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In a Nutshell
Beautifully streamlined teardrop shaped record player, that likes to stay together with its better half, a RCA A-20 short-wave radio, both designed for Canadians by John Vassos
Introduction:
There were a couple of teardrop shaped record players in 1939 (RCA R-100, GE USA HM-3 (same as JM-3) and Can.GE CJM-3), made from bakelite, that are all very collectible. This are very simple 78 rpm-only players with no automatic and needing an amplifier to produce music (GE model JM-21 was a wireless player that broadcasts on the AM band, like my Silvertone 5849, coming up soon). Only the GE models are known to have been designed by John Vassos. The original cartridges were heavy Astatic steel needle cartridges, often with extra weights in the tonearm, which are in most cases not working anymore and are obsolete anyway, since they consume a lot of needles and harm more recent 78 rpm records. There are two depressions on either side of the tonearm that were intended to store spare needles. I routinely replace these cartridges by modern NOS ceramic jukebox cartridges, that have two sapphire needles for 78rpm and LongPlay, where the latter one can be used for 78rpm too (more noise though) as a spare, or - more importantly - for playing the rare 78 rpm microgroove records, that were produced for a short time around 1948/49, mostly in Canada (14 available on request), and had 3 times the capacity of normal 78's. When playing the needle happens to be positioned at about 90° to the record surface, such that the tonearm can as well be put on the approaching side of the record (see the 2 videos).
Additional information:
ref.1: http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/canadian_g_record_player_cjm3.html
ref.2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JO1QEdoed_w&feature=youtu.be
ref.3: http://www.
ref.4: http://www.
About my Record Player:
The record player is all-original, except the cartridge, which has been replaced by a modern jukebox cartridge. The bakelite is extremely well preserved and super-shiny with no scratches whatsoever. The turntable is still sufficiently flocked. Two capacitors have been wired in as recommended by the service manual. The player works fine with no serious flutter and good voltage output from the cartridge. A radio (RCA A-20) designed by John Vassos also in 1939 is available for sale, which nicely matches and complements this record player (see youtube video, ref.2, or click on pict.21) Please
e-mail me (Kris) for any questions, ich spreche Deutsch, je parle Français.
John Vassos [1898-1985]:
Detailed biographies can be found on the net. John Vassos, FIDSA (Fellow of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA) was a noted US industrial and graphical designer. Born in Romania to Greek parents, he designed everything from hip flasks, subway turnstiles, paring knives, Hohner mouth organs, computers, an electron microscope, corporate logos, and illustrated books (including works by Oscar Wilde and graphic books cowritten with his wife) and magazines. In 1933 he established the first internal design department for RCA and remained as its consultant until 1964. In 1939 he designed the first consumer television sets for RCA that were introduced at the New York World's Fair.
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