Beogram 4000: A New Arrival From Massachusetts - First Look

I recently received a Beogram 4000 from a customer in Massachusetts for a full restoration. The unit came well packaged in a Beolover shipping box, and so survived the trip undamaged.

This shows the unit as received:

The hood is in decent condition but has the usual scratches. It will be replaced with a reproduction hood.

The aluminum surfaces are in pretty good condition:

But there are some minor defects. The large keypad has a ding on one corner, indicative of it having gone loose during transport at some point in the past:

There are some more small scratches, that may have come about when the keypad bounced around:

The arms cover has the usual scuffs, but the lettering is in good condition, which is very good.

The black marks will most likely come off when it will be cleaned. On the positive end the plinth is in pristine condition with excellent corners:

After this exterior inspection, I took the aluminum panels off and found a mostly original situation with only little evidence of previous 'human interaction':

This is always a good starting point for a restoration!

The precious red carriage position marker is still o.k., too:

The terminals of the solenoid-actuated switches show the usual oxidation and signs of attempts to bend them into a shape that would make them work properly again:

I will remove all switch terminals throughout the unit, straighten them out and then plate them with nickel and gold. This will give them a new lease on life for a few more decades.

After this visual inspection, I plugged the unit it and pressed ON. The carriage started moving and the solenoid actuated at the LP setdown position. Very good! Great news is that the strobe light is still working, too:

So in summary, this looks like a straight forward restoration, and I am confident that this unit can be restored to its original glory and functionality. Stay tuned!