07-01-2019, 01:04 PM
It shares the tube line-up as my little Jackson Bell Peter Pan (24A/24B), but the chassis is laid out differently (similar to the model 4 you found):
For some reason My gut has said west coast radio the first time I saw it; it's a typical Pee-Wee style set from the Los Angeles area. It's a blurry shot, but the knobs don't remind me of any J.B. sets (Gilfillan factory) from that era, but they might not be original to that set. I have found several schematics that use the same tube line-up but they are all pretty similar to the Jackson Bell 4 tube Peter Pan which is understandable since they all came from the same Gilfillan factory.
It's been my experience that most Jackson Bell sets have their name on the escutcheon or a small name plate or decal on the front of the cabinet, but I'm sure there are exceptions. Take a peek at Riders page 5-14 under Misc and look at the El Ray, but again similar to the Jackson Bell and no tone control, but the radio under it does have a tone control. If it is a west coast set you should see some similarities between it and the Jackson Bell schematics, or if you look at enough of them you might be able to piece it together. PM me your e-mail and when I get a chance I'll send all the info and schematics I've found in my Floyd Paul archives.
OTOH, it might have been made in some obscure garage in Chicago or New York, but I get a definite west coast vibe from it.
When you get time go to this site and start browsing through the 1931-33 Radio magazines. I usually prefer Radio Retailing but these have a lot of West Coast sets in them:
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Rad..._Guide.htm
By 1933 the Pee-Wee sets were disappearing from the market because the same circuit that made them affordable, the TRF, was being overshadowed by the superheterodyne.
And to make your quest a little more difficult here is a quote from Floyd Paul, "The author has seen a few Pee Wee sets, including his own with no name on them. They were most likely not made at Gilfillan Bros. but rather by radio assemblers who made a quick dollar and dropped from sight after a few weeks."
And lastly, for any collector I recommend the Floyd Paul series on L.A. Radio Manufacturers:
http://www.antiqueradios.org/paul-bks.html
For some reason My gut has said west coast radio the first time I saw it; it's a typical Pee-Wee style set from the Los Angeles area. It's a blurry shot, but the knobs don't remind me of any J.B. sets (Gilfillan factory) from that era, but they might not be original to that set. I have found several schematics that use the same tube line-up but they are all pretty similar to the Jackson Bell 4 tube Peter Pan which is understandable since they all came from the same Gilfillan factory.
It's been my experience that most Jackson Bell sets have their name on the escutcheon or a small name plate or decal on the front of the cabinet, but I'm sure there are exceptions. Take a peek at Riders page 5-14 under Misc and look at the El Ray, but again similar to the Jackson Bell and no tone control, but the radio under it does have a tone control. If it is a west coast set you should see some similarities between it and the Jackson Bell schematics, or if you look at enough of them you might be able to piece it together. PM me your e-mail and when I get a chance I'll send all the info and schematics I've found in my Floyd Paul archives.
OTOH, it might have been made in some obscure garage in Chicago or New York, but I get a definite west coast vibe from it.
When you get time go to this site and start browsing through the 1931-33 Radio magazines. I usually prefer Radio Retailing but these have a lot of West Coast sets in them:
https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Rad..._Guide.htm
By 1933 the Pee-Wee sets were disappearing from the market because the same circuit that made them affordable, the TRF, was being overshadowed by the superheterodyne.
And to make your quest a little more difficult here is a quote from Floyd Paul, "The author has seen a few Pee Wee sets, including his own with no name on them. They were most likely not made at Gilfillan Bros. but rather by radio assemblers who made a quick dollar and dropped from sight after a few weeks."
And lastly, for any collector I recommend the Floyd Paul series on L.A. Radio Manufacturers:
http://www.antiqueradios.org/paul-bks.html
John KK4ZLF
Lexington, KY
"illegitimis non carborundum"
