Re: Featured Phonograph № 63

[schweg]

Excellent! Thanks George. Hey, aren't you up kinda late?
Steve

[schweg]

D79219_LOBETO_P(2).pdf

(87.93 KiB) Downloaded 180 times

[phonogfp]

Yes, I'm up VERY late for me!

George P.

[Kirkwood]

Thanks so much, schweg, for putting up these pics of such a magnificent, over-the-top example of the RE-45! This example looks to be honest-to-goodness carved wood, too. So many radios of the late 20s into the 30s used "rep wood" or compo stuck-on doodads to simulate the carved wood look. This one looks to me like the real deal. I am still stuck on the initial "WOW" that I shouted when I saw those pics. This must have cost the equivalent of a new car at the time.

Here's my 2 cents on the RE-45. Knowing a whole lot of not much about old radios, it strikes me how well designed this radio was, and not simply "for its day". They're fairly simple, sturdy and reliable things. I bought one of the common versions at a local auction in 1980 for $10.00, and I was overjoyed at my good luck at the time. Being young and stupid, I plugged that bad boy in without a second thought, turned it on and ----it worked beautifully, it sounded just great too. It had a very rich sound with ample (but not too much) bass. I used to play it while fixing supper at night, there was more to listen to on the AM band at that time. My only disappointment was that the electric pickup didn't work, so no listening to bouncy 20s Orthophonic foxtrots. In trying to get that part working I got some very bad advice from a local collector, and feared that I'd ruined that part beyond all hope. (It was actually not that bad, as I later found out). I sold it some years later, but I'm still impressed that a radio that was 50+ years old could play so well with no repair work at all.

By the way, I know better than to plug in untested, unrestored radios now. Once you've seen a radio chassis smoke, you remember it.

[estott]

Is all of that actual carved wood or is some of it cast composition? What ever it is it's a beauty.

Congratulations on finding an early model before they introduced the "Inertia Arm". I've just gotten an early radio phonograph, just starting the cleaning process before repairs. It's marked "General Electric" but the phonograph works are Victor- unfortunately missing the original tone arm.

[schweg]

It's all carved mahogany and as heavy as a chubby guy at the pizza buffet (oh wait, that's me!!). Even with the innards taken out, it's a haul. Also, no repwood as far as I can tell. The Stromberg Carlson radio I have has a repwood decorated interior and the Cabinet pictured here is not like that.

Steve

[schweg]

I received an email from the great- great- grandaughter of Loreto Alonzi who came across the pictures of the radiocabinet when she was searching for information on him on the internet. She mentioned that the extended family has many of his furniture pieces but none have a radiocabinet like the one pictured in this post. I guess you never know what information we might provide to someone. It makes me glad to be a participant in such a fine forum.

Steve

[gramophone78]

Steve, I for one I'm happy to have you..... . I think that donating the machine to the family is a wonderful idea. You might get a tax credit??? .