Shouldn't this Zenith Baby Strat be up in the thousands by now?

[AuroraOldRadios]

Love that "custom grill".
http://cgi.ebay.com/1936-Zenith-Console-Radio-Baby-Stratosphere-12-A-58_W0QQitemZ6572774244QQcategoryZ38034QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[Mark Oppat]

well, the original grille bars were cut out and different ones made,
including a huge "Z" installed!

I object to this model being called the "Baby Strat" for two reasons...

first, the real Baby Strats were the 16A61 and 16A63, the only two other
radios that Zenith used the Strat name on (besides a postwar unit around
1949 I think)

second, the radio chassis has no similarity at all. If you want a radio
closest to the Strats, get a 980 or 990 12 tube 1935 model. At least the
RF stage is most like the other strats.

Anyone who calls a 12A58 a "Baby Strat" is not a knowledgable radio person
in my opinion, but another "Zenith Zombie" who is mesmerized by giant dials.

I keep wanting to see a movie made..."the Attack of the GIANT DIALS!"
(voice over..."they didnt understand why, but the victims were drawn right
into it! )

Mark Oppat

Post by AuroraOldRadios
Love that "custom grill".

http://cgi.ebay.com/1936-Zenith-Console-Radio-Baby-Stratosphere-12-A-58_W0QQitemZ6572774244QQcategoryZ38034QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[John Byrns]

Post by Mark Oppat
well, the original grille bars were cut out and different ones made,
including a huge "Z" installed!
I object to this model being called the "Baby Strat" for two reasons...
first, the real Baby Strats were the 16A61 and 16A63, the only two other
radios that Zenith used the Strat name on (besides a postwar unit around
1949 I think)
second, the radio chassis has no similarity at all. If you want a radio
closest to the Strats, get a 980 or 990 12 tube 1935 model. At least the
RF stage is most like the other strats.
Anyone who calls a 12A58 a "Baby Strat" is not a knowledgable radio person
in my opinion, but another "Zenith Zombie" who is mesmerized by giant dials.

The RF stage of the 980 and 990 12 tube 1935 models might be somewhat
similar to the RF stage of the 25 tube strat, but they use an older
generation of technology than the Baby strat and the design of the RF
stage is nothing like the RF stage of the Baby strat. The 12A58 chassis
appears to be virtually Identical in design to that of the Baby strat,
with the exception that it has been compressed onto a single chassis by
replacing the push pull parallel output stage with an ordinary push pull
output stage, and by dropping the second IF stage. Other than those
changes the design of the Baby strat and the 12A58 appear identical, even
the RF stage appears to be the same.

I am not a "Zenith Zombie", I don't even care for Zenith radios, but I do
like giant dials.


Regards,

John Byrns


Surf my web pages at, http://users.rcn.com/jbyrns/

[Paul Dietenberger]

Post by AuroraOldRadios
Love that "custom grill".
http://cgi.ebay.com/1936-Zenith-Console-Radio-Baby-Stratosphere-12-A-58_W0QQitemZ6572774244QQcategoryZ38034QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pfft. Very cute.

Alan Jesperson can set up the lucky winner of this set with a proper
reproduction grille for a couple hundred bucks. Wonder why the seller
couldn't be bothered to do that instead. And fear not. The listing is
only twelve hours old as I write this. It'll sell for much more than
this, if this is the sort of thing that floats your boat.

C'mon Mark. You know they call this one the Baby Strat just because the
cabinet styling echoes the 16-A-61. The radio inside has nothing to do
with it. It's not all about the electronics.

JM2c
paul

[Eddie Brimer]

i agree with mark on this. the cabinet is similar to the 16 tube
strat...which is the baby strat. some silly collectors started calling
this 12 tube radio "baby strat". it is a nice radio...and i want one.
but, it isn't a strat. the grille is hideous....some peoples kids.
you give them a scroll saw for christmas and they blaspheme all over a
nice radio.

Post by Paul Dietenberger

Post by AuroraOldRadios
Love that "custom grill".
http://cgi.ebay.com/1936-Zenith-Console-Radio-Baby-Stratosphere-12-A-58_W0QQitemZ6572774244QQcategoryZ38034QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pfft. Very cute.
Alan Jesperson can set up the lucky winner of this set with a proper
reproduction grille for a couple hundred bucks. Wonder why the seller
couldn't be bothered to do that instead. And fear not. The listing is
only twelve hours old as I write this. It'll sell for much more than
this, if this is the sort of thing that floats your boat.
C'mon Mark. You know they call this one the Baby Strat just because the
cabinet styling echoes the 16-A-61. The radio inside has nothing to do
with it. It's not all about the electronics.
JM2c
paul

[Carter-K8VT]

Post by Eddie Brimer
the grille is hideous....some
peoples kids. you give them a scroll saw for christmas and they
blaspheme all over a nice radio.

I dunno...even if you don't like it, it seems fairly nicely done (or as
best as you can tell from the pictures).

Any chance this was done at the factory for some kind of retirement gift
or presentation or ???

Carter K8VT

[Eddie Brimer]

not a chance. what i don't understand is why he didn't just do the
correct one if he was going to spend all that time on it. or pay the
200.00 that alan j. gets for one.

[Uncle Peter]

Post by Eddie Brimer
not a chance. what i don't understand is why he didn't just do the
correct one if he was going to spend all that time on it. or pay the
200.00 that alan j. gets for one.

Probably didn't know it was available, or didn't care... the finish looks
surprisingly decent--I'd like to see that one in person. I could deal
with the grille replacement considering the overall apparent condition
of the set.

Pete

[Peter Wieck]

It's a radio with real potential as an eye-catcher. So, whether the
grille and the Z, as mentioned both easily dealt with, are a problem,
either one bids or one doesn't. I suspect that those buying a beast of
this nature could care less about the levels of authenticity after a
certain point.

Seems that shipping is quite reasonable for a console.... one thing in
the seller's favor.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

[Eddie Brimer]

if the price stays low, it would be worth buying and replacing the
grille. chassis lokks as though it was very rusty.

[Mister Transistor]

I cannot belive you guys can't see that this was once Zorro's radio.

The Z !!!! makes it more valuable! geesh! Grill is also made from
wooden lightning bolts...and wooden lightning bolts are VERY rare! and
they make the radio sound better.

Going to find my scroll saw....

Post by AuroraOldRadios
Love that "custom grill".
http://cgi.ebay.com/1936-Zenith-Console-Radio-Baby-Stratosphere-12-A-58_W0QQitemZ6572774244QQcategoryZ38034QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem