normiss 898 #1 January 2, 2011 I would love to upgrade, repair, restore portions of it. It all works (including the 'listen' function)! The control panel has a brass finish that needs a good cleaning, the room panels have been painted over . and I'd like to put better speakers in them. (5x8's) It even has an AUX input that works very well with my iPhone. It's a late 50's to early 60's Progress Sound Guard SG-8404 in case you can find anything. I can't find anything on Google, EBay, nor any forums mentioning it. It's obviously a tube amp system, 40 watts, a very cool piece that I want to keep. Any ideas? BillVon??? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
doughboyshred 0 #2 January 2, 2011 What all do you want to do? If it's just replacing the speakers all you need to do is get a speaker with the correct resistance rating. If it hasn't wore off there should be an ohms rating on the back of the speakers. If it's wore off you'll need a multi meter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 898 #3 January 2, 2011 I have the meters I would need... Maybe I should have been more clear. I'd like to find the possibility of replacement panels that have been painted over and noisy switches. Tubes if needed (them bitches are getting harder to find all the time) Speaker replacement is the easy part. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmrangers 0 #4 January 2, 2011 normiss are the plates metal? i would think they are if they are that old. they sell orange based paint strippers that are good and safe and shouldnt destroy the plates if they are metal. put the plates in one of those tin foil baking pans and cover them with stripper and let them sit. i stripped the cage to my goaile mask like this and it worked well. as far as the tubes, good luck!Wait , I pull what first? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jimmytavino 16 #5 January 2, 2011 somehow i knew this post was from normiss when i saw the title on the forums main page.that type of a system speaks to the quality of the place, when it was first built. That Should indicate they had high standards for the rest of the House as well, ( except for "some " of the wiring , of Course) Are all the face covers, Metal??.. As jrmrangers points out,,,stripper might be as good idea... ( I like the SOUND of it anyway )... That paint cutter can dissolve multiple layers , that never should have been PUT on , the piece in the first place,, ( It's like when a house has natural wood grained, Stained and Varnished Ceiling Crown Moldings, [/cool] and doors and Jambs, and casings etc ,, along the way, decides it should be painted!!! some silly color or another...)....shame!!! There must be one big panel/cover, at the Main Station and then maybe smaller ones in each room??? Could be, they are nice metal finished face plates.. Are the speakers integrel and under the same faceplate?.. They might look nicer unpainted. Try to scratch out the paint from t he screw heads, without beating them up, too much.. Strip Them, too. There is a place called GoldCrest Electronics near me... Looong time ago distributor to commercial accounts , for all types of parts and supplies.. I go there from time to time for switches indicator lights, tools, and such. I'll write down the model number and stop in there early next week to see if they are familiar with it... Those type units usually had built in radios as well... Wow!! in this day and age of high tech, digital this and download THAT....pretty to cool, to have a place, that .. "even GETS A M " !!!!! happy new year normiss,, and Everyone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ltdiver 3 #6 January 2, 2011 Flash back! My grandparents had a beautiful house in Pasadena. The house had this same sound/speaker system which was great to use! Also had a central vacuum system (plug the hose into the wall and away you'd go). Man, I miss that house. Can't believe how little they sold it for back in the 70's. If memory serves it was sold for only $250,000. 5 acres and a 2 story 'mansion' with basement and clock tower. I'd love to take a peek at what the new owners did with it. I'm told it's worth a heck of alot more, now. Thanks for the trip down memory lane! Good luck with your adventure! Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmrangers 0 #7 January 2, 2011 normiss two questions , how handy are you? and are the existing intercom boxes big? i was thinking maybe you can get a medern intercom and pull it out of its housing and mount it in to the exiting intercom housings that are in your walls. this is a shot in the dark since i cant see what your working with but you could keep the old school look with new and improved systems.Wait , I pull what first? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 898 #8 January 2, 2011 I'm very handy and have had extensive electronics experience. Why in the world would I remove a working classic system and replace it with plastic?? All the new systems I find in researching this one are cheap looking plastic faced systems. I'm going to Radio Shack in a bit for some tuner wash and contact cleaner / lube. I'm only looking to replace the speakers with newer higher quality ones and remove the paint from the boxes in the bed rooms. Other than that, this system works very well. It does sound like an old AM radio compared to my home theater system, but still...while working around the house, it's pretty nice to use. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmrangers 0 #9 January 2, 2011 no you missed my point i wouldnt put that plastic crap in my house either!!! just swap the guts and rewire the faceplates so you dont have to worry about the tubes anymore.Wait , I pull what first? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muff528 3 #10 January 2, 2011 Quote I would love to upgrade, repair, restore portions of it. It all works (including the 'listen' function)! The control panel has a brass finish that needs a good cleaning, the room panels have been painted over . and I'd like to put better speakers in them. (5x8's) It even has an AUX input that works very well with my iPhone. It's a late 50's to early 60's Progress Sound Guard SG-8404 in case you can find anything. I can't find anything on Google, EBay, nor any forums mentioning it. It's obviously a tube amp system, 40 watts, a very cool piece that I want to keep. Any ideas? BillVon??? Although I doubt you will need tubes (they really last a long time) I have thousands. Let me know what you need. If you want to keep it in service you should at least have the capacitors replaced before they begin to leak and ruin tubes or hard-to-find transformers. Speakers should be no problem to replace if you can get the specs (by measurement or by schematic). Usually 4, 8 or 16 ohms but careful ....many of those old intercom or PA systems used the constant voltage 70-volt speaker array, especially if there was outdoor use. So best to be sure since the speakers are not interchangeable. You might find some sort of ID plate on the chassis somewhere that may give a clue to the actual manufacturer ....Bell, GE, RCA, etc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #11 January 3, 2011 It's really a shame that the previous owners painted over the system. I guess they were trying to make it blend in with the wall, but it just looks awful! I hope someone can figure out a non-abrasive solution to take the paint off. It really is pretty cool...the house even has a land-line phone cubby in the hallway!She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skydiver30960 0 #12 January 3, 2011 ...two cans and a piece of string? Elvisio "see, your situation isn't so bad after all" Rodriguez Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 898 #13 January 3, 2011 Here's the main panel. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 37 #14 January 3, 2011 I like the mix of the old with the new. Now, we just have to get rid of that paint color! She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jrmrangers 0 #15 January 3, 2011 Wow that is sweet. I guess re wiring that into a new set of guts would be pretty impossible. Oh well worth a shot. Good luck with your restorationWait , I pull what first? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rick 67 #16 January 3, 2011 Yo Mark have you checked at Skycraft on Fairbanks by I-4? They have a lot of random stuff you might just get lucky and find some panels to replace the painted ones. That is a cool pic with the I phone plugged into the antique system You can't be drunk all day if you don't start early! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 898 #17 January 3, 2011 I'm headed to Skycraft shortly! Hoping for some knobs. Dummies painted those too! I know they still have some tubes there....maybe I should make not of the tubes I have and buy a few spares. ;-) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
