The PHILCO Phorum

Greetings everyone,

I'm brand new to the phorum and also to collecting old radios.  I recently acquired my first console for free off craigslist and am having trouble identifying it.  Thanks to the vast resources on this site, I'm almost certain it's a Philco set, but there are no labels anywhere on it.  I tried perusing the photo gallery here, plus google images and just can't find it.  It's a very plain tombstone style cabinet with an 8-tube chassis.  The dial shows it receives the standard AM MW band, and also 4.2-12.0 MHz shortwave.  The control layout and presence of a shadow meter most resemble the 14x, 18x, 19x models that were made in 1933-1934.  The escutcheon looks identical to the 14x of 1933 (two musicians).  It's also apparently a radio/phonograph combo that's missing the phonograph unit.  The lid for the phonograph has a metal plaque underneath depicting a squirrel playing a flute and the words "Nut Cracker Suite".  Tube set consists of 78 (X2), 75, 42 (X3), 6A7, 80.  I'm attaching some pictures in hopes somebody might recognize it.  Thanks for any help you can provide.

Cody

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Hi Cody, welcome to the Phorum!

I'm just guessing but, I think this is a Philco 507 in a homemade cabinet. The 507 used a 118 chassis with a phonograph added.

Steve

Ditto what Steve said. That cabinet is not an original Philco cabinet.

Agree, don't think they would have sold many that looked similar. But to each his (her) own. If i works and you like it, cool !

Thanks for the info, guys.  After giving things a closer inspection, I believe you are right about it being a homebrew unit.  The cabinet look to be made from a mix of low-end solid wood and plywood.  The workmanship isn't great, but not entirely shabby either.  Someone has been into the chassis and replaced the volume control pot/on/off with a more modern version, maybe 1970s vintage.  Still no complaints on my part though, I paid exactly $0 for it.

More than one could have been made? The reason I say this is because of the badge that says Nut Cracker suite. Sounds like its from a motel were some were made just for that Business. The name plate or ( nut cracker suite badge) wasn't cheap to make, to make just one for that radio wouldn't make sense. But then again what do I now

Fred, the "Nut Cracker Suite" badge was probably taken from something else.

Not unlike my pulling the RCA Victor nameplate from a 45-J-2 45 rpm player when I was young and foolish and sticking it on my first tool box, just because I thought the nameplate looked "cool".

Well, you can still pull it apart, and try to identify the chassis, may have some stampings or labels, and actually you could probably get it going again; might take a while; patience; small money. Chassis might bring a (very few) dollars on classifieds here, if local, say $20. No interest myself. Got plenty of 'em. Fun to work onThough.

(09-20-2015, 05:40 PM)codefox1 Wrote: [ -> ]Well, you can still pull it apart, and try to identify the chassis, may have some stampings or labels, and actually you could probably get it going again; might take a while; patience; small money.  Chassis might bring a (very few) dollars on classifieds here, if local, say $20.  No interest myself.  Got plenty of 'em.  Fun to work onThough.

I looked, but any markings that would positively ID the chassis are long gone.  There's a clean looking spot that probably used to have a label on it.  In the first set of pictures I posted, the bottom one shows some numbers that are inside the chassis.  There's also a number stamped into it (on the outside), which I suspect is a serial number.

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The chassis is a 118, a very good chassis. 

Steve

(09-20-2015, 10:12 PM)Steve Davis Wrote: [ -> ]The chassis is a 118, a very good chassis. 

Steve

Thanks for the info, Steve.  I plan on restoring the chassis at some point and either putting it back in the homebrew cabinet, or something else.

Personally, I LOVE the cabinet. If you get the radio working, you should get a turntable to install in the upper area, either an original, or a modern one and use a small pre-amp, which would allow you to play modern vinyl, not just 78s. Looking at the cabinet it does seem professionally made. I wonder if it was a custom cabinet maker who purchased the guts from Philco ? Do any of the experts here know if Philco sold guts without cabinets like that ? It might explain how this interesting unit came to be.