machines, there was something magical about watching them at work. Sadly, most of today's youth don't get quite the same entertainment downloading via the internet (or am I just being nostalgic...again!!).

Tony.

Tony I think you are right. I got a 1974 Philips deck at the weekend for a tenner, took me about 2 hours to get it going again and to my amazement the tonearm arcs up quite high, touches the edge of the record on the stacker, then comes back, waits for the record to drop then goes back to the right point to start playing! I convinced my wife, usually bored by these things, to come have a look, she reluctantly came over and was blown away by the theatre of it all. The old Collaro decks of the 50s used to do something similar but was sure strange to see a black plastic and chrome job from the 70s doing something similar

[Mister T.]

Yes, I think I know the turntable you mean. I have a Philips record player I bought new in the 1970s with (I think) that very deck. I still use it (not with my main collection records) quite a lot. It used to worry my friends if playing a 7" record automatically as the pick-up would lift right up, swing in to hit the stack but once it got beyond the 10" position would suddenly drop, as if going to fall onto the turntable mat, but would stop part the way down, the record would then drop, the arm would swing in and land on the record as it should.
I now use it as a single player but still let the arm come over automatically. I found that if you leave the over arm fully up (can either be moved to the right or to the left), press the Auto button and whilst the pick-up arm is moving across, press the stop button. This will mean that when the record has finished playing, the pick-up arm will move back to its rest and the unit will switch off. The same function can be used when playing 10" or 12" records by placing a finger roughly when the edge of the record would be if it was on the stacker spindle, the arm will then come across and hit your finger which will then mean it will drop onto the record at the start. Happy days! Tony

[hayerjoe]

Originally Posted by Mister T.

Yes, I think I know the turntable you mean. I have a Philips record player I bought new in the 1970s with (I think) that very deck. I still use it (not with my main collection records) quite a lot. It used to worry my friends if playing a 7" record automatically as the pick-up would lift right up, swing in to hit the stack but once it got beyond the 10" position would suddenly drop, as if going to fall onto the turntable mat, but would stop part the way down, the record would then drop, the arm would swing in and land on the record as it should.
I now use it as a single player but still let the arm come over automatically. I found that if you leave the over arm fully up (can either be moved to the right or to the left), press the Auto button and whilst the pick-up arm is moving across, press the stop button. This will mean that when the record has finished playing, the pick-up arm will move back to its rest and the unit will switch off. The same function can be used when playing 10" or 12" records by placing a finger roughly when the edge of the record would be if it was on the stacker spindle, the arm will then come across and hit your finger which will then mean it will drop onto the record at the start. Happy days! Tony

Yep, that's exactly right. Tonearm checks for a 12" or a 10" but as it's feeling for a 7" it says "hang on I'm passed the 10" zone so it MUST be a 7", so then it deviates rather violently without touching the 7". Amazing!

Photo of unit attached, very much a Disc Jockey of the 70s, same 3 buttons in same spot etc

[Edward Huggins]

Am I correct in thinking this that was the last of the Philips built autochangers? From then on it was a customised BSR UA15 unit styled as Philips, with a tubular tone arm for the Philips built cartridge.

[ben]

That black-silver unit's a 22GC047 changer. I use one too. I think it dates from circa 1969. As far as I know it was the final philips autochanger.

[hayerjoe]

Thanks Ben and Edward, I'm kinda excited my cheapie is the last-of-breed. Sad I know!

Ben you use it a lot? is it robust? seems to use a LOT of plastic inside (and the cycle cam seems to float, attached to nothing at the top, which is how I got it for a tenner as it was out of kilter and nothing worked) , so not sure how long it will last compared to a 60s BSR

[ben]

I agree entirely with you about the build. This deck seems to be a forerunner of their 1980s cassette mechs, which were almost entirely made from plastic. I had my doubts but amazingly it has held up very well. As did those cassette mechs - we used a dozen of them at work where they saw 15+ years of hard use and I only ever had to replace drive belts.

I use that GF047 at least weekly to play mostly 45s and 78s. I wanted something which could stack at least eight and had auto size detection. The flip over stylus is essential too. I have repaired half a dozen of those AG3306/22GP204,5 heads, first by gutting them and then gluing in a Chuo Denshi clone cart, later by simply removing the old ceramic element and replacing it with the guts of one of the Chuo Denshis, so I could keep using the original Philips flip over stylus. Will make a separate thread on that one day.

[regentone001]

I can remember selling record players with these decks in around 1971/2 even then I thought them cheap and nasty, I must admit that my opinion of them has never changed.

[Mister T.]

I mentioned above that I bought mine new in the early 1970s as a complete record player and I used it quite a lot at the time. I then let a close friend of mine borrow it on long-term as he was still using a BSR UA8. A couple of years later he bought a Garrard SP25 Mk 3 and let me have the Philips player back. I then let a work colleague borrow it for a while as she had recently split from her husband and he had kept their record player. This means that it has had a long and hard-working life but is still going strong (that'll put the 'jinx' on it now).

[hayerjoe]

well I'm impressed that the plastic Philips has lasted so well with members here. Any tips on longevity? which bits to check and lubricate etc?

[ben]

Maybe we should split this thread into: the OP's Disc Jockey with AG1014 deck and: our subsequent musings on the GC047 deck from the 70s.

[ben]

Originally Posted by hayerjoe

well I'm impressed that the plastic Philips has lasted so well with members here. Any tips on longevity? which bits to check and lubricate etc?

It's been a few years but I had to free up the auto mech that had seized (think it was linkages but can't recall and cannot find my notes either!), lubricate platter bearing, resurface the rubber idler, and finally adjust the arm set down and height slightly. No problems since then.

[hayerjoe]

Originally Posted by ben

Maybe we should split this thread into: the OP's Disc Jockey with AG1014 deck and: our subsequent musings on the GC047 deck from the 70s.

I don't know how to split threads but sound alike a good idea. Thanks also for the maintenance tips, the standard stuff for decks really, which is good to hear

[hayerjoe]

Originally Posted by Edward Huggins

Am I correct in thinking this that was the last of the Philips built autochangers? From then on it was a customised BSR UA15 unit styled as Philips, with a tubular tone arm for the Philips built cartridge.

Do you have a picture of the Philips branded and "headshelled" BSR? I've never seen one

[Mister T.]

Hi Joe,
If you go to the 'Sticky Threads' at the start of this section (Vintage Audio, Record Players, Hi.Fi etc.) the second one down should be 'BSR Record Player Deck Identification'.
On the first page, go to the 7th posting which is from 'harvestgold'. The 4th picture along is the deck you are mentioning.
Hope this helps. Tony

[hayerjoe]

Originally Posted by Mister T.

Hi Joe,
If you go to the 'Sticky Threads' at the start of this section (Vintage Audio, Record Players, Hi.Fi etc.) the second one down should be 'BSR Record Player Deck Identification'.
On the first page, go to the 7th posting which is from 'harvestgold'. The 4th picture along is the deck you are mentioning.
Hope this helps. Tony

Ah yes I had seen that one but surely that can't be the model Edward is talking about, because that looks very mid-60s. It's hard to imagine that Philips would go in 1976 from something quite cool and 70s looking as the 22GC047 to something from the previous decade. I expect it'll be a 70s black BSR rebadged