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Gloritone Model 27 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 fun-
ction as it once was. It comes from a time when radio
was king, when everyone was caught up in the excite-
ment of radio and when barely a day would go by with-
out 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 small-
er 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 div-
ersity of compact models large. This period would last
less than a decade and by the mid to late thirties it was
over. During those depression years however, a rich
variety of compacts was produced, models which today
are amongst the most collectible of all vintage radios.
If the majority of early compacts had one thing in com-
mon 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.
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 RF), 224 (2nd RF), 227 (det-
ector), 245 (AF amp) & 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 impl-
emented. 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.
a stark monolith, like a gothic entity staring down the
ages to remind us present day mortals of form and fun-
ction as it once was. It comes from a time when radio
was king, when everyone was caught up in the excite-
ment of radio and when barely a day would go by with-
out 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 small-
er 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 div-
ersity of compact models large. This period would last
less than a decade and by the mid to late thirties it was
over. During those depression years however, a rich
variety of compacts was produced, models which today
are amongst the most collectible of all vintage radios.
If the majority of early compacts had one thing in com-
mon 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.
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 RF), 224 (2nd RF), 227 (det-
ector), 245 (AF amp) & 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 impl-
emented. 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.
| 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. 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 |
Gloritone Model 27...sturdily constructed, highly engineered.
The full tone radio in small convenient cabinet.
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131/4" (W) * 7" (D) * 20" (H)
ad Oct 26th 1930
ad Oct 30th 1930