If you think something untoward is happening in this picture from 70 years ago, then you’re wrong.  This radio-phono serviceman is simply making an ordinary service call, and it was important for him to bring the right parts.  This ad from Astatic reminds him that it was always best to use exact manufacturer replacement parts, and that was especially true when it came to phonograph pickup cartridges.

To keep a service call from getting out of hand, the serviceman was advised to carry in his service kit a wide variety of pickups.

The ad appeared in the February 1947 issue of Radio Maintenance.