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| Shown here are two products
of Zenith's most egregious corporate blunder. In 1940, they
introduced a line of bizarre radios that featured bakelite
chassis. These chassis were mounted upside down and the tube
sockets, volume control, IF transformers, trimmer capacitors, and other
components were molded as integral parts of the chassis. They were
troublesome from day one, and they were almost impossible to work
on. Many of the parts were unique, and could not be replaced by
anything other than exact Zenith replacement parts.
In desperation, according to legend, Zenith recalled all sets of this type and smashed every one of them to avoid further damage to their otherwise fine reputation. Consequently, they are exceedingly rare. These radios were mostly table models (both wood and Bakelite), though there were a few battery portables and floor models that used these chassis. The sets shown here are the model 6D413 (black) and 6P419 (white). They were similar, the primary difference being the 6P419 has a shortwave band. Both use 5 tubes, plus a ballast tube. The black one shown was originally painted white. |
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A Repairman's Nightmare |
