Capehart 500M with automatic record changer (Restoration Topic)

[Ketronj281989]

Good day,

 

I wanted to share another Capehart, this time from my personal collection. I purchased this magnificent machine back in 2021 and wanted to share and document the restoration.  Pictured below is a circa 1942 Capehart 500M.  This is the last radio Capehart manufactured before switching over to WWII war time production.  This is the only known 1942 Capehart 500M example known to collectors at the time of this posting today.  A rather strange twist of events took place with this machine as it was originally purchased in 1937, then upgraded by Capehart in 1942.  Originally purchased by Nathan Miller in 1937 as a Capehart 500E, Nathan had the Capehart dealer upgrade this unit with then new  Capehart electronics and 16-E true tangent record changer in 1942.  Not only was the machine very expensive in 1937 at the cost of close to $5,000 dollars new, it was upgraded with the finest and latest Capehart electronic's for additional cost in 1942 right before WWII. 

 

A little back story:  Nathan Miller was a self made man whom immigrated from Russia back in the late 1800's.  He made his wealth in amusements and expositions, traveling around the US, eventually setting in Long beach California in the early 1930s.  Eventually becoming an owner/operator of the Pike arcade and other ventures in Longbeach, by the early 1940's he retired from work to settle down.  At this time Nathan was in his late 50's.  Nathan loved his Capehart and loved classical music.  He had a lot of wealthy friends which included Igor Stravinsky, movie stars, MGM studio big wigs, and others of wealth and fame.  Nate used to host dinner parties and other social gatherings within his luxury apartment thru the 1930s.  In 1937 Nathan or (Nate as he liked to be called by his friends) took wind of Capehart's finest offering, the 500.  I don't know how he came to purchase one, although likely influenced thru talk with friends or thru an advertisement seen within the many magazine and new's subscriptions Nathan had.  He loved his magazine subscriptions.  Either way, Nate purchased a brand new 1937 Capehart 500E and had it delivered to his then luxury apartment within the Villa Riviera.  The Villa Riviera was a luxury hotel/apartment co-op which was one of the finest places to live in Long Beach during the 1930's.  The building still stands today as a residence for many.  A fine place to live with a fine machine during the late 1930's Nathan coveted his Capehart and his music.  This machine likely entertained may prominent guests during it's heyday.

 

Displayed are pictures of the Capehart untouched since 1947, Nathan Miller in the 1920's, then later in the 1940's.  Also displayed is a picture of the Villa Riviera from the late 1930's and present day.

Edited September 28, 2023 by Ketronj281989

[Ketronj281989]

Capehart offered every existing customer the opportunity to upgrade their Capehart anytime they would desire.  Extra cost of course, Capehart would remove the old electronics and record changer, providing an upgrade with the most current electronics and record changer at time of request.  In 1942 Nathan did just that, he had the local Capehart dealer install brand new 1942 electronics, extended control remote system, as well as a then current 1942 16-E record changer.  The cabinet remained the original 1937 500 cabinet, year designation for the machine in 1942 changed to M.  (M) was the letter designation for the manufactured year of components.  Nathan enjoyed his Capehart thru the years of WWII and it would never be upgraded or serviced again.  In 1946 Nathan inquired to his niece, whom was a Jewish holocaust survivor, to come over to the USA.  Nathan stated he would help her get on her feet, that she would like Long beach CA.  In 1946 his niece, Hanna arrived in New York City, eventually that year making her way to Nathan.  Hanna enjoyed her time with Nathan, they even listed to the Capehart together on many occasions.  Hanna came to enjoy listening to classical records with Nathan in the evenings.  Nathan thought the world of his niece and he helped her overcome many of her hardships caused by the war.  Hanna lost her entire family to Nazi's.  Sadly Nathan passed away on September 10th of 1947, just 9 months after the arrival of his niece.
Prior to Nathan's passing, his last will indicated Hanna would inherit his entire estate as well as the Capehart 500(Nathan moved to a duplex in 1946 before Hanna's arrival).  Hanna had developed several friendships with others during her time with Nathan.  She sold the duplex shortly after her uncle's death and moved to Los Angeles to be closer to her friends.  Hanna took the Capehart too.  Eventually in 1952, Hanna
married and had a wonderful fulfilling life.  Hanna moved the Capehart 500 into permanent storage within her home garage in 1952.  It remained there until 2012 when her daughter Pam moved the Capehart to a storage facility.  Sadly, Hanna passed away in 2012.  She left an amazing legacy and wrote a book with the help of her daughter Pam.  I have this book and am so privileged and honored to share the story of the family and the prized Capehart that remained with the family until my purchasing in 2021.  Once the Capehart was moved to a storage facility in 2012, it remained there until I was contacted in 2021 by Pam's friend whom wanted to inquire more about the machine.  I am a Capehart enthusiast and I value the history of these machines greatly, so naturally a good friend of mine sent my information to Pam's friend.  I originally had no intention of purchasing the Capehart, rather I really wanted to help Pam and her friend.  I told them how special the Capehart was and it's value.  Once I met Pam over the phone and heard the family's story and the provenance behind the Capehart 500 I really fell in love with the machine.  I still did not offer to purchase it, rather Pam and her friend were so impressed with my knowledge and interest in helping they wanted me to save the machine for fear of it possibly getting in the wrong hands.  It is a sad truth that many of the Capehart's of the 1930 and early 1940's just within the last 15 years have been chopped up for their speakers.  Audio-enthusiast over seas have destroyed many Capeharts over the last 15-20 years since ebay became popular.  Few survive today.  Even fewer, Capehart 500's were rare to come by in the 1930's.  Very few sold, period.  Today, we know of 16 examples as of this posting.  Very few were sold and very few survived WWII and after.  We settled on a price and shipping arrangements, I promised Pam I would share the story of the Capehart with the internet.  It is one of two Capehart 500's today which can be traced back to it's origin and original owner, family history, and purchase when new.  Ironically, I sold my remaining radio/Capehart collection one year prior to this acquisition,  as I came to enjoy restoring for others more than collecting.  I still keep in contact with Pam and we talk annually.  Pam was kind enough to send me a picture of Nathan Miller, her great uncle.  I cherish the picture among other items of Nathans past including hand written checks, and an original circa 1937 picture I found of the Villa Riviera which now sit's on top of the Capehart 500M along with Pam's picture of Nathan.
 

[Ketronj281989]

Nathan's Capehart was a time capsule which was permanently decommissioned in 1947 by his niece Hanna.  Hanna cherished her Uncle and told her daughter Pam decades later, one day someone will enjoy her uncle's Capehart once again.  Pam fulfilled her mother's desire.  I am so very grateful for Pam's friendship and her entrusting me with her family's Capehart.  I look forward to making this Capehart operational and enjoyable once again.  I know Hanna and Nathan too would have been happy to hear of such a feat being undertaken decades later.

 

I have been into pre-WWII radio restoration/record changers for over a decade and specializing in Capehart these last 7 years.  The Capehart 500 was the ultimate radio/record changer instrument offered to the consumer public during the golden age of radio 1937-1942.  It was the largest and most complex unit offered during the late 1930's to early 1940's minus the 1930's E.H. Scott Quaranta, which rivaled the Capehart 500 model.  The Capehart 500 was offered to the public for a price tag between $3,500 to $5,000 dollars new between the years offered new 1937-1940.  Capehart offered remote control systems to go with the Capehart 500, speakers and remote controls for each room too, if desired.  These systems could approach $10,000 dollars or more depending on what elaborate set up the customer requested.  The wealthiest of wealthy were offered the Capehart 500.  When compared to the average cost of a home or car in the late 1930's, the Capehart 500 cost a lot more which sounds odd for a radio/record player.  Truth be told, they were the premier instrument of the day.  Few ever challenged Capehart in the 1930's-1940s.  They were a grand machine for entertainment.
 

[Ketronj281989]

With most of my restoration back log finally caught up, previously three years worth.  I can now finally start on this magnificent machine.  The goal will be a 2 stage restoration.  Stage 1 will be an electrical/mechanical servicing which will include disassembly, deep cleaning, and assessment of current components as well as items needed for restoration.  Stage 1 goal will be to get the machine back to operational status and performance so it may be enjoyed from a functional and cosmetic standpoint.  Stage 2 will be chrome plating of the amplifiers and junction box, cleaning and painting of cosmetic items.  The radio tuner will not be chrome plated.  During the years 1937-1940 Capehart offered the model 500.  These machines were chrome plated from the factory.  In 1941 the 500 was no longer offered as a mainstream item and purchase of said model were special order only.  Nathan, already the owner of his Capehart 500 since 1937, had his electronics/record changer upgraded in 1942.  Capehart (then purchased by a different company starting 1939) no longer offered chrome plated 500 items starting in 1941.  Chrome plating was not offered on Capehart electronics starting in 1941, so our chrome plating of the amplifier's within stage 2 of this restoration was not a factory/dealer option in 1941/1942.  After assessing the current cosmetic condition of the electronics I am likely going to chrome plate the two large 1942 M amplifiers and several other items as the original Capehart Corporation originally offered this with the 500 model exclusively pre-1941.  This machine originally sported chrome plated amplifiers of a different design in 1937 when purchased new by Nathan Miller.   At the time of the 1942 upgrade, the dealer retained one of the original 1937 chrome plated amplifiers, so we have one of three currently chrome plated.  My thinking is it would look more aesthetically pleasing to have all three match in terms of appearance.

 

Our plans first are to service everything electrically and clean at the same time.  This will be a rare presentation into one of the most elusive radio/record machines of a bygone era.  lets get started!

 

Attached are pictures of the Capehart as it sat for decades in storage, untouched since 1947.  These photo's are what I received upon initial talks about the machine before purchase and shipment:

 

[Ketronj281989]

Once the machine arrived in the Fall of 2021, I slowly started to assess it's condition.  The day of arrival from California was a very exicting day!

After unwrapping the Capehart we get a fine view of it's untouched condition.  It's absolutely amazing this machine has not been touched or seen the light of day since 1947!  What a time capsule!!

 

VIDEO 1:  

 

VIDEO 2:  

 

[Ketronj281989]

During 2022 I started to slowly take apart the machine.  Capehart offered the finest in electronics in 1942, they were some of the best on the market right before WWII.  Due to the upcoming war effort, Capehart slowly introduced pot metal into their 16-E record changer starting in 1941.  By 1942 their Changers were almost all pot metal minus a few components.  Today, the 1942 Capehart changers with serial number's above 20,000 have most all failed due to pot metal fatigue.  Sadly the 1942 record changer in this 500M suffers from the same fate and will have to be replaced with an earlier version changer of the same exact design and cosmetic condition.

 

VIDEO 3:  

 

 

Edited September 28, 2023 by Ketronj281989

[Ketronj281989]

Most all metal surfaces have surface rust due to age and storage conditions.  Everything is intact though.  Mice once lived in the machine as very large mouse droppings are scattered on everything.  Capehart's in general which remain in long term storage tend to suffer the same fate.  I have seen this on many a machine.  There are openings in the bottom of the cabinet allowing bugs and rodents to enter at will.  They destroyed the 12 inch black baffle mounted speaker cone, chewed a hole in the 14 inch speaker cone, luckily did not touch the 18 inch speaker cone.  Various tit-bits were found in the cabinet as shown in the pictures.  The original chrome plate 1937 treble amplifier still sports it's original chrome, although it has seen better days.  Several tubes are missing on the amplifier chassis.  Pot metal fatigue within several components residing on the radio tuner present as well.  The record changer and radio tuner are the Achilles heels when it comes to 1942 Capehart units these days.  All tuner pot metal components have to be re-manufactured and sadly not readily available today.  We have good examples from another parts chassis circa 1941 that will be used for restoration.

[Ketronj281989]

The first order of action was to get the Jensen speakers professionally re-coned and serviced.  An experienced master installed an NOS Jensen cone on the 18 inch Jensen Bass speaker, an NOS Jensen cone on the 12 inch Jensen treble speaker, and a special design cone identical to the original on the 14 inch Jensen mid speaker.

 

Before and after pictures:

 

 

 

[Ketronj281989]

Fast forward to present day as of this posting, we are going to tackle the amplifiers.  Each amp will need to be gone thru electrically before we attempt a power up of the unit.  As shown in the pictures, they appear to be untouched and were likely serviced either right before WWII or during.  There is a chance a service technician worked on the Capehart sometime before Nathan's death in 1947.
Shown are pictures of what each amp looks like as they did in the 1940's.  The two larger amplifiers appear to power the 18 inch Jensen bass speaker and the 14 inch Jensen mid speaker.  The small 1937 chrome plated amp appears to power the 12 inch Jensen treble speaker.  (we have not verified which speaker is controlled thru the small chrome plate amp yet).  The chrome plate amplifier also was modified at the time of the 1942 upgrade.  An extra tube was added as well as circuit modifications made at time of new install in 1942.  For the time being we are keeping all modifications intact.  It will be interesting to see if the 1940's modifications help improve overall sound performance of the set.  This is an upgrade, so items were likely modified for this reason as well.

 

Pictured are the amplifier's.  I have already started on the electrical servicing on two of them.  We are more so completing a repair first to get a base line on performance.  It is important to replace all electrolytic capacitors as well as wax capacitor's and out of tolerance resistors as they will wreck havoc on performance and destroy vial components within the circuit if not serviced properly.  

[L4tD]

I'm looking forward to reading the further installments in your restoration report.  I agree with you that these are probably the finest phonographs of the 78 era and applaud you for saving the ones that you have.

 

For anyone interested, there is a video on youtube of a Capehart 500 operating here:  

 

[Ketronj281989]

Thanks Bob

[Ketronj281989]

Continuing service on the amplifiers I have noticed most all carbon resistors are out of tolerance.  I have new carbon resistors similar to the originals to use in both the 1942 amplifiers as well as the 1937 amplifier if needed.  I am rounding completion of all three amps with major service on only one left to perform.  Both 1942 amplifiers have 5V4 rectifier tubes in place of the factory specified 5Y3 rectifiers.  It appears the original owner had these swapped to 5V4's in 1942 for some initial reasoning I was not aware of.  After researching more and studying my tube charts it appears the 5V4 is almost similar in all respects to a 5Y3 tube.  The added benefit to the 5V4 is that it boosts B+ by a small factor and provides less sag to overall performance of the amplifier.  I may decide to test and monitor with the 5V4's installed to see if they improve performance of the 1942 amplifiers.  All three amp's were modified by the dealer in 1942 so I am most interested in replicating those mod's to a T.  I will have to monitor B+ on the push pull output circuit as a result and also monitor the power transformer and filter capacitors as ratings with the sub tube will change the overall circuit.

 

Below is part one of the electrical restoration on the amplifiers for those whom are interested:

 

Video 4: 

 

Edited October 7, 2023 by Ketronj281989