Gloritone Model 27 Cathedral/Tombstone Style Radio (1930)
This Gloritone Model 27 from circa 1930 stands forth as a stark
monolith, like a gothic entity staring down the ages to remind us
present day mortals of form and function as it once was. It comes from
a time when radio was king, when everyone was caught up in the
excitement of radio and when barely a day would go by without the
makers extolling the virtues of their latest models.
The earliest that I could find this radio advertised was in the fall of
1930, at a time when the compact craze was really gathering
momentum. It was priced at $59.50. The Philco model 20 had been
released that summer and was sweeping the country, establishing
Philco as one of the major radio forces of the day. These newest
models followed a trend towards midget sized radios spawned a year
or so earlier by the likes of Echophone, with its Bantam models. There
were other pioneers of that trend too, and all were now fueled by the
Great Depression, which provided added impetus for lower cost and
smaller size. Most makers, faced with lagging sales, were only too
ready to oblige this need and as a result the pace of development was
rapid and the resulting diversity of compact models large. This period
would last less than a decade and by the mid to late thirties it was
over. During those few years however, a rich variety of models was
produced, models which today are popularly known as cathedral-style
and which are amongst the most collectible of all vintage radios.
If the majority of early compacts had one thing in common it was their
austere appearance. The economic realities of producing them
bestowed them with clean, unembellished cabinets having a minimum
of control functionality. The Gloritone 27 was no exception and I for
one find it, along with many of its contemporaries, very appealing.
monolith, like a gothic entity staring down the ages to remind us
present day mortals of form and function as it once was. It comes from
a time when radio was king, when everyone was caught up in the
excitement of radio and when barely a day would go by without the
makers extolling the virtues of their latest models.
The earliest that I could find this radio advertised was in the fall of
1930, at a time when the compact craze was really gathering
momentum. It was priced at $59.50. The Philco model 20 had been
released that summer and was sweeping the country, establishing
Philco as one of the major radio forces of the day. These newest
models followed a trend towards midget sized radios spawned a year
or so earlier by the likes of Echophone, with its Bantam models. There
were other pioneers of that trend too, and all were now fueled by the
Great Depression, which provided added impetus for lower cost and
smaller size. Most makers, faced with lagging sales, were only too
ready to oblige this need and as a result the pace of development was
rapid and the resulting diversity of compact models large. This period
would last less than a decade and by the mid to late thirties it was
over. During those few years however, a rich variety of models was
produced, models which today are popularly known as cathedral-style
and which are amongst the most collectible of all vintage radios.
If the majority of early compacts had one thing in common it was their
austere appearance. The economic realities of producing them
bestowed them with clean, unembellished cabinets having a minimum
of control functionality. The Gloritone 27 was no exception and I for
one find it, along with many of its contemporaries, very appealing.
| Gloritone Model 27 $59.50 COMPLETE WITH TUBES CABINET:- American Walnut, Satin gloss finish, neat, modern design. Height 20", width 131/4 ", depth 7". Specially selected pattern in front panel. Golden tint grille cloth with neat grille design over speaker opening. CHASSIS - AC Electric. Fully shielded. Three tuned stages, 1 stage audio - Five tubes, including two screen grid. Sturdily constructed. Highly engineered. TUBES - 2 224 screen grid, one 227, one 245, one 280. SPEAKER - Electro-Dynamic WEIGHT - But 26 lbs. |
| "The full tone radio in small convenient cabinet. FULL AC ELECTRIC SCREEN GRID. QUALITY OF TONE: Gloritone gives sweet accurate reproduction. No false tones, real radio reception. ELECTRO-DYNAMIC SPEAKER: Gloritone Radio with full electro-dynamic speaker has the faithfulness of reproduction that only an electro-dynamic speaker can give. SELECTIVITY: Gloritone Radio is easily "tuned" to the station you want by a properly calibrated dial. SCREEN GRID: Gloritone Radio uses screen grid tubes - two of them in the five tube equipment. Gloritone Radio gives you sensitivity, selectivity, the best in radio reproduction" source: newspaper ad, Oct 1930 |
TECHNICAL DETAILS
The Gloritone model 27 is an ac-powered 5-tube TRF receiver
covering the standard broadcast band. The tube line-up is 224 (1st
tuned RF stage), 224 (2nd tuned RF stage), 227 (detector), 245 (AF
amp) and 280 (rectifier). Tuning is by means of the thumbwheel and
the single front panel knob is for volume/on/off. Volume control is by
means of gain adjustment in the first RF stage; early and late versions
of the chassis differ in the way this was implemented. Schematic.
This is one of the radios of the day that combined the on/off and
volume controls into one, rather than having them separate.
The Gloritone model 27 is an ac-powered 5-tube TRF receiver
covering the standard broadcast band. The tube line-up is 224 (1st
tuned RF stage), 224 (2nd tuned RF stage), 227 (detector), 245 (AF
amp) and 280 (rectifier). Tuning is by means of the thumbwheel and
the single front panel knob is for volume/on/off. Volume control is by
means of gain adjustment in the first RF stage; early and late versions
of the chassis differ in the way this was implemented. Schematic.
This is one of the radios of the day that combined the on/off and
volume controls into one, rather than having them separate.
more...
Gloritone Model 27...sturdily constructed, highly engineered.
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