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Philco Model 19LZ (Lazyboy) Chairside Radio (1933)
This neat little 19LZ chairside radio was introduced in
Jan of 1933 as one of Philco's new series of "Lazyboy"
models. The original list price was $65.
The 19LZ was one of several end-table sets (as they
were then called) introduced by Philco at the time.
However, unlike the other models, which used remote
loudspeaker cabinets with inclined sounding boards
and were heralded by Philco as being "an amazing new
radio discovery", the 19LZ has its loudspeaker built
into the front left of the tuning cabinet. I find it curious
that when the set is placed beside an easy chair and
operated by a person seated therein, the speaker
faces the chair, which muffles the sound. Perhaps this
explains why so very few of this model were ever sold!
Jan of 1933 as one of Philco's new series of "Lazyboy"
models. The original list price was $65.
The 19LZ was one of several end-table sets (as they
were then called) introduced by Philco at the time.
However, unlike the other models, which used remote
loudspeaker cabinets with inclined sounding boards
and were heralded by Philco as being "an amazing new
radio discovery", the 19LZ has its loudspeaker built
into the front left of the tuning cabinet. I find it curious
that when the set is placed beside an easy chair and
operated by a person seated therein, the speaker
faces the chair, which muffles the sound. Perhaps this
explains why so very few of this model were ever sold!
The ad to the right was clipped from a Syracuse, NY, newspaper dated Friday Jan 20th, 1933.
My 19LZ uses the single band 6-tube model 19 chassis, which apart from the addition of a shadowmeter,
was also initially used for the model 89. The schematic may be found here. My chassis uses a four-point
tone control instead of the two-point control shown on the schematic. Whereas this looks factory original,
it's possible it was a retrofit made at some point during the radio's early life. The chassis as found also has
a standard modification made to improve reliability of the autodyne oscillator circuit - the cathode resistor
(R10) for the type 36 triode was at some point changed from 15k Ohms to 10k Ohms.
I purchased this radio several years ago through an ad in Antique Radio Classified. It had been stripped of
its finish and was in need of repairs to the grille and some veneer work. I did the cabinet work over the
summer of 2009 and restored the electronics during the fall. The finish is a little darker than I might have
hoped, perhaps due to my slightly over enthusiastic application of toner while the radio was situated
outdoors in bright sunlight, but, setting that thought aside, overall I'm very happy with the result. So, I've
finally gotten to remove that "coming soon" banner that appeared for so long as a placeholder for this set
on my Philco Gallery page!
My 19LZ uses the single band 6-tube model 19 chassis, which apart from the addition of a shadowmeter,
was also initially used for the model 89. The schematic may be found here. My chassis uses a four-point
tone control instead of the two-point control shown on the schematic. Whereas this looks factory original,
it's possible it was a retrofit made at some point during the radio's early life. The chassis as found also has
a standard modification made to improve reliability of the autodyne oscillator circuit - the cathode resistor
(R10) for the type 36 triode was at some point changed from 15k Ohms to 10k Ohms.
I purchased this radio several years ago through an ad in Antique Radio Classified. It had been stripped of
its finish and was in need of repairs to the grille and some veneer work. I did the cabinet work over the
summer of 2009 and restored the electronics during the fall. The finish is a little darker than I might have
hoped, perhaps due to my slightly over enthusiastic application of toner while the radio was situated
outdoors in bright sunlight, but, setting that thought aside, overall I'm very happy with the result. So, I've
finally gotten to remove that "coming soon" banner that appeared for so long as a placeholder for this set
on my Philco Gallery page!
Enjoy Radio the Lazy Way!
Note that with the lid closed, the
set looks the same viewed from
either the front or the rear.
set looks the same viewed from
either the front or the rear.