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Repair Services
We are one of the leading repair shops in the nation for service, repair and restoration of antique phonographs.
We also have a large stock of phonograph parts and accessories. We have been in business since 1988 and
are here to help you with any of your repair and restoration needs. We repair all brands of wind-up phonographs...
uprights, consoles, table tops, cylinder, disc and portable (suitcase) models.
Want your phonograph repaired sooner? Check out our Expedite Service.
We service all brands of wind-up phonographs. The table below lists some of the
brands we have serviced. So many phonographs were produced, it's hard to list
them all. The deal is that if your machine has a crank on it, then we can work on it!
We can work on any brand.
Send all broken motors, parts, tonearms and/or reproducers to us. Pack everything carefully, we will send
a complete free estimate before any work is performed. Upon your approval, the work will be completed and
sent back to you via UPS or Postal Service. We offer quick, friendly service at reasonable prices.
Dealer programs offered.
When sending in your motors for repair, there's no need for you to send in your turntable and crank unless you also
need work done on those items. The reason behind this is because we have a good number of cranks as well
as turntables that we can use to test your machines after the repairs are complete. If you have any questions about
anything before you send in any parts for repair, feel free to call us at the numbers above or email us and we'll
answer all of your questions with a prompt reply. We constantly check the emails 4 or 5 times during our normal
business hours. We should be able to get back to you within an hour or two that you email us. Emails received
over the weekend would be replied to when the shop re-opens Monday morning.
Sorry, but we don't service or repair electric record players or radios
in any way. For parts and/or service to electric players or radios, please
contact one of these 3 companies:
West-Tech Services EMAIL or WEBSITE
Ed Crockett of Vintage Electronics 601-264-4755 EMAIL (no website)
Bob Eslinger of Antique Radio Restoration 860-928-2628 EMAIL or WEBSITE
Backlog for our FREE estimate
When sending in your phonograph parts for repairs or cleanings as per the costs you'll see below, please keep in
mind that the backlog for our free estimates varies. Our approximate backlog is 3 to 4 weeks. You can check
with us after shipping your package to make sure that we received it, but the initial contact from us to you will be
when we can do your estimate. If you're interested in getting your repair back sooner for a, family get together,
holiday, or birthday, then please click here: Expedite Service.
If you have any further questions please let us know. Thanks...
Motor Cleaning: Although phonographs are well built and have been working for years, the years are hard on the
machinery. Over the years the gears and oil harden becoming a sticky, dirt filled, grinding black mess on the motor.
This wears the motor down and hinders it's performance. To send your motor to us, remove the motor from your
phonograph. To do this, pull off the turntable, and remove the crank. Take out the corner screws of the motor board
and lift it out of the phonograph. The motor will still be attached to the board. If you need help, give us a call and we
can walk you through the processes. Send the motor to our shop, we will dismantle and clean the motor, frame and
gears in solvent and scrub out all the old grease and dirt. Then, we will re-assemble, re-lubricate and test the machine.
It's very important that the motor be sent to us still mounted to your board. If the motor is sent without the board,
we can't correctly test for speed variations or the other usual problems that motors have before being
serviced. If the motor is sent by itself, then we'll test it to the best of our abilities. If there are further problems that
arise from not sending the motor on the board, then the cost of shipping and/or additional parts may be charged
to the customer.
Click here to view the process of a motor cleaning/spring cleaning and see how we do it.
Price: $98.00 plus spring cost (cleaning or replacement)...
Cylinder machines add $35 for cleaning of the topworks gears.
* * Please note: The motor cleaning is a basic price for cleaning the motor. Servicing/lubrication of the
mainsprings is extra. Please see the description and the costs above if you have any questions.
The motor cleaning service includes the motor and top metal pieces on your board. We'll clean the motor and
re-assemble it onto the board. We'll also clean and brush/polish the metal parts on the board (brake, speed
control, etc.). Gold plated items will be cleaned and brushed/polished at our discretion. Gold parts are hard to
work with due to the thinness of the plating and the usual wear marks found.
The Cylinder machine service includes the motor and top works gears and a "light" cleaning of the bedplate. The
bedplate restoration/full cleaning or repainting/decaling is an additional charge. For information on Edison
bedplate restoration, please see our Edison restoration page.
Mainspring Cleanings: - Springs come two ways: broken or very dirty. If the springs do wind up or they make
a loud thumping noise when unwinding, then this means they are covered with petrified grease and sliding in your
canisters. We can remove the springs from your canisters and clean the springs. During this process, we also clean
the inside of the canister and re-install the springs with fresh grease. Most motors have 2 springs but may have
1, 3, 4, or 6. We'll let you know what's needed and how many springs you have when we do the free estimate
on your motor.
NOTE: If you elect to only send the spring canisters, we may not be able to test to assure that the center arbors
are connected properly without your motor to test and wind them with. We cannot possibly have all of the 1000's
of possible motor styles complete and ready to test springs with. Should there be a spring that needs to be returned due
to this problem, the shipping costs would be the responsibility of the customer and will need to send the motor on the board anyway for
proper testing. The difference in shipping cost is minimal between sending the entire motor and just the springs as
the bulk of the weight is in the springs anyway. Also, we can look the motor over to be sure that all is well.
Price: $30 per spring (The cleaning of the spring barrel is included in this price)
New Mainsprings: If your motor doesn't wind up, more than likely your mainspring(s) are broken. Usually one
spring breaks at a time but it is possible that all springs are broke. When servicing a broken spring, the spring is
removed from barrel and the barrel is cleaned. We install the new spring(s) with fresh grease and test the springs
to make sure everything is hooked properly. It's not recommended to try removing the spring barrels on your own.
If you're uncopfortable with handling the motor or have no experience, it's highly recommended to send the entire
motor to us. While we have the motor, we can also clean it for you at the cost quoted in the Motor Cleaning
section above. We can also test everything to make sure your machine is playing at it's potential. If you have any
questions about this service or any of our services, please feel free to call us (800-239-4188) or
email us at victrola@victrolarepairservice.com.
Pricing: New Springs- $40 to $65 each plus an installation fee
The cost of the spring depends on the size you need and the "cut" of the spring
*** Installation fee of new/used springs- $30 per spring above the cost of the spring.
Reproducer Rebuild: - After 80-100 years, your reproducer has lost it's original sounds and tone. There are
rubber gaskets inside that have hardened producing a harsh, tinny sound. If you are going to restore your
phonograph, this service is a must! Send your reproducer to us, we will dismantle, thoroughly clean, inspect it for
damage and replace the hard gaskets with soft new ones. Then it will be re-assembled, adjusted and tested. If the
diaphragm is damaged or missing, it can be replaced or repaired (extra). You won't believe the difference.
Give us a call if you are unsure how to remove the reproducer from the tone arm.
Price: $45.00 plus parts
Additional parts (if needed) other than the gaskets are extra and will be quoted during estimate.
** NOTE: Brunswick reproducers with "double sides" (Ultonas) are subject to 2 reproducer rebuild fees.
Governor Repair: The governor controls the speed of the phonograph. It is the part in the motor that has
round weights on it (2, 3 or 4). If your phonograph plays too fast or uneven, chances are the governor needs new
springs. Remove the entire governor by taking out the screws on each side of it, releasing the bearings that hold it
(We don't encourage taking the governor out without consulting with us first. It could be dangerous to take the
governor out with wind still in the spring barrels unless you know what you are doing. You should leave it to a
professional to do it). Take it out as one unit and ship it to us. We will replace all the springs, clean and adjust it.
All of the springs must be replaced at the same time or uneven speed of the turntable will result.
Price: $25 for labor & $3 per spring needed (2 to 4) & $7 to $12 per weight needed (prices vary with size)
White Metal Repairs: White metal was used for many parts (tonearms, tonearm bases, reproducers,
brackets, etc.) It was inexpensive to use but of poor quality. Now many of these parts have swollen, cracked
and split. Sometimes the only answer is to replace the part entirely. We have a technique that works well on
white metal unless it is too far gone. We use a metal bonding agent in combination with steel reinforcement
strips. White metal is tricky to work with, not all parts are repairable and some cracks may still be visible after
the repair, but it will be functional again. Send parts in question to us and we will determine if repair or
replacement is the best option.
* * * DISCLAIMER: Due to the nature of pot metal parts, we cannot be responsible for replacement
of the parts sent in if breaking occurs during the repair work.
Price: Labor fees per hour plus materials.
Turntable Felt: Nothing brightens up an antique phonograph more than replacing a worn out, torn or dirty old
turntable felt with a clean new one. If your original felt is still good, it may be a good idea to purchase some felt to
lay over the original one. It'll still look good and at the same time, it'll preserve your original felt longer.
Colors: green or mustard brown (other colors can be ordered if needed)
Prices: $4.00 per square OR $8.00 cut to fit your turntable OR $20.00 cut and installed on your turntable
($8 for the circle felt and $12 for installation)
Late Payment Fees
Please note that all repairs must be paid for within 30 days of completion. Our repair staff will
notifiy you of the balance due when the job is complete. We accept credit cards and checks. If payment is
not paid after 30 days the job will be subject to a storage fee. $10 per day after 30 days.
If there is a reason you cannot pay the amount due in the alloted time, please contact us before 30 days and we may
be able to work with you.
Thank you for your cooperation and your buisness. We look foward to serving you now and in the future.
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