[37silverstreak]

Hi to all,
I'm usually a Philco guy, but, I found this little "mystery" radio at a yard sale in my neighborhood for $20. I could use some help identifying it!
There is a small plaque on the bottom of the front which says "MINUETTE" and when cleaning the chassis, i came across a label that says "MFG. by Gilfillan Bros." but no model number anywhere. It appears to be a TRF set, has five tubes- 3-24A, 1-45 and a 80. Has anyone ever seen one of these !
Thanks!
Kevin

[Eliot Ness]

That's a really cool west coast made radio that has designs similar to both Jackson Bell and Falck (Advance) sets. Gilfillan held the RCA license agreements so sets in the Los Angeles area had to either pass through, or eventually be assembled in their plant.

I haven't been able to determine if your set was actually a model sold by Gilfillan, or some smaller company that used Gilfillan to get the license agreements, but I'll continue to search.

[Radioroslyn]

Nice find!!!
Looks likes it might be a model 100,105,or 106.
Good luck/with it
Terry

[Eliot Ness]

I've looked through my documentation and my set of Floyd Paul's Los Angeles Radio Manufacturing books but did not see a picture of your set of the mention of a Minuette. The styling is definitely west coast and that is verified by the Gilfillan label.

The midget or mantel set originated in the Los Angeles area and yours is a nice example of one not commonly found.

[Arran]

I don't know how "West Coast" that cabinet design could be considered to be, there were several East Coast and Mid West manufacturers that built similar peaked top tombstones. Some of the first of the cathedral or "Midget Sets" sets to hit the market were put out by Echophone but the design of the cabinet with the off set dial and controls reminds me of a "Clarion" built by the American Transformer Company. Given the name "Minuette" on the dial escutcheon my guess is that it was some sort of private label store brand radio built by Gilfillan.
Regards
Arran

[37silverstreak]

Thanks all for the input! I've done a little detective work on Nostalgia Air's website. So far the closest thing I've found schematic wise is for a Jackson Bell Junior 50. the schematic shows the same tube complement as my mystery set- 3-24A's a 45 and an 80. I have to check the circuit diagram against the set to see if it's close. A search for Jackson Bell Junior 50 took me to a radio museum webpage but alas! No pictures Kind of frustrating, but I guess that's what makes it fun!
Kevin

[Eliot Ness]

I don't know how "West Coast" that cabinet design could be considered to be, there were several East Coast and Mid West manufacturers that built similar peaked top tombstones...........

Similar, but west coast sets often have a certain look. After chasing these for many years and pouring over Western Music and Radio Trade Journal's (the west coast equivalent of Radio Retailing), you get a feel for how the sets were styled. It isn't just an offset dial or a peaked top, but a combination of styles and designs that often set them apart.

While the Echophone model C was one of the earlier mantel sets, Echophone soon relocated to Illinois and their distinctive designs with repwood grills, starting with the S-5 series set them apart. I never felt that Clarion radios had the west coast look, even the offset dial models, and I've had several.

The Minuette in question has design features that were common to other sets that came from the Los Angeles area. The two that strike me the most is a modern Jackson Bell sunburst (either the model 60 or 62) and a Falck made by Advance. If I had seen this radio at a swap meet I would have guessed its roots even before seeing the Gilfillan tag on the chassis.

That's just my opinion and you are certainly entitled to yours.

[Image: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v348/j...Bell60.jpg]

Good luck finding a schematic Kevin. I'll look in some of the material I downloaded from Floyd Paul and see if I find anything.