Princess Line Cord Colors

[tjmack99]

Were the Princess line cords color coordinated along with the phone and handset cord? Meaning, if my yellow touch tone Princess didn't come with a modular line cord, should I be on the lookout for one in yellow?
Thanks!

[jsowers]

Yes, Princesses had color-coordinated mounting cords up until about 1975 when modular mounting cords became standard. Some were retrofitted with a clear or silver satin modular cable with spades on one end, after the fact, but originally they came with a color matching cord before the modular days.

Princess mounting cords were 5 or 6-conductor sometimes, but today only four are needed. In the old days a ground wire was sometimes needed for the ringer, so the lamp circuit wires were white and black. There were also 2-line Princesses that had even more conductors.

The mounting cord wires inside the base were different lengths, so not just any mounting cord will work neatly. The red and green wires were shorter than the others since the network was next to where the cord entered. That was also the case for 500 sets, so generally a 4-conductor cord for a 2-line 500 set will also work on a Princess.

Hope that answers your questions.

[tjmack99]

Thanks a lot. This is a 1973 2702b (with the light). It's modular, not hard wired. I've seen some cords on ebay (several different "original" colors available) that claim to be "original", not the modern ones. I'm not sure if I should investigate further before picking up one of these.

[jsowers]

Thanks a lot. This is a 1973 2702b (with the light). It's modular, not hard wired. I've seen some cords on ebay (several different "original" colors available) that claim to be "original", not the modern ones. I'm not sure if I should investigate further before picking up one of these.

You're welcome, but now I'm a bit confused. A 2702B is hard-wired and would have originally had a color-matching hard-wired mounting cord and hard-wired handset cord too. A 2702BM is modular and would have had a clear or silver satin modular mounting cord and modular color-matching handset cord. Maybe a picture would clear up the confusion?

Princesses were refurbished all the time, so it could have a 1973 date on the bottom, but sometime later gray modular jacks and a notched housing could have been added when it was refurbished. Look at the dates on the plastics and that should tell when it was refurbished, if they're of a later date than the base.

When buying a mounting cord, be sure the mounting cord you get has at least four conductors (red, green, yellow and black) or you won't be able to light the lamp. A garden variety 500 or 2500D mounting cord won't work because it only has three conductors.

Have you ever seen the Bob Newhart Show from the early 70s? The one with Suzanne Pleshette? He had a yellow 2702B in his apartment that they used all the time, on the credenza near the dining table.

[Jim Stettler]

A Bell mod cord would be silver satin (some early cords may of been clear w/ gray conductors). Any other color is after market. If it is notched mod I would use a 4cond. silver satin cord on it.

Jim

[Jim Stettler]

Thanks a lot. This is a 1973 2702b (with the light). It's modular, not hard wired. I've seen some cords on ebay (several different "original" colors available) that claim to be "original", not the modern ones. I'm not sure if I should investigate further before picking up one of these.

Have you ever seen the Bob Newhart Show from the early 70s? The one with Suzanne Pleshette? He had a yellow 2702B in his apartment that they used all the time, on the credenza near the dining table.

I remember the final episode of the 2nd Bob Newhart show.  Suzanne Pleshette made an appearance. It was my favorite ending for a TV series.

JMO,
Jim

[tjmack99]

Well, I just looked again. The bottom is marked 2702b, with a date of 1/74. The case is dated '75, and the internal componants are date '73. Since this currently has modular connections, it must have been refurbished/updated, is that correct?
Thanks!

[jsowers]

Yes, that sounds like a 1975 refurb and may have been made modular at that time. If it has different year dates, whatever the latest date is, that's generally when it came out of the refurb shop. Sometimes they didn't change it to "BM" on the bottom. Sometimes they used paper labels that have since come off. Sometimes they did it out in the field and stamped an orange stamp on the bottom with a date. The Bell System was into recycling long before the rest of the nation figured it out.