1949 Fairchild Model 523 Vinyl Record Lathe

Up for sale is an extremely rare 1949 Fairchild Model 523 vinyl record lathe. A fine testament to WWII era manufacturing and craftsmanship! This is the same model lathe used by Rudy Van Gelder back in his earlier 1950's era `recording days (see picture).

It was originally designed to cut acetate or wax master discs up to 18" in diameter at 33 1/3 and 78 RPM. It is likely, however, that it was used to cut modern nitrous-cellulose lacquer discs for most of it's life. The lathe can cut traditional outside in or non traditional inside out. A unique method of drive eliminates the need of a separate feed screw for each pitch or direction change. The control box provides real time variation of pitch by means of a unique planetary driven lead screw. Evenness of turntable speed is obtained by a carefully calculated loading of the drive mechanism to keep the motor pulling constantly; by careful precision control of all drive alignments that might cause intermittent grab and release. Further aid to wow-free performance is provided by a perfectly balanced 16" turntable with extra weight in the rim. Turntable noise, rumble, and vibration are very low due the the drive mounting. A rubber coupling connects the motor to the drive which is spring mounted and precision aligned in a heavy cast aluminum casting. Mechanical filters on the hollow drive shaft reduce the transmission of vibration from the drive mechanism to the turntable. The overhead carriage mechanism which mounts the cutterhead permits adjustments for depth and angle of cut while recording. The cutterhead mounting is released and pivoted upward for ease of stylus adjustment. A high quality microscope with light mounted on the lathe permits close observation of depth of cut and condition of the groove at all times. The microscope light is mounted so that it may be rotated to permit scanning of the side walls of the groove. An octagonal time scale, mounted above the overhead mechanism, is calibrated in minutes on separate scales for NAB pitch, speed, and direction of cut. Depending on the pitch and speed being used, the octagonal drum is rotated until the proper scale appears under the pointer. A separate scale with pointer indicates the correct starting point of recording for 16, 14, 12, and 10 inch master discs. The cabinet is solidly constructed out of hard oak and provides a very stable base for a noise free cut.

The unit comes with a Fairchild model 541A mono cutterhead in good working condition. Original 1800 RPM Bodine synchronous turntable motor is functioning but will need to be dis-assembled, thoroughly cleaned, and re-oiled. It also can be easily replaced with several affordable options now out there on the market including a direct drive motor. Control electronics are also missing on the front of the case, however they are not necessary for the basic operation of the machine. If you are interested in a full original restore, the control electronics could also be fairly easily re-made using the schematic provided in the user manual. Overall, this machine is in fantastic shape for it's age and could be restored to it's former glory as a top shelf mono recorder. It could also be upgraded and modified to be used as a professional stereo master disk or plastic cutting lathe at a fraction of the cost of buying a complete vintage or new cutting system (such as a T-560).

Unit is extremely heavy (around 300 lbs), local pickup is preferred. Buyer is responsible for crating, coordinating, and shipping should shipping be the only option.