I picked up an old console style cabinet FOR the cabinet. I'm not a collector or restorer of old radios. My thinking was to remove the components from the cabinet and replace (after some modifications to the structure such as adding a shelf, speaker fabirxc, etc.) with modern equipment; say a receiver and CD player. I know this is probably blasphemy to someone whi IS a collector.

The model no. of the existing radio (a Philco) is 48-1270; the turntable is also a Philco, but I don't have a model # with it. It looks to be in good shape; green 'hammered metal' paint. From doing a little research on the net, I gather these two components frequently came together, and I believe it is a 78 RPM single disk player.

My question is; is there anyone who would like to have the componentry? I live in Michigan, and do not know of any swap-meets, etc. where I would find someone who would be interested in this kind of thing.

Also, would I be better off having the thing restored in the console, or is the cabinet secondary to someone who likes old radios? I'm hoping there's someone who'll say "Heck, yeah; go ahead and do whatever you want to the cabinet; I'll take the radio".

I dunno what this is worth; not interested in turning a profit. I paid $20 for the whole shebang at the Salvation Army. Anyone who wants to come to my house is welcome to it. A case of beer is always welcome too... : )

You might try posting a notice to the Michigan Antique Radio Club website.

http://www.michiganantiqueradio.org/home.jsp

:I picked up an old console style cabinet FOR the cabinet. I'm not a collector or restorer of old radios. My thinking was to remove the components from the cabinet and replace (after some modifications to the structure such as adding a shelf, speaker fabirxc, etc.) with modern equipment; say a receiver and CD player. I know this is probably blasphemy to someone whi IS a collector.
:
:The model no. of the existing radio (a Philco) is 48-1270; the turntable is also a Philco, but I don't have a model # with it. It looks to be in good shape; green 'hammered metal' paint. From doing a little research on the net, I gather these two components frequently came together, and I believe it is a 78 RPM single disk player.
:
:My question is; is there anyone who would like to have the componentry? I live in Michigan, and do not know of any swap-meets, etc. where I would find someone who would be interested in this kind of thing.
:
:Also, would I be better off having the thing restored in the console, or is the cabinet secondary to someone who likes old radios? I'm hoping there's someone who'll say "Heck, yeah; go ahead and do whatever you want to the cabinet; I'll take the radio".
:
:I dunno what this is worth; not interested in turning a profit. I paid $20 for the whole shebang at the Salvation Army. Anyone who wants to come to my house is welcome to it. A case of beer is always welcome too... : )

Hi Joe,

Your model 48-1270 is a 1948 model, near the top-of-the-line for Philco that year. It features AM, FM and Shortwave bands, plus the Philco M-4 record changer, which is 78-rpm only. This is a 13-tube set, and is capable of excellent reception and performance even by modern standards. It uses two 6V6GT power output tubes in push/pull, with a 12 inch full-range electrodynamic speaker, undistorted audio output is rated at 10 watts. My personal choice would be to keep and restore the original electronics, for the following reasons:

1) You would be pleasantly surprised with the excellent AM, FM and Shortwave performance which this set can deliver.

2) If you wished, it would be easy enough to install a more modern record changer in place of the original, to permit playing of 33-rpm LP or 45-rpm records.

3) It would be a simple matter to input a CD or tape player into this amp.

4) Post-war Philco consoles are not extremely valuable among collectors at the present time, yours might be worth $75-$100 at best, depending on condition. But it will do nothing but increase in value in the future. And that tubed Philco radio/amp chassis, properly restored, will perform just as well 50 years from now as it does today. On the other hand, if you install modern electronics inside they will be obsolete in a few years, and it would be worthless to a collector in the future.

These are just my personal comments, and of course might be biased because I like old tube gear. What you do with this Philco will of course be up to you. And for the $20 you paid for it you can't go wrong no matter what you do.

Poston

:I picked up an old console style cabinet FOR the cabinet. I'm not a collector or restorer of old radios. My thinking was to remove the components from the cabinet and replace (after some modifications to the structure such as adding a shelf, speaker fabirxc, etc.) with modern equipment; say a receiver and CD player. I know this is probably blasphemy to someone whi IS a collector.
:
:The model no. of the existing radio (a Philco) is 48-1270; the turntable is also a Philco, but I don't have a model # with it. It looks to be in good shape; green 'hammered metal' paint. From doing a little research on the net, I gather these two components frequently came together, and I believe it is a 78 RPM single disk player.
:
:My question is; is there anyone who would like to have the componentry? I live in Michigan, and do not know of any swap-meets, etc. where I would find someone who would be interested in this kind of thing.
:
:Also, would I be better off having the thing restored in the console, or is the cabinet secondary to someone who likes old radios? I'm hoping there's someone who'll say "Heck, yeah; go ahead and do whatever you want to the cabinet; I'll take the radio".
:
:I dunno what this is worth; not interested in turning a profit. I paid $20 for the whole shebang at the Salvation Army. Anyone who wants to come to my house is welcome to it. A case of beer is always welcome too... : )

I have to agree. The FM reception of those old sets is amazing, and the audio quality can't be beat. This sounds like nostalgia crap, but it's very true. You can't just turn on one of those old sets and hear this. Unless all of the components are performing perfectly (which they might be...sometimes this is possible), you will not likely be satisfied with the quality of the instrument. Once all condensers are replaced (not expensive, really), and all drifted resistors are replaced (again, not at all expensive...resistors are about 35 cents a piece), the performance will be superb. Piping a CD player or other device into this unit IS extremely simple. A 10 year old could do it. The unit will give satisfying results. Unless you understand records and needles, using the 78 rpm player may prove difficult to operate properly. The cartridge, for one, can be a real road block. There are sources for rebuilding and replacing such cartridges, however, and for a low price, too. 78 rpm records require a special needle (which is readily available for a small price), and other provisions must be made for them to operate properly. You can't just purchase beat up records, either. They will hiss like everyone says they do, and will ruin the needle, which will ruin good records (this is far more important than when dealing with LP records). If good quality records are purchased, though, and a good needle is used and maintained, the results of most good 78 rpm records are breathtaking. Unless I was to bring one of my phonographs to your home to demonstrate, you would probably never know. Most people are clueless about these records. At any rate, unless you're into Billie Holiday and Tommy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Harry James, Ella Fitzgerald, Helen Forrest, and such (Yehudi Menuhin!), you will not likely appreciate the device. Results with Victor Red Seal records and Bluebird records are astounding, though.

Yes, the consol is not THE most stunning, though the dial sure is attractive, but you WILL appreciate the high quality with which it reproduces music. Most consols of that era and prior will produce a bass that will vibrate the windows and move vases across the top of the radio.

Thomas

:Hi Joe,
:
:Your model 48-1270 is a 1948 model, near the top-of-the-line for Philco that year. It features AM, FM and Shortwave bands, plus the Philco M-4 record changer, which is 78-rpm only. This is a 13-tube set, and is capable of excellent reception and performance even by modern standards. It uses two 6V6GT power output tubes in push/pull, with a 12 inch full-range electrodynamic speaker, undistorted audio output is rated at 10 watts. My personal choice would be to keep and restore the original electronics, for the following reasons:
:
:1) You would be pleasantly surprised with the excellent AM, FM and Shortwave performance which this set can deliver.
:
:2) If you wished, it would be easy enough to install a more modern record changer in place of the original, to permit playing of 33-rpm LP or 45-rpm records.
:
:3) It would be a simple matter to input a CD or tape player into this amp.
:
:4) Post-war Philco consoles are not extremely valuable among collectors at the present time, yours might be worth $75-$100 at best, depending on condition. But it will do nothing but increase in value in the future. And that tubed Philco radio/amp chassis, properly restored, will perform just as well 50 years from now as it does today. On the other hand, if you install modern electronics inside they will be obsolete in a few years, and it would be worthless to a collector in the future.
:
: These are just my personal comments, and of course might be biased because I like old tube gear. What you do with this Philco will of course be up to you. And for the $20 you paid for it you can't go wrong no matter what you do.
:
:Poston
:
:
:
::I picked up an old console style cabinet FOR the cabinet. I'm not a collector or restorer of old radios. My thinking was to remove the components from the cabinet and replace (after some modifications to the structure such as adding a shelf, speaker fabirxc, etc.) with modern equipment; say a receiver and CD player. I know this is probably blasphemy to someone whi IS a collector.
::
::The model no. of the existing radio (a Philco) is 48-1270; the turntable is also a Philco, but I don't have a model # with it. It looks to be in good shape; green 'hammered metal' paint. From doing a little research on the net, I gather these two components frequently came together, and I believe it is a 78 RPM single disk player.
::
::My question is; is there anyone who would like to have the componentry? I live in Michigan, and do not know of any swap-meets, etc. where I would find someone who would be interested in this kind of thing.
::
::Also, would I be better off having the thing restored in the console, or is the cabinet secondary to someone who likes old radios? I'm hoping there's someone who'll say "Heck, yeah; go ahead and do whatever you want to the cabinet; I'll take the radio".
::
::I dunno what this is worth; not interested in turning a profit. I paid $20 for the whole shebang at the Salvation Army. Anyone who wants to come to my house is welcome to it. A case of beer is always welcome too... : )

At the risk of sounding like a Nostalgia "homer", I recommend that you consider retaining at least the radio electronics. I recently restored a 1948 console radio/phonograph, different brand though.

I am NOT an audiophile but after a short time listening to my first restored radio, it quickly became obvious that the depth and richness of sound produced by these old tubes is incredibly good.

It is not an expensive proposition to restore one either. All of the paper capacitors can (and must) be replaced for a few dollars. The electrolytics should also be replaced. Any resistors that have drifted significantly need to be replaced as well. There is a decent chance the tubes are just fine but most of them aren't expensive either. I restored my console radio for about $15.

If you have a volt-ohm meter, a soldering iron, can read a schematic, and have a little time, you can get the old electronics working again and also add in any new electronics you desire too. You won't be disappointed.

Randy

:I picked up an old console style cabinet FOR the cabinet. I'm not a collector or restorer of old radios. My thinking was to remove the components from the cabinet and replace (after some modifications to the structure such as adding a shelf, speaker fabirxc, etc.) with modern equipment; say a receiver and CD player. I know this is probably blasphemy to someone whi IS a collector.
:
:The model no. of the existing radio (a Philco) is 48-1270; the turntable is also a Philco, but I don't have a model # with it. It looks to be in good shape; green 'hammered metal' paint. From doing a little research on the net, I gather these two components frequently came together, and I believe it is a 78 RPM single disk player.
:
:My question is; is there anyone who would like to have the componentry? I live in Michigan, and do not know of any swap-meets, etc. where I would find someone who would be interested in this kind of thing.
:
:Also, would I be better off having the thing restored in the console, or is the cabinet secondary to someone who likes old radios? I'm hoping there's someone who'll say "Heck, yeah; go ahead and do whatever you want to the cabinet; I'll take the radio".
:
:I dunno what this is worth; not interested in turning a profit. I paid $20 for the whole shebang at the Salvation Army. Anyone who wants to come to my house is welcome to it. A case of beer is always welcome too... : )