[Vintage-Radio] Information request: Radio Craftsmen

[JM/CO]

Somewhere in my storage archives, I have some hi-fi catalogs from the '50s
which have more specific information on these units, so what I am saying
here is from memory (and you know how that works)<G>.
The Radio-Craftsman brand was active during the late '40s and well into the
'50s. The quality was, as you observe, very good, but aside from the chrome
plating, not any better than many of the other domestic makers of that
period ( H. H. Scott, Fisher etc.). Their quality of construction as well as
the engineering was inferior to that of the McIntosh products of the same
period. These components, if properly rebuilt, will yield good performance.
The power amps have some value on the vintage market, although the tuner /
preamps are not considered very desirable, especially if monophonic. If you
intend to use these, I would strongly suggest a complete re-cap, especially
of the power amplifier, as their power transformers are not particularly
robust, and will not survive the excess current draw from a bunch of leaky
old capacitors.
Chuck N1LNH
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Paul DeFayette" <pjdefayette@earthlink.net>
To: "vintage-radio" <vintage-radio@mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Wednesday, September 03, 2003 4:07 PM
Subject: [Vintage-Radio] Information request: Radio Craftsmen


> ** VINTAGE RADIO REFLECTOR - Please do NOT cross-post messages to multiple
mailing lists on the "To:" or "CC:" line of the e-mail message. **
>
> Good day group,
>
> I recently picked up a couple of Radio Craftsmen items, a model 800
> tuner/preamp and a C400 amp.  The quality of craftsmanship looks second to
> none and the chrome chassis are very nice looking also.  I have yet to
fire
> them up.  Of course, I'll bring them up on a variac and check for leaking
> caps, etc.
>
> There is not a whole lot of information to be had about this manufacturer
on
> the web.  I am hoping to learn a fair amount from the collective knowledge
> of the group.  The standard array of questions come to mind:
>
> What is the history of this manufacturer?
> What were the productive years of this company?
> How would one rate the physical and audio quality of their products, the
> items listed above, in particular?
> Does someone have a list of all their produced components and years of
> manufacture?
> Does someone have a nice library of Radio Craftsmen literature available
for
> copies or that can be sent in pdf or jpg format?
>
> I am fascinated by a company that looks to have produced a very good
> product, but that I have heard little to nothing about.  Any assistance in
> answering my questions/request for information about Radio Craftsmen is
> greatly appreciated.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Paul DeFayette
>
>
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