Love-or-hate it 1938 GE GD-60
 

I saw this set at a local antiques show when I was about 13. Although in excellent condition, at $30 I couldn't justify buying it. I wanted a set with a big lit airplane dial and this one seemed pretty homely. 40 years later I acquired one for only $10 more! This as-found set was pretty dirty and worn, but it cleaned up very nicely. It also appears to have had a basic recap many years ago and work well. An added bonus. It's a 6-tube set with a glass ballast tube (in the metal cover) and a non-lit dial. By the old station tags it appears to be from the Chicago area.

Nice!
 

I have the same model...Very unusual design, but I like it!

I always thought they looked like office intercoms of their day. One of those designs that I'm not going to track down, but acknowledge isn't close to being the ugliest thing out there.

It does look like an old intercom, not a bad looking radio though.

Yes, it definitely looks like a period office intercom, but, in the late '30's many companies produced similar models in wood and bakelite. After 40 years of radio collecting I honestly like them all. Where this one used to be a bore to me, it really seems pretty attractive now. Although a "cheapie" set, it has real zebra-wood veneer. It would've been perfect for the bedroom dresser or night-table.

The thickness of the wooden cabinet appears to be impressive too

Yes! It's really a quality set. It basically is working on most of it's original components from 1938. That says a lot. I only wish they had put in a dial lamp that shone through the thumbwheel. I personally like to see some indication that the set is on when it's playing.

How does the pushbutton mechanism work?

The only way I can describe it is as a fairly large mechanical unit under the chassis with screw adjustment holes in the bottom of the set. They lock in very sure and firm. To tune manually you need to press the "dial" button on the far right.

If the radio uses a 35Z5 there's a 6V dial lamp tap on it's heater. There probably a resis something like 20 ohms across the half the heater. If you disconnect the dummy load resistor and substitute a dial lamp across it and mount the lamp so it shines through the wheel but doesn't melt it you can have your dial lamp.

Thank you for the info. Every time I'm about to go for adding a non-factory dial lamp, being the purist I am, I end up leaving it as-is. I do agree with collectors putting a second lamp on the opposite side of slide rule dial on some AA5 bakelite sets. Many times you can barely see it on some of those like the classic '46 Bendix "toaster" model.

Yup I understand and am sometimes swayed by purism.
If a small modification is easily reversible, tasteful and is something one could see the makers or users of the day then adding it can't hurt.
I can even understand significant modification if a set is common, cheap or was a bad enough example that your not loosing anything hacking it up.

I only did slight customizing to 2 sets in my collection. One was a small wooden Detrola that had severe front damage and I applied faux finish details to help hide the repairs. The other is a damaged Kadette bakelite that I gave a non-factory paint job to. These fell into my hands and were basically "rescue" radios. I would never customize a set in or out that's in fine condition.