Hi guys, I was looking for some info and opinions on this 49-1615 so this seems like the place to be.
A friend of mine brought this by, it looks to be all original but is in need of some cleanup and electronic service. I'm pretty well versed in tube electronics but I've never really messed with old radios before. This could be a fun project. Can you guys give me any idea of the ballpark value of one of these restored vs. un-restored? My friend is trying to decide if he wants to go forward with it.
Thanks,
-Dan
Hi Dan and welcome to the Phourm!
That's a tough question. I did take a look at that model and it seem to be one of Philco nicer sets. I think most here like doing the restoration work as a hobby. What it worth? Well you could find something like it on CL for $20-$100. Restored $100+ but the question is is anybody buying? I think if you go into it looking to make some money I doubt it will happen. If you like doing the work and don't mind putting $50 worth of parts in it then it's a match made in heaven. A lot of us just like to enjoy a good working set. But were an odd bunch!
Terry
ps Here's service info
http://www.nostalgiaair.org/Resources/656/M0013656.htm
Thanks for the reply. I'm not out to make a buck on it, I was just going to help out a friend.
The slightly longer story is that a friend of mine retrieved it from some belongings of a relative that had passed away. He brought it to me hoping that the chassis could be converted to a guitar amp (that's the kind of tube amps I usually work on) as he saw that it had 6v6's in the power amp. It's not exactly well suited for a guitar amp conversion plus I feel like it's kind of bad karma to chop up a philco like this one that was the cadillac model in it's day. I advised him that it may be worth restoring since it was such a nice one, he still has most if not all of the original paperwork that came with it.
I told him I would do some research on the net for him and get back to him on it. I totally get what you're saying about the labor of love. I have a slightly older model I think from '44 or so that belonged to my grandfather in storage. One of these days I'm going to fix it up and put it in my living room. I think my friend doesn't quite have the free space to keep this one as is and was trying to figure out what it's worth. I certainly appreciate the insight, I figured you guys would know the market on these better than anyone. It certainly makes sense that it's mostly guys wanting to fix them up for themselves, old tube gear is fun.
After taking a good look at the schematic it looks like it ought to be a great player! If you some good radio stations around. Don't know if it has a 3spd changer but that would be a big +++.
Good luck!
Terry