Early 1990s GE Cathedral Replica Radio
 

Got one of these today in mint condition. Beautiful little cathedral. The best reproduction made IMHO. The cabinet has a rich walnut veneer finish that's very attractive looking.

The radio inside is rather small, but performs quite well.

Perfect for hours and hours of OTR shows with no fear of wearing out those expensive globe tubes!

I am broadcasting an AM signal using my "Radio DJ" transmitter on 1500 kHz, using MP3 OTR programs as the source.

The sound is not comparable to my mighty original Philco 70 cathedral (shown on the left), but is not bad and it does have a nice vintage "recreated" sound to it.

Leyend has it, that the GE was designed with the intent to replicate the original sound as well.

It appears that much of the money was put on the cabinet, grille and real metal escutcheon. They certainly look attractive.

My unit doesn't look at all like a 15 year old radio. I wonder how Philco 70 radios looked in 1946, 15 years after they were made....

Regards,
crooner

I bought the same radio at a flea market near here. I took it out into the hallway of the building to check it out and was amazed how good it sounded. It's been one of my favorite radios.

I did have to wire an additional power switch as the power supply hummed even when the radio was off. Does yours have the same hum?

Great radio.
Lee

Hey Crooner, I have the same radio as well! I bought mine new. (and thank you for making me feel old, but you're right, it was about 15 years ago) I happened to "stumble" across it while I was at a large electronics store. I collect old radios as well and usually don't care for reproductions, but saw this and loved it. I was 23 and didn't have alot of extra money then, but the store had them at half price. IIRC list was $149.00 and I got it for $75.00. Most people I have over don't even know it's a reproduction. GE did a really good job on this one. I still have the papers and hang tag that came with it. Enjoy your radio!

Hey Radiolee, Mine has a slight hum to it (not while off tho) and has had it since new. I dug out the book while typing this and there is a neat comparison of "then and now" on both radios. The original was the 1932 J100. It says cabinet was wood veneer, chassis was glass vacuum tubes, Superheterodyne. Energy Consumtion was 100 watts, weight was 40 pounds and it was made by RCA for GE. The 1988 7-4100J says cabinet, wood veneer. chassis, intergrated circuits and transistors. Energy consumption, 5 watts. Weight, 5 pounds. And manufacturer, GE. On the bottom of the page it say's "An Old Time favorite GE radio made better. The look of the 30's with the advanced electronics of the 80's"

Hmmmm.Always kinda thought the reproductions were a little bit, well, on the "disreputable,cheep 'n' nasty, seedy" side. May have to readjust my thinking.Of course, I'd much rather have a REAL one, but what do they say about beggars can't be choosers...-Sandy G.

Sandy G., I have that opinion on reproductions for the most part as well. However GE really did a good job on this one. It's a far cry from all that new Emerson, Crosley and Philco crap that is out there now. I see those crop up in antique malls once in awhile and can spot em a mile away. You would think the cassette slot in the side would be a dead giveaway for most people. GE spared no expense on this model and I've never seen a new reproduction even come close. Of course it would be nice to have the original!

Last year I came across the original. I did a double take when it was offered to me. I can't recall the model number and it's long gone to auction heaven, but it was slightly larger and I believe the same chassis was used in several style cabinets around 1933. Along with the cathedral there was also a tombstone version. It was quite an impressive radio.

I worked on a Philco 70 a couple years ago and have to say it was the best sounding radio of any vintage I have come across. I definitely have my eyes open for one of my own.

GE always seems to have taken pride in their radios, a heritage reflected in the Superadio of today. Even their less expensive radios like digital clock radios, portables with cassettes and other variations were a definite notch above other brands. I rarely turn down a GE radio of any type.

I have to say, I do like the Crosley reproductions with the cassette players as they are very true to the originals visually and fit in nicely on the display shelf. When I found the GE repro, I thought it was an original and I was surprised GE dabbled in reproductions. I didn't know it went for 150.00 new! I paid about 10% of that for mine.

Collecting good repros is definitely an interesting niche in the hobby.

Lee

BTW crooner, I like your transmitters. I even have the "DJ". Is that one of those DC powered transmitters they sell for car use? Does it reach outside the house? I use a Ramsey FM-10 to broadcast the output from my computer around the building. Great for internet streaming radio, especially WDVX-Knoxville and KBON-Eunice LA. It's pretty cool to act as a "translator" and rebroadcast all those little 0's and 1"s.

I see where Ramsey 100's with the 1 watt amplifier can be plugged in to a 25 watt transmitter amp for a total investment around 5-600 bucks. Hmmmmmmm.

Lee

Yep, GE also offered a retro model in a box like mahogany cabinet, where the top of the case opened to reveal a full functioning, auto-stop casette recorder and cassette storage compartment. It had a back-lit round amber dial on the front and two concentric controls for volume, tone, function and tuning.

Celt

I have that one! Damned nice little radio.

I completely agree. The Philco 70 has incredible sound quality. The MP3s of OTR shows that I have sound like the real deal from yesteryear. Frank Sinatra's voice on his old recordings and radio shows is a treat to listen to on the Philco. I would say it is arguably the finest radio ever made.


The transmitter I am using (you can see it left of the Philco), is the Wild Planet Radio DJ. It is actually a toy (!!!!) and it's available for around $20 at ToysRUs. Best AM transmitter I have ever heard. It has a mild hum but it doesn't detract from the excellent sonics. Smooth sound with great warmth. Just the perfect thing for my Philco. Range is very good. I can tune the signal loud and clear all across my house (a large two story home).

One cool idea I have is to take the guts out of the "Radio DJ" and place it in a nice wooden enclosure to match the Philco.

As for the GE. It has found a permanent place in my collection. It's that good! (no hum by the way).

Regards,
crooner

Kinda funny, GE radios of the 50s-70s were nothing special, IMO, but it seems they took care in the later years. Of course, they were all imported, and after Thompson bought the electronics division it was just a licensing deal, but I guess they didn't want to tarnish that name too bad.

There is a fine old gentleman I know, I had visited him several times & noticed a cathedral in the other room but never got close enough to check it out. Well, he moved into a smaller place and I inquired about it and sure enough, it was this GE reproduction. He had real high praise for it. I remember reading about it when it came out, in one of the antique radio publications...they approved of it too. I wouldn't mind owning one. The only other repro I would consider would be the Philco-Ford which wasn't all that great but at least it has some lineage to the real Philco. A guy I worked with brought me one to fix one time, he got it at the auction and thought he had an orginal 30's set. It just had a bad power switch so I shorted it and put a line cord switch in. That repair suited him fine.