1950's Zenith B/W Console In Chicago On The Bay

[Rental Limo]

Looks like a nice set with a low starting bid of $4.99. The auction did not mention if the set worked, but it looks to be pretty whole to me. Sellers daughter wants to get rid of the set because it does not match the furnishings. What a laugh!!

http://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-ZENITH-b...3286.m14.l1318

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by Rental Limo

Looks like a nice set with a low starting bid of $4.99. The auction did not mention if the set worked, but it looks to be pretty whole to me. Sellers daughter wants to get rid of the set because it does not match the furnishings. What a laugh!!


http://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-ZENITH-b...3286.m14.l1318

That Zenith looks like it will make an excellent addition to someone's collection. These sets were made when "Zenith" still meant The Zenith Radio Corporation of Chicago, and the sets were hand wired on metal chassis. This set was also made with high-fidelity sound in mind, as there are two speakers in the cabinet; it would not surprise me if the audio stages are built for premium sound as well. Years ago, I had a Zenith K2739 23" console (1963 vintage) that had a 6BN6/6BQ5 audio stage, a 6x9 oval speaker in the cabinet, and a tone control (don't know if it was a "true" tone control or just the type that cut down the highs); my set sounded excellent (and had a great picture) the short time I had it. That Zenith on eBay seems like it has a sound system at least as good as (or probably better than) the K2739, with a picture to match.

Seeing TVs, stereos, console radios, etc. on eBay with the notation in the description that "I am selling because it doesn't match my furniture", or similar wording, is not uncommon. Wasteful as all get-out, I know, but there are people who don't appreciate quality in a brand such as the former Zenith.

The claim that the set's cabinet does not match the owner's furnishings isn't as outlandish as it may sound, either. Today's furniture is made of plastic, resin, cheap wood, etc. and doesn't look anywhere nearly as nice as the old solid-wood furniture which was popular 40-50+ years ago. There are exceptions, however; you can get real wood furniture at stores such as Value City, Kronheims, et al. but you wind up paying a premium price for this quality. Most young people just starting out do not have much money, so they get the cheapest stuff they can find for their first home or apartment; that or they get their furniture at second-hand shops, garage sales and the like.

Most people don't bother with big, heavy console TVs, stereos, etc. these days, which is why so many of these consoles are showing up on eBay, CL, etc. being replaced by smaller and more modern sets (read flat-panel HDs) like Thomson/RCA's, LG/Zeniths, et al.--people are downsizing for moves to a smaller home or an apartment, or just plain don't like the looks of such an old TV (they may think it's a goshawful eyesore amid all their new furniture, the set's solid-wood cabinet notwithstanding). They will use it as long as it works, but as soon as it goes bad, no matter the problem (even if it's as simple as a bad tube), out to the curb it goes; that or else it is relegated to the basement, attic, garage, etc. and forgotten, waiting to be rescued by antique-electronics collectors such as those of us here at AK.

Too bad, but as former CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite always ended the broadcast, that's the way it is. So true, especially now, in the 21st century.

[peverett]

I would not expound too much on quality of the cabinets of early TVs. Some of these, especially B&W sets, were made of cheap masonite even in the mid 1950s. Cheapness has a long history.

[Jeffhs]

Originally Posted by peverett

I would not expound too much on quality of the cabinets of early TVs. Some of these, especially B&W sets, were made of cheap masonite even in the mid 1950s. Cheapness has a long history.

Good grief! And all this time I thought that Zenith on eBay was in a solid wood cabinet. Oh well, this is nothing new, as even in the 1930s the cabinets of Zenith radios were not high-quality wood; rather, they were hardwood or particle board with, believe it or not, pictures of quality wood such as mahogany, cherry, etc. on heavy paper, which was then glued onto the cheap wood cabinet. The process was known as "photo finish" and was a lot less expensive than housing the radio in a real wood cabinet.

I have a Zenith MJ-1035 stereo FM radio that is supposed to have a solid mahogany cabinet (the same radio was also available in a blonde cabinet), but I think that so-called "mahogany" is simply a pressed-on veneer over either cheap wood or a genuine blonde finish. I say this because a very small piece of the so-called mahogany veneer has chipped off the cabinet at the lower right front corner, exposing what appears to be a blonde finish. My set was made in 1965; was Zenith cutting corners on radio or TV cabinets even that late in the game? Since the MJ1035 sold for just a nickel under $200 when it was new in the early sixties (this series began as the MJ1035, in 1961; the two later models, MJ1035-1 and -W1, appeared in '64-'65), I would expect that the cabinets would be solid furniture-grade mahogany, not a hardwood or cheap-wood cabinet over which a paper-thin mahogany veneer was applied.

OTOH, if Zenith (and other manufacturers) were putting their televisions and stereo consoles in cheap masonite cabinets in the '50s going forward, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised if my MJ1035 does have a mahogany veneer cabinet. As you said, cheapness has a long history; but again, good grief--why would pre-Goldstar Zenith (1918-1989) let themselves get sucked into this trend? Zenith televisions, radios and stereos were, after all, some of the best sets available in the company's heyday until the '70s, when they started using a lot of plastic in their television cabinets (don't let those so-called "wood" accent pieces over the speaker grilles in '70s Zenith console TVs fool you; those accents are thin, brown-color plastic things that will break or crack if too much pressure is brought to bear on them). Cheapness is one of the last things I would have expected from Zenith. If that set on eBay is actually in a cheap masonite cabinet rather than a solid wood one, I will be amazed, as I honestly do not think Masonite is anywhere nearly strong enough to hold a heavy TV chassis such as is in that particular model.

Speaking of plastic in Zenith equipment: Zenith made a heck of a mistake in the late '30s-'40s when they introduced a small 4-tube table radio with the inverted bakelite chassis. As I understand from reading about this radio, it was a nightmare to work on, and in the end most of the sets were recalled by Zenith and smashed to bits. I don't know how many of these radios were sold, but due to the recall they are very scarce today, not even showing up on eBay very often.

[peverett]

I cannot comment on the TV in the Ebay listing. It may or may not have actual wood case. A question to the seller could answer this question. I have seen many RCAs, Motorolas, and Hoffmans from this era that have masonite cases. Metal was also commonly used (sometimes with a wood grain pattern applied).

As to the Zenith radio with the upside down chassis. I think that I have one in a box in my garage, un-restored at present. I will need to check.

Motorola also liked to use the decal, making some of their radios from the 1940 very difficult to restore if damaged.