BSR McDonald 500 (c. 1966–1967)
Little is documented about the BSR McDonald 500 beyond the manufacturer's own advertising campaign. It was an automatic turntable - a record changer - from the large British maker BSR, sold in the American market from around 1966. Nearly everything known about it comes from BSR's ads rather than from independent test reports.
The campaign's pitch was value. An ad in High Fidelity (October 1966, p.129) claimed that until then you would have had to pay at least $74.50 for the features the McDonald 500 delivered for $49.50. Those features were a resiliently mounted, coarse and fine vernier adjustable counterweight; an automatic lock that secures the pickup arm whenever the machine is in the "off" position; and the ability to set the stylus down on the exact band of a record without fear of damaging the record or cartridge. The same copy ran in HiFi/Stereo Review (October 1966, p.171) and High Fidelity (January 1967, p.111).
A follow-up ad quoted the press. BSR's own advertising cited HiFi/Stereo Review (May 1967, p.45) as saying the large British record-player manufacturer had entered the US market with a changer priced alongside the least expensive units while carrying features "heretofore" reserved for costlier equipment. It also cited Audio (May 1967, p.19) as crediting it with all the desirable features plus some "which we believe to be unique." Those quotes survive only inside BSR's own ads, so they're manufacturer-filtered praise, not independent verdicts.
Known specs, all per BSR's ad copy:
- Automatic turntable / record changer
- British-made, introduced in the US circa 1966
- List price: $49.50
- Coarse/fine vernier adjustable counterweight
- Automatic pickup-arm lock in "off" position
- Band-cueing without record or cartridge damage
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