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Old 6th Feb 2018, 4:19 pm   #3
David G4EBT
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 5,728
Default Re: Pilot Little Maestro T105

An interesting write-up on a methodical restoration of what - to my eye - is a pretty little set, but beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and the colour won't be to everyone's taste, nor would it have been when it went on sale in 1956. I've trodden a similar path with the same model, which I acquired about five years ago at a Golborne Swapmeet in quite a sorry state. Given that the cabinet is actually brown Bakelite, sprayed 'sky blue' and trimmed with gold, I'd mistakenly assumed that someone had done a not very good DIY spray job on it, but I discovered that they left the factory in that.

It's not perhaps appreciated today, but back in the postwar era, Bakelite was looked upon as inferior and cheapskate alternative to wood as well as being sombre, (some radios were offered with either a Bakelite cabinet or wood, with the wooden ones being more expensive). I wonder if Pilot painted it blue to make it look more cheerful and attractive? 1956 was the year that F.J. Camm launched 'Practical Householder' and the term 'contemporary' came into vogue - down came curtain rails, doors were flushed with hardboard and painted bright yellow, with chrome and plastic doorknobs replacing Bakelite ones. A bright blue radio would sit well with that trend.

It's remarkable when looking back, to realise just how expensive small table radios were. The 'T105' retailed at £12.19s. 6d, which in today's terms equate to £315.

A decent wage for a skilled working man back then would be no more than £10.00. (I was a second year apprentice in 1956 on £2.75 a week).

Pilot certainly made full use of the 'Little Maestro' name from the pre-war and post-war woodies, and several Bakelite sets.

The dials were beautifully designed and made whatever the model, and the T105 was no exception.

A couple of before/after pics of mine are attached.

The extent to which the paint had faded over time will be evident in the first pic. For the re-spray, I colour matched the aerosol to the original brighter blue.
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