1970s GEC Music-Centres
I well remember when these music centres first started appearing in the mid to late 1970’s. A feature in many living room of the period, a fashion that quickly faded in favour of the early 80’s stack systems. For now here are some offerings from the GEC range of 1976.
Models Covered: GEC 2817, GEC 2819, GEC 2820, GEC A4021H, GEC A4022H, GEC A4023H, GEC A5019H, GEC A5020H
Interesting to note how the photographs of the Mk. IV SP25 fitted to the model 2819 show the two different patterns of head/arm fitted; the same situation arose with the very last Mk. III SP25s. You’d have thought they’d have aimed for some continuity in the brochure though!
The 86SB was an expensive turntable in its day: GEC pushed the boat out there.
Certainly did, the 2820 was the best set we ever made. I had a souped up version of the power amp on my home stereo as well as the deck off one – balanced on 4 upturned whisky tumblers.
The 5020 replaced it, & was very expensive to make – despite having a cheaper deck. It was a major factor in closing the factory.
Happy days while it lasted.
Good to hear from an former GEC employee, Nigel. I must confess to having a quiet admiration for GEC products; I’m looking at a large radio from 1937 as I type (BC3760). The 5020 sounds an interesting unit, can you tell us a bit more about it?
Sorry for the delay – only just saw this.
The 5020 had a Garrard 125SB deck which had a cheap pressed metal turntable but still the Shure M75 cartridge. It had the same cassette deck as the 2820 & was very similar electronically.
However it was built into rather complex metal frame, which was then clad in matt black mouldings. It looked great – as long as no one touched it (& it took a lot of assembling). The finish showed every finger mark almost permanently. In the end, the only way a saleable product could be produced, was for all final assembly & test staff to work wearing clean cotton gloves!
These were the best version with the convergence panel at the front
The tube is good as well
One of my long term friends recently found a GEC 4022H which had been the victim of a DIY attempt at a “cut and shut” – the record deck had been removed and the base cut in half to convert it to what looked like a “sawn off” tuner/amplifier (receiver) anyway after some deliberation and the fact that I had a spare BSR MP60 record deck kicking around I thought I might try and resurrect it to very nearly its former glory.
The wiring had been cut, re-soldered, and re-routed to allow everything to be fitted in to the two halves of the unit and a rather scary attempt at screening some of the signal cable had been made with tinfoil!!
I really should have taken some pictures of the internals for before and after comparisons but never thought to do so. Anyway the enclosed links show the “cut and shut” before, and the “Frankenstein’s monster” after attempts.
Andrew
https://ibb.co/jcp6n5
https://ibb.co/gH9T0Q
https://ibb.co/fA2gLQ
https://ibb.co/imtXS5
where has the British hi-fi makers gone
Sold out long ago, a once great and productive nation, now a shadow of its former self, in more ways than one! It makes one weep!
I know now we are reduced to a third world country
I’m only surprised by the fact that you “now know”. The decline, orchestrated by all our successive govs, started this process of hypocritical “progress” long ago.
We sold many music centres in the 1970’s, no GEC ones but their products would be competitive with other makes. We had cheap and cheerful to expensive and excellent performers, though most of them would not be classed as Hi-Fi.
Never the less they brought a great deal of pleasure to their owners and kept us in business.
They did tend to be bulky and as noted in the article quickly replaced by the stacking systems in the 1980’s. Did those stacking systems perform any better? There were cheap and cheerful to expensive just like music centre and radiograms before them.
A very nice GEC brochure.
In my a pinion just as good as the Japanese ones