Delco Model R-1233 Bakelite Radio (1948)
This sweet midget-sized bakelite radio sits on a high
shelf in our kitchen. It's a pretty bold design in a small
package, with that unique ribbon-shaped grillpiece
amidst thick vertical louvers. There's something timeless
in this design. At least, I never seem to tire of
looking at it!
I bought this radio in 1997, in a small Minnesota shop which
was run by a young Russian woman. She had very few radios, but
the few that she did have were unusual. I also bought
my Philco 52-548 tabletop from her.
After a cautious power-up, I discovered that the radio works
well. Like all sets of its age, it will get a routine capacitor replacement before being used regularly.
The cardboard rim surrounding the speaker had some loose edges, which I secured with
ordinary household glue. Over time, the glue had dried out, so that the edge of the speaker
wasn't mounted securely in its metal frame. This caused buzzing
at high volume. A previous "repairman" had stuck
masking tape around the edges, but that, too, had dried out. It took
only a few minutes to make a permanent fix.
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