Identifying radiogram. Value?

[WessexWill]

Powers the ‘courtesy light’. See post #9.

[dave walsh]

Yes a puzzle David. The lack of spkr outputs is indeed the "fly in the Cabinet" whatever configuration we try to arrive at! I think that your comments about a chunky amp/psu tie in with my sighting of the amp/tuner I mentioned. [I was very interested but the price was high]. I suspect the answer to Will's very welcome enquiry may turn out to be something left field but as we know, the Forum often turns up with an unexpected result

Dave W

[WessexWill]

I have definitely spent more time than I should today trying different Google searches (I thought I would approach from the already converted article aspect in the hope to find a drink cabinet etc)... but nothing. Searches on Art Deco console radios seem to get close - but 99% are symmetrical in their design. I don’t see side doors/cupboards in my searches. Would this side door have housed the speaker? Why would you put a door over the speaker when you could use some louvres/fabric to hide them? The design seems minimalist compared to others.

As I have said before, I’ll be able to spend a bit of time at the weekend to look closer, tip up and check the base, maybe see if back can come off which may reveal something. I’ll report back then.

I’m also thinking whether we can maybe keep it after all. My wife has a lot of horse riding related crud that would be well concealed within...

[dave walsh]

Yes you don't blank off a speaker opening Will-that's why there's an opening Side doors were often related to a built in space within a Radiogram that could house your LPs [or more probaly 78's]. Your cabinet appears to have a dedicated separate section for that but there might be another explanation. Early days yet. On the plus side, I don't see how you could lose out by keeping it-there would always be some interest in my view.

Dave W

[Graham G3ZVT]

Originally Posted by dave walsh

Yes you don't blank off a speaker opening Will-that's why there's an opening Side doors were often related to a built in space within a Radiogram that could house your LPs [or more probaly 78's]. Your cabinet appears to have a dedicated separate section for that but there might be another explanation. Early days yet. On the plus side, I don't see how you could lose out by keeping it-there would always be some interest in my view.

Dave W

The more decedent units had a cocktail cabinet or "cellerette".

[greenstar]

Just a thought ... if it came from Southampton could it have come from a ship? Possibly something purpose made, perhaps to feed external speakers. I was at Uni in Southampton 73-76, and there was at least one junk shop selling all sorts of odds and ends (crockery etc), from liners. I was very fond of Soton.
Tony

[SeanStevens]

My Marconiphone has the exact same felt and lid supports. I'm guessing these parts are generic - but it looks Marconi to me

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/marcon...diogram_q.html

or this:
https://sounds.bl.uk/Sound-recording...WX1988X-0001V0

and this has the quantity of controls shown:

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail...?adppopup=true



SEAN

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by greenstar

Just a thought ... if it came from Southampton could it have come from a ship? Possibly something purpose made, perhaps to feed external speakers.
Tony

I agree that it could have been for use with external speakers. The high quality finish suggests that it was for installation in a ballroom or similar, possibly to provide background music when the band was not present. If the slot in the deck board was for the tuning scale the round opening on the front could have been for a monitor speaker.

David

[rontech]

With regard to the number of knob apertures:- I used to have an HMV model 650 table radio. It had five knob apertures and the central tuning knob was dual concentric with inner fine and outer coarse tuning. ie a total of six functions. The OP cabinet is of such a size that I imagine it would have had a mutivalve chassis. The 650 had two separate chassis tuning and controls the other power supply and output stages. ( 10 valves in total )

[Neutrino]

Originally Posted by Neutrino

I agree that it could have been for use with external speakers. The high quality finish suggests that it was for installation in a ballroom or similar, possibly to provide background music when the band was not present. If the slot in the deck board was for the tuning scale the round opening on the front could have been for a monitor speaker.

David

If it was designed for installation on a ship there may be evidence of how it was fixed down and where the cables ran though the base.

[PaulR]

When I first saw it, it reminded me of a wartime utility wardrobe we once had. Obviously it is neither utility nor a wardrobe but I wonder whether it dates more from the just post war period. The quality radios and furniture generally I have seen from the art deco period has more elaborate veneering.

The ship fitting idea is attractive but were record players ever fitted in ships?

[Records]

apparently Titanic did, wind up gramophones in second class, first class didnt because they had the live band and ballroom

[OldTechFan96]

I've just been thinking about what the function of all the knobs could be. My guess for a high end instrument:

1. On/off and volume
2. Bass
3. Treble
4. Radio/gram
5. Wavechange
6. Variable (narrow/wide) IF

The cutout on the left of the motorboard looks like a place to keep bits and pieces for the turntable. Styli, pickup heads, a record brush, stylus brush etc.

Looks a bit plain to be an American import.

[greenstar]

[QUOTE=

The ship fitting idea is attractive but were record players ever fitted in ships?[/QUOTE]

I am sure they were fitted in ships. When I went to the Southampton junk shop I remember much of their stuff was clearly from cruise liners etc. Not top end stuff, but they would have a quite few well used LP's. I should think every variety of entertainment was used, from piped radio to possibly an in house radio station and dj. The orchestra would perhaps be there for dances and meals maybe, but there may have been records played. It would be interesting to know. Could some of the knobs be to do with controlling where the output went?

[dave walsh]

There we go, more credible ideas! One just on the basis that Tony happened to be at Southampton, where the big ships sailed!

Dave W

[WessexWill]

A few more pics courtesy of Mum - inc looking down into base from top (with lighting). (Why do iPads not have a belt in flash?).

[Techman]

Very interesting stuff!

The back of the removed control knob shows that it may be wood with bushing added for a spindle - none of the knobs may be original and were turned on a lathe to cover the holes where the original chassis and knobs were removed. It could be that all the knobs are fixed for decorative purposes and the one that's come off was the only functional one to control something to do with the later modification (mains on/off for the entire unit?) - now removed, hence no spindle for the knob to connect to, so it was just placed in the side cupboard for safe keeping and the other knobs are all fixed and glued in place.

Some commercial use such as on a ship as has been suggested is a good possibility.

The battens fixed on the inside are on the 'slope'.

The bottom board with the semi-circle of vents looks like a later addition - what's underneath it - anything, a framework or just the floor?

The rear vent holes originally had a thin grill type material over them, which is still in place over large parts of them.

Some of the holes are covered from the inside with what looks like the covers from an old school exercise book or accounting book from the 50s, which have been stapled in place.

If you look at the very bottom vent hole that's open, you can see the mark where the piece of cardboard book cover has been removed at a later date to probably make way for wiring.

So it looks like three stages of usage; the original use, the first modification with cardboard, then second and last modification with card on one hole removed and perhaps some more deck board cutting - you can see a bit of the round wood off cut from the deck board that's dropped down onto that bottom ventilated base board that must have already been in place when this was done - unless it's fallen off afterwards and dropped down.

Edit: A picture is needed of the inside of the front.

Second edit: It may not be staples holding the cardboard in place, but small panel pins knocked in a short way and then bent over - not that it really matters.

[Records]

Somebody said it s too big to be a radiogram. looking at the OP's pictures the piece that goes on top did hold a record player with radio, the cut outs cant be anything else, never seen a tube shaped like that. To me it looks like an early porthole tv with radio and 78 player, could the OP measure the height of the unit as i do admit it looks a tall unit.

[Techman]

Originally Posted by Records

never seen a tube shaped like that.

Well you won't have if it's been 'cut' for a later motor board.

It's obviously been cut and modified several times, but original record player use is looking a bit more likely now, owing to the original looking felt lining the lid.

[DAC10 Collector]

In 1968 I was given an old radiogram originally manufactured in 1954 by a specialist joinery company using an Armstrong FC48 chassis. This radiogram cabinet (although having a standard dial cut-out and fluted speaker grill underneath) had several notable similarities in the overall design concept, construction style and fittings used on the lid.

In my example the lower central lidded unit was abutted by a similar cupboard each side (felt lined with shelves). These were intended for record storage. The hardboard back ventilation slots (about 50mm wide) were finished off using identical “thin grill type material”.

Unfortunately, this cabinet was used as the basis for a workshop bench constructed in the 1970s.

I believe there were several radiogram chassis manufacturers in the 1940s / 50s who supplied to numerous specialist joinery companies and DIY enthusiasts.

Mike