Stromberg Carlson 1654 in orange

[McHeath]

Found this puppy for a great price, and spent the day Saturday giving it a good bath and polish.  What I like about it is the sleek case of the 1554 series combined with a good rotary dial, and the color helps as well.

It was really clean, it's not faded at all and probably lived it's life in a basement or protected room.  No smell of smoke either, it was just dirty and needed a good polish and wax.  The dirt on the inside was heavy, very builtup and indicated that it has been on a wall someplace for a long time.  It's dated 12/1973 and all the dates match.

An interesting thing is the rotary dial to adjust the ringer volume.  This appears to be the original method that Western Electric used for the 1554s as I've seen some with the same dial.  My 1967 1554 has the cutout in the plastic case for the knob, but instead has the later side lever adjuster.  The rotary knob adjuster is pretty complex and I can see why they went away from it, but it certainly has a coolness factor.

Also it has a weird ringer that I've never seen before, must have been a SC design.  When it rings the arm makes a good thump against it's stop and is a bit annoying.  

The beige backplate I bought for a dollar at the San Jose phone show, I don't really like it but it's all I had at the moment to hang the phone with.

[LarryInMichigan]

That color just screams 1970s.  It brings back old memories of my younger years when nearly everything in our house, and those of most friends, relatives, and neighbors, were decorated in 'earth tones'.  I thought it was ugly then, and I still do.  It's a nice phone though.

Larry

[Dennis Markham]

Great looking phone, Heath.  Thanks for the info.  I don't recall seeing one of those before.  I will have to keep my eyes open for one.  

[AET]

I dig earth tones.

[finlover]

Congratulations on a great find!  I'm a sucker for SC orange and lime green.  Not sure this color qualifies as an earth tone though...maybe the Earth's core!

[McHeath]

Thanks all, it's a pretty color.  I really like the lime green as well and will have to land me one.  I've seen these 1654s in lime, they usually go for 50ish dollars give or take, but a 500 style would be sweet as well. 

The overall build quality of this phone is a good bit lower than a comparable dated WE 2554.  I was a bit surprised at how much cheaper the components are and how much poorer the fit and finish is, but it's a cool phone anyway and I like it.

I'll put up some pics of the guts when I get a chance.  One thing having this opened up to me is the ability to create one from a WE 2554.  A company called five star phones sells new covers for the 2554 series that have no dial pad holes, they are blank.  Thus using this SC's cover as a template I could cut the proper size hole for a dial, and then use a princess dial, which is mounted right to the arms inside, make myself a fake 1654.  They sell the covers in multiple colors, including moss green and aqua blue, so while it'd be a phoney phone for sure it'd be a fun little project.

[finlover]

I know it's tacky, but SC lime green is one of my very favorite colors!  Maybe it has to do with my fondness for m&ms.  I've got a lime green 500 and a 554, both early '70s hardwired phones.  These can bring big money.  A while back a lime green 554 went for nearly $300!  Mine was filthy when I got it because it had lived in a garage, but it was absolutely pristine underneath.  I think I paid $30 for it, and to my surprise the seller spontaneously refunded $10 to me because she said she felt guilty about the poor condition of the phone! 

[bingster]

McHeath, is there a separate dial bezel on the phone, or are the numbers/letters a part of the case?

[bwanna]

very cool, heath ...chevy orange

[McHeath]

Bingster the dial bezel is a separate piece much like the Princess set up.  When removed the cover has a big round hole where the dial went, and the dial breaks down just like a late model #9 WE dial. 

Ha, Chevy orange!  I've not thought about that color in forever, my old 73' Chevy pickup had an engine in that color.  That particular version was not exactly Chevy's best effort that engine, 350 cubic inches to produce 145 horsepower, and 9 miles to the gallon in the bargain. 

[McHeath]

More pics.

Here is the lay of the land with the cover removed.  You can see how the dial is held on, it's pretty much a clone of the Princess dial.

[McHeath]

The curious ringer dial adjustment knob.  A linkage goes under the ringer and connects to the lever on the right side which on later models extends outside the phone.  The linkage is complicated but it works well. 

Also the network, a printed circuit board jobber with an additional board up on the cover mount bar. 

[McHeath]

Lastly handset parts.  Nothing special, but the receiver is quite a bit cheaper than a WE unit, and the transmitter is not as heavy either.  There are dates on both parts but none on the handset itself or the handset cord or caps. 

[Phonesrfun]

Still, a pretty cute looking phone.

-Bill

[HobieSport]

I know it's tacky, but SC lime green is one of my very favorite colors!  Maybe it has to do with my fondness for m&ms. 

Well, you know what they say about green m&ms...

Thanks for posting all the info and good photos, Heath.