Check out the nice cosole with extra speakers below, she is awesome

HI Darryl, Thank you for your email, I asked to be your on face-book and look forward to seeing your photos. Hope you have an awesome Monday! Sounds like you go a real Curtis Mathes treasure, hold on to it  It could be worth a great deal of money in the near future. I cannot wait to see your pictures of her. Please join the site as a member if you like to, it is free  and we would love to have you as a member. Take care, Glenn and Family.

It is always good to hear from our site viewers!

01 - Name = Sharon Brawley 02 - Email Address = [email protected] 03 - Phone Number (optional) = (909) 825-6368 04 - Your Message = Hi. My name is Sharon Brawley, and I live with my sister in California. Our mother recently passed away, and we have been left with a very nice Curtis Mathes console stereo from, we're pretty sure, the late 50's or early 60's. It has been kept in the garage for years, but it still looks in good shape. We are wondering what to do with it. If we decide to sell it, what would the going price for this piece be? Would one of your members possibly be interested in buying it? Any help and advice on this would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance, Sharon Brawley Message ID: 60822428

Please keep the questions coming; love to help out!

01 - Name = Brock 02 - Email Address = [email protected] 03 - Phone Number (optional) = 04 - Your Message = I have a console stereo that has a turntable and a 8 track player from curtis mathes and I was just wondering around about what it is work. It is in really good condition. Message ID: 60262451

Sometimes I forget to post the questions and answers I get so caught up in the repairs<LOL>

Hi Tim, I would work with the pure 99% or 97% alcohol to clean the dirt off. Not rubbing alcohol but the very strong pure stuff. This will help remove the dirt and dry out any moisture on the metal or wires etc. Contact the “Antique Radio Forum” cabinet restoration section if you have a wood restoration question they are awesome. They can also help you with tube replacement etc. Just see from which of their different forums topics seems the best to place your question under. These men are retired radio and television men and have years of experience and helpful answers under their belt. The pure strong alcohol should help remove the grime off your stereo components that are covered in decades of dust and grime. I usually use Q-tips and other soft clothe to get at hard places to reach. I remove my tubes and clean each one individually remembering to replace them correctly back when finished with each section. Sometimes the numbers and lettering will come off during a cleaning so keep notes of what the tube number was and the manufacture in case you have to replace that tube at a later date. Try to find new insulation for the FM antenna wire insulation if possible if the old is beyond help. Orange oil wood cleaner is somewhat safe on the inside of the console and really helps clean and protect the wood around the metal parts inside. The Orange oil is also low moisture and less harmful to wires and vacuum tubes etc. Please send some photos of you console even if it is not a Curtis Mathes console when you have time. We would love to have you as a member of our site. Please join if you like it is totally free. Take care, and so happy you saved another treasure from destruction. Glenn and Family.

Thanks to all our viewers for their questions.

01 - Name = Tim Harden 02 - Email Address = [email protected] 04 - Your Message = I am restoring a 1960's Stereo cabinet. I am new at this and need some advice. The cabinet is in great condition but the stereo components are covered in decades of dust and grime. What is the best way to clean the metal bits inside? The tubes have some blackening inside but still light up. The original speakers make great sound but are also dirty. Most of the wiring insulation has a tacky substance on them and the FM antenna wire insulation is crumbling. I know this is alot to read but I want this American beauty to shine again. Thanks in advance, Tim Harden Message ID: 60477952

It is such a joy to help someone out with a CM repair problem.

04 - Your Message = Great site! I am the original owner of the model shown in the second pix down on the home page. I've been trying to find a schematic and/or service manual for it as I need to do a repair. Can't seem to locate the model number. The sticker on the back, on the chassis and inside the cabinet give no model number, just the chassis number: C85-1. An extensive internet search turned up nothing on the Sam's site, or anywhere else for that matter. Review of a few discussion forums pointed me to your web site. Sounds like you may be able to help. Any insight as to where I may be able to locate a schemtic and/or a service manual? Thanks! Message ID: 57141901

It is wonderful to help our friends.

Hi Charles Pomy, The model with my son Grantley standing next to her? That is a great model to have. she is also one of the most perplexing one when it comes to finding a nice schematic and/or service manual for her. I do have some paper work on her somewhere I will try to unearth what I do have. Tragically when Curtis Mathes went Bankrupted in the early 1990’s the records department trashed a treasure-house of schematics and service manuals. I remember working on the Design team on this model and that she was a very popular model in the show rooms in the mid 1980’s. I do have a earlier schematic from one of her earlier sisters, CMC-82, see the attachments. I believe their layout is very similar. Try posting her on the Antique Radio Forum under their Television section. There are a number of retired repair men on that site. Explain the problem you are having with the console and what information you have, someone might have the schematic. I will in the meantime start digging in my storage sheds and see what paperwork I have on that awesome console. I know I did have a service manual on her with some letters from Burke Mathes. Hopefully I can unearth them. Thank you for your email. Send some photos of you Console if you like and I will post them. PS EBay also from time to time has a nice selection of manuals on many of the 1980’s models.

What wonderful questions thank everyone!

Glenn - Wow, thank you very much! That is 'above and beyond' and I much appreciate your efforts. I'll snap some photos of the set the next time I get down to the house and send them your way. You are right about the set being a sweet unit. I bought it brand new from a C-M dealer in Chula Vista, CA. It has been running perfectly ever since until about three weeks ago. I had done some research earlier and I ran across a site that seemed to have schematics, though it didn't relate them to particular models. Unfortunately, I failed to bookmark the site and I've spent the last few days going through Google searches trying to relocate the site. I take your advice regarding the Antique Radio Forum and do some eBay searches also. I'm sure it is a relatively easy fix (vertical is compressed and folded over from the top), I just need to have the schematic so I can figure out where in the vertical circuit some component has gone south. Thanks again, Chuck

The two photos above are of a Curtis Mathes KA250 amplifier. This is David Soderstrom's wonderful amplifier, he would like to find her a good home. If you like this amplifier and would like to buy her please contact David at his email address: [email protected]

04 - Your Message = hello, i recently was given a curtis mathes console. it is the kind with the color tv, phongraph, and stereo/8track. the receipt from 1973 was still with it from the original purchase. what is something like this currently worth? i don't have any needles for the phonograph and i can't get the 8track to work either. any advice on what to do with it to sell it or make it work etc. thanks Message ID: 56873371

It is aways fun to help out a friend with a problem.Hi Adriana Pinyan, The market is very bad right now for consoles what with the world depression. I would hang on to the Curtis Mathes. Can you send me some photos of your CM. I would love to post them on the site. Your 8 track more than likely only needs a belt. You can get a needle for your turntable on eBay from Needle Doctor or one of the other sellers. 8 track belts can also be found on eBay. If your television still works I think you have a good console to keep. Space is the only problem with most Curtis Mathes consoles they were Texas big. But you can decorate a room around the console and it will look very retro. To a collector the console could be worth $600.00. But with so many consoles going into land fields the value of you console will increase over time. Within ten years you could see a huge price increases as the retro trend makes it fashionable to have vintage televisions in your living space. Take for example the old RCA record players from the 1900’s they are now worth several thousand dollars to collectors. I seen Sparton Blue Bird Radios from the 1930’s fetch over thirty thousand dollars! I hope this helps. Glenn Waters.

04 - Your Message = I am looking for a price for a 1987 Curtis Mathes color T.V. with a 8 track, record player, and radio. It is a custom made special order T.V. The Serial number is 05671777. Can you please contact me as soon as possible... Message ID: 57082829

The beauty of helping others.

From: Waters, Glenn E Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 2:25 PM To: [email protected] Subject: 1987 Curtis Mathes color console television with a 8 track, record player, and radio Hi Malcolm Thomas, Sadly it is a buyers market today what with the economy so bad. Some collectors would pay up to $600.00 for a 1987 Curtis Mathes color console television with a 8 track, record player, and radio; especially a custom made special order Curtis Mathes Console. If everything is working and she is in MINT condition you have a nice product. On the other side of the coin I also have found MINT Curtis Mathes Consoles from the same period at recycling centers heading for the compactors. You can also be amazed to see Curtis Mathes console is sitting in thrift stores for twenty dollars. I hope this helps, if the console is your I would hold on to it until the economy gets better. Many folks have retro rooms in the more affluent neighborhoods and will be paying top dollar in the future for a 1987 CM console like the one you described. If you can send some photos of your Curtis Mathes I would love to post them on the site. I hope this has helped, Glenn Waters

Where to find help with your speakers.

Hi John,

I have found many speakers over the years on EBay for my Curtis Mathes consoles. Just keep checking for them under the listing of Curtis Mathes or Curtis Mathis.

Sounds like you might need to hunt up a Sam's Fact sheet on you model. These can also be found on EBay. Just have your Model number ready. Some of these information bookets are online as well on some models.

You can get a lot of great help at the "Antique Radio Forum" as well. They love to help out folks. Just ask for directions under the stereo section of the site. The Antique Radio Forum has a lot of retired men as members that once worked on Curtis Mathes products so they can walk you through any repair project. Please seen a photo of your consolefor the site if you can, and join as a member if you like to it is free.

Hope you have a great Holiday,

Glenn and Family.

Keep Finding help for speaker repairs.

The quest to keep the turntables in mint condition.

The beauty of the past saved for future generations to enjoy.

The wonderful world of the past joins the future.

The very awesome thing folks are working on.

Saving the past one console at a time.

Keeping those Consoles safe for future generations to marvel at!

Hi Marilyn, I would love to see some photos of your Westinghouse Stereo  Yes there was a good deal of design work done for Westinghouse by the Curtis Mathes Company during the 1960’s and 1970’s so more than likely your console was designed and the cabinet was built at one of the plants in Texas. Please join the site as a member if you like it is free. I look forward to seeing you photos so I can tell you more about your stereo, And yes there is a market for these priceless gems. But with the economy so bad I would hold on to her until things hopefully get better. Thank you again, Glenn and Family.