White Owl Eyes Bakelite 1954 Zenith Model L515W AM Vacuum Tube Radio Excellent Condition! Great Sounding!
DESCRIPTION: The much sought after Owl Eyes among Zenith designs! Tabletop tube AM radio manufactured by Zenith in 1954 in excellent working and physical condition.
SOUND QUALITY: Picks up AM stations clearly and loudly around the dial without need of external antenna attachment.
CABINET CONDITION: Original Bakelite cabinet with white factory paint in excellent condition with no chips or no major scratches. There are a few small fleabite paint dings. There is a repaired hairline crack on the bottom. Not repainted, no touch up, no over spray. The front gold metal fascia tuning and clock surround trim is in excellent condition not faded not peeling or wavy. Numbers are not rubbed off.
KNOBS: All volume and tuning black knobs are original and securely attached real clean. Volume and tuning knobs are not missing center gold metal inserts. Three black little clock function knobs, one for the on/off/auto and the other for alarm, are matching and factory original. The black sleep function knob is original and securely attached. The tuning dial works fine no slipping no sticky spots. The tuning dial pointer is in excellent condition no cracks and securely attached. Tuning dial attachment post is not cracked and is securely attached.
CLOCK: Clock works and keep accurate time. Clock motor is silent no humming no buzzing no ticking noises. Clock and alarm set time works. Alarm works. Wake to radio and buzzer or wake to radio only. Both work. Sleep timer works.
DIAL LIGHT: No dial light. Not designed with one but can be added for an extra charge.
INTERNAL ELECTRONICS: All paper and wax capacitors have been replaced with modern equivalents so this radio has another 50+ years or more of playing time! Both Intermediate Frequency Transformers (IFTs) have been rebuilt to ensure static-free performance. The tubes are working fine. All out-of-spec resistors have been replaced with modern correct value and voltage equivalents. There is no loud or pervasive hum. There is no loud or pervasive static between stations. The set has been aligned according to factory specifications. The antique radio has been thoroughly cleaned and inspected. All wiring has been thoroughly checked for possible bridging and weak solder connection.
POWER CABLE: Brand new replacement power cable and safety polarized plug are in excellent working condition no breaks no exposed wires no brittleness.
BACKING BOARD: The original backing board is still present which is incredible because it's only held on by 4 t-pins. The backing board attachment corners are fatigued which is common among Zeniths.
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 13" x 6" x 5.5" (l x w x h)
WEIGHT: 4lbs 14oz
COLOR: white
YOUTUBE VIDEO here
ADD BLUETOOTH: See pricing and info here
ADD Smart Speaker: See pricing and info here
ADD DIAL LIGHT: See pricing and info here
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Product: antique radio, vintage radio, retro radio, vacuum tube radio, AM radio, art deco, mid-century product.
Category: radio
Cabinet construction: Bakelite
Period: 1950s
Country of manufacture: USA
Electronics: Mounted circuit board or chassis. Vacuum tube circuit.
Vacuum tubes: tested and working. Amplifier, converter, detector, pre-amplifier, rectifier