Espresso Brown Bakelite 1954 Zenith Owl Eyes Model L515 AM Vacuum Tube Radio Very Good 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 factory molded brown Bakelite in excellent condition with no chips or no major scratches. There are two thin hairline cracks on either side which have been repaired. Not repainted, no touch up, no over spray. The front gold metal fascia tuning and clock surround trim is not faded not peeling or wavy. Numbers are not rubbed off.
KNOBS: All volume anf tuning knobs are original and securely attached real clean. Volume and tuning knobs are not missing center gold metal inserts. Two 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 a replacement 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. All for corners have been reinforced from behind with fiber board. No missing bottom factory labels.
DIMENSIONS: Approximately 13" x 6" x 5.5" (l x w x h)
WEIGHT: 4lbs 14oz
COLOR: brown
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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