Beogram 4002 (5503): Initial Assessment of a Unit Rescued From Ebay

Recently I saw a pristine Beogram 4002 (Type 5503 with AC motor) platter being advertised on ebay. I contacted the seller about it and he reminded me that he already had sold me a Type 5513 in nice condition a few months back. During our conversation I learned that the rest of the unit was also available and in pretty good condition at that. We agreed on a price and a week later I received the entire Beogram. He packaged it very well, and so there was no shipping damage. I love interacting with people who care!

This shows the unit on my bench as received:

As usual it had a well-scratched hood:

Luckily this is not a showstopper anymore since there are perfect reproduction hoods available. I offer a replacement service, too. I removed the hood

The keypad had the usual finger smudges from using it:

I will replace it with a perfect new Beolover keypad.

A number of strewn around orange plastic fragments indicated degraded transport lock bushings:

These will be replaced with new Beolover replacements made from resilient Nylon.

On the positive side, this unit has an original rosewood plinth in nearly pristine condition with nice front corners:

The aluminum surfaces also are in almost pristine condition. Especially the platter is in excellent condition:

It is difficult to find perfect platters, especially the older heavier ones that come with the AC motor Beograms like this one.

For some reason people manage damaging platters at an alarming frequency. They are especially fragile since they have a surface coating that is easily damaged through ill-advised cleaning attempts with alcohol, harsh chemicals and/or abrasive cleaning pads or cloths. It is best sticking with a soft cloth and water and some mild hand-dishwashing detergent and accept any damages that cannot be removed in this way. It is easy to make things much worse.

I removed the plates and platter for having a look below deck:

The unit seemed in original condition without major evidence of 'human creativity', which is always the best starting point for a restoration. It has the usual degraded plinth guidance washers:

Obviously this unit sat in a basement or attic for a while: Rodents had a go at the power and output cables. This shows the damage on the power cable:

I always wondered why rodents love eating cable insulation. Plastic does not seem to be a tasty snack! Why not go for a happy tasting nut instead?? We may never know!...;-). Luckily I have a bunch of original cables in good condition in stock that I extracted from parts units I came across in the past. So this is no showstopper either.

I plugged the unit in and pressed "ON". It came alive and sluggishly launched the carriage towards the LP set down point. It then ignored the set down point and came to a stop a few inches after that with the motor spinning against the very loose carriage belt. Too much friction due to hardened lubricants...

That it missed the set down is most likely related to a dead sensor arm bulb (the B&O logo at the end of the arm was dark). I pressed 'OFF' and helped the carriage to get moving back towards its home position.

In summary, this unit is a perfect starting point for a full restoration. The cosmetic issues can all be fixed and its life signs suggest a predictable restoration process. Stay tuned for my report on the restoration process. Once I am done it will be offered on my 'restored B&O for sale' page.