I just noticed a white Beogram 6000 for sale. This got me thinking, since all of my "current" equipment is white - I have a white VX5000, a white Beosystem 6500 minus the matching Beogram, and I have the teak (rosewood?) Beogram 6000 as a record player with them because it just plugs in.

As far as I can see, there's nothing differing on the various colours of BG 6000 except for the wooden frame on the plinth. I could probably just sand it, spray it white and nobody would know what happened. I just can't decide whether this would be an unforgivable sacrilege, or improvement? What do you think?

I'm sure I'd regret this the minute I found a white Beogram 6500, but those seem to be rare and fetch absolutely silly money, so I don't see it happening too soon...

-mika
 

If you buy it, it is yours to do as you wish. If a very good frame, I would see if anyone wanted to swap but if anyone felt strongly, they can always sand it down again!!

Hi Mika,

I sanded down and resprayed a Beogram 1102 (originally Rosewood, now black) and I was VERY happy with the results.  I then did the same with my Beomaster 1900 to match and I'm admiring it sitting on the wall as I type this post!

However, what works in black may not be quite so good in white.  I was careful to get a nice smooth finish, but even so, the use of matt black paint hides the many small imperfections that were part of the "character" of the original wood surrounds.  I suspect that a nice gloss white paint would show up every tiny mark and scratch.....

Also, you will need to be extremely careful about masking up the rest of the turntable.  I removed the lid and platter, cartfridge and masked up top, back and bottom of the case.

Extra time spent in preparation certainly pays off!

Steve.

Thanks for the insights, guys. The frame is pretty much pristine except for a small chip in the front edge, so I'm a bit reluctant to modify it. I have the same problem with my 1962 Cadillac - I don't want to alter, remove or "modernize" anything original, even when it would be the most sensible thing to do. I'd be lucky to find another BG6000 in Finland - let alone a white one - for swaps, and I'm sure you Steve are absolutely right about the white colour being more difficult to retrofit on an old surface.

I'll give this some more thought, but I suppose I'll end up living with the teak and save my efforts for polishing the lid

-mika 

Mika,

 

Aside from my intense fondness for teak, I agree that it would be a shame to paint over perfectly good veneer. (Although I understand your interest in your system matching.)

 

I did the reverse with my Beomaster 4500 which arrived with the white trim, while everything else in my “collection” is rosewood. (Except the Beogram 4000 & 4004) I used perfectly ordinary rosewood contact paper (available at Home Depot) and covered the white trim to extraordinarily good results. (It looks like the veneer on my Beogram 4002.)

 

I got the courage to do this after a friend insisted on gifting me with a pair of S-45 speakers which had the white covering which was badly chipped and yellowed in the California sun. The speakers were in great acoustic shape, just looked sad. So I tried the contact paper on them and honest to God, they look like the real deal.

 

I was afraid they would look tacky…. you know “genuine imitation fake wood.” But I figured if it came out badly, I could always remove the contact paper.

 

As for your 1962 Cadillac, KEEP IT ORIGINAL. I had a 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville for over 25 years and I did everything in my power to keep it as original as the day it left the factory.

 

Best wishes with all your toys!

 

Jeff

Of course you wouldn't need to mask the wood frame as it will come off completely. The 4000 is like a huge construction kit!