[Jeffhs]

I wonder how many of those "one-tube wonder" record players, like the Imperial phono being discussed here, were susceptible to interference from extremely strong AM radio signals. Imagine listening to your favorite Beatles record on your Imperial (or other brand) one-tube phono, only to hear your area's local AM station in the background -- or, worse, drowning out the sound from the record entirely.

BTW, since most of these one-tube phonos used a 90-volt phonograph motor in series with the tube filament, an open filament would stop the motor in its tracks. If the tube should develop a heater-to-cathode short, the motor would probably have well over 110 volts across it, immediately burning out the winding. An excellent case for fusing the 110-volt input circuit; I wonder why these phonos weren't fused to prevent disasters like this? Wouldn't have added that much more to the cost of an already cheap phonograph, and could have saved the unit from catastrophic failure.