Did you miss these photos among those shown by OP?
This one mentions a General Electric VRII cartidge
And this mentions an Audax Turntable Arm
A Google search came up with similar looking arms
AUDAX TURNTABLE 16 INCH TRANSCRIPTION TONEARM 4 PART (08/03/2010)...
Yes, I did miss the other photos.
That arm is an Audax KT 12. I never knew Audax made pickup arms. So I have learned something. I never saw one in the UK.
The cartridge is apparently the GE VR II, which is a variable reluctance cartridge.
In those days, cartridges were either variable reluctance, moving coil or crystal/ceramic.
Shure introduced the moving magnet type later.
In the early 50s the common cartridges in the variable reluctance category, were the Sugden, which we had at home in the early 50s, the GE and the early Decca, (not the later ffss).
The moving coils were from EMI, and Expert. I think Grampian may have had one also.
The Garrard 301 from 1955 swept all away in the UK. In 1959, with the Decca ffss and integrated arm, this changed everything, with Thorens and Ortofon in hot pursuit. The SME arm appeared and quickly asserted dominance for cartridges other than the Decca ffss.
In the UK turntables were nearly all Garrard 301, mainly, or Thorens, with either Decca ffss, the most common, or Ortofon/SME. That was in the high end rigs anyway. Goldring Lenco also had a definite following.
Really there was not much else in the top end in the UK at that time.
This REK-O-KUT is very similar to the first transcription turntable we had at the OP, 1953. Except ours was a MK I, and was two speed (78 and 331/3), as the 45 rpm discs had not yet appeared
The OP should join the vinyl engine and widely advertize this will be for sale.
The GE cartridge might fetch a little over $150 and may be the same for the arm.
The turntable I will make a guess and think it might fetch as much as $450. So the whole rig might make $700 to $800 or a little more.
You never know how many collectors are out there for this, so you sometimes are just amazed at how much people will pay for this vintage stuff, and at other times it will go for little.
The most important thing is to make sure the vinyl sites are aware of its existence and then put it on Audiogon and eBay.
I think, this is a pretty rare set up.
I love these post, bit spend too much time researching what comes up.
By the way: - OP please load these pictures to the Gallery on the Vinyl engine. This rig needs thoroughly documenting for posterity before being dismantled. The Vinyl engine has a huge gallery and there is nothing quite like this. So it is a rare find.
Putting audio gear in expensive cabinets was common back then, especially in the UK. I have tried to find pictures and history of these magnificent works of art to no avail. The top end was from Largs of Holborn. I do have lots of good black and white pictures in the Hi-Fi Year Books from that era, in my possession. I should see if I can scan them, but I don't want to damage the books. Does anyone have suggestions? I'm convinced there are no pictures on the NET. I have searched and searched.
