1936 RCA RR-359B Restoration

[bandersen]

OK, here's the good, the bad and the ugly.
This set is rough to put it mildly. If it wasn't, I would not have been able to afford it.
It's my understanding last two examples on the market sold for $35,000 and $50,000!

Here's a nice example of an "A" revision at the Early TV museum in Hilliard Ohio.
Please click for more info.
I typically visit this museum a couple times a year and will take many reference photos next time I go.


I purchased this set from another collector and can't take credit for finding it "in the wild".
I was however provided some photos taken back then - around 5-6 years ago I think?






My "B" cabinet style is a bit different, but otherwise they are very similar.
Right away we can see the front catalin knobs are missing and the tuner looks odd.
The original tuner is gone! Someone drilled a hole in the cabinet and installed a later tuner which I do not have. It was removed by the previous owner who had intended to have the set restored.
As the years went by, he changed his mind and put it up for sale.

Overall, the cabinet is in poor condition and will require extension repairs and refinishing. Lots of veneer separation and loss. Much of the finish is completely gone.

Maybe a job for Fred Taylor?

The back is also missing which had an AC protection interlock.
I'll either need to bypass it or fabricate a new back.






The leather surround on the beefy speaker has completely rotted away.


Now for the good. Both chassis are present and mostly intact. Also, the prototype 12AP4 CRT appears to be good - (have not tested it yet).
The set had already been disassembled when I picked it up with the CRT safely packed away.










This is going to be quite an undertaking!