I keep seeing the SAME Zenith console listed on my local craigslist. I love the style, and it would be perfect for my office, but geeezzzz.. talk about a seller having an item overpriced. They want $125.00. They just keep re-listing and relisting.......
It's a 27", would it be the era of the bad picture tubes, or was that only the 25" ?

I have recently run across no less than 6 of these 27" Zeniths with bad CRT's. Yes, these are made during the bad tube era.

You don't want that set, unless they PAY YOU to haul it off. Those are from the bad CRT era and I was seeing them with bad CRT's when they were only 2 years old (sometimes less).

Concerning the price, there are some people still living in the past when it comes to used TV prices. And, I guess they keep relisting it in hopes that some sucker will eventually come along and pay their price.

If you want an upright console, find an RCA or Magnavox from the '90's. They are much better than a Zenith from that era.

I was doing warranty service for Zenith thru a major retail store when these set were brand new. I put a rebuilt (store brand) CRT in a set that was less than one year old over and over and over.

When I closed down my shop in 2005, I had over 50 newer Zenith TV's with bad CRT's in the junk building. I pulled chassis modules and re-used almost all of them. Run, don't walk, away from this set, and any 1990's and up Zenith TV's!!!

I kinda figured.... My Uncle who had his Zenith dealership closed shop in the early 90's, so I'm not familiar with ANY Zenith set after 1992.
I do remember I was surprised when I found out Zenith had gotten so bad. (this was before my VK days) I worked at a used shop and serviced the sets that came in. (well.. the older stuff) anyway.. we got in a 27" BPC Zenith that was fairly new, and I was shocked that the picture tube was bad in it. I NEVER saw a bad Chromacolor delta tube OR a Zenith tri-focus System 3 era tube for that matter. I figured it was a fluke until I joined here. I wasn't sure if the set I was asking about was of that era, but pretty much figured they wer all bad. I wouldn't pay 125.00 anyway, and I'll pass on it as it would be replacing a 32" Toshiba BPC that has a picture tube that's going soft......

There were at LEAST 10 of those Zenith sets of all sizes, on the "Wyoming pickup" yesterday. ALL of them were still there at 3AM last night--along with many other modern tv's--though people were grabbing nearly ANYTHING else of value, all day long!!

I got burnt on those Zenith's before I knew better. I'd get one in with a shorted regulator IC and the associated parts that blow up with it. I'd change those parts and the set would work. Within a short time, the set would come back with the same parts blown. I finally figured out that it was the CRT that would intermittently short; which, drew an excess amount of current that would blow up the power supply.

Sometimes, they would fry parts in the video output circuit. I remember one '97 Zenith that came in with no green and the CRT tested fine. I replaced a defective green video driver transistor and the set once again had a nice picture. Two days later, the set was back with no green and the same transistor had failed. Once again, I determined that the CRT was intermittently shorting and causing the problem.

It finally got to the point where I would not accept and of those sets for repair. During the late '90's-early '2000's, I was getting the junk from our none out-of-business Zenith dealer and I got tons of these newer sets with bad CRT's. Sometimes, I'd rejuvenate the tube and sell the set really cheap after explaining to the buyer why it was cheap. Other times, I'd steal a good non-Zenith tube out of something else and that move probably made the set more reliable than it was from the factory. I also got many CCII's and early system 3's that the customers didn't want to spend the money to have them fixed. Those sets were much better than the newer ones and it's rare to find a Zenith delta gun CRT from the '70's that's dead.

While cleaning out the inventory of a former Zenith dealer I found a partial kit he bought which would repair everything the crt typically wiped out. It also included an isolation transformer (as I recall) for the crt, to keep it from happening again. I think I may still have that kit somewhere, if there is any interest.

I noticed the seller keeps listing it day after day.... he needs to get a clue. I think it's come to the point you can barely give a CRT set away. Case in point... I saw a seller that had one of the last Toshiba CRT sets (36") WITH the factory stand. 40.00. I was gonna attach a pix, but that one actually sold........

I've got a 36" Trinitron built in 1992. Paid $30 for it, and the guy helped me load it! Complete with owners manual and unused original remote. I checked out the color and the grey scale, and didnt touch anything, other than a tiny focus adjustment. It's beautiful.

EDIT: It's got a ton of usable inputs!!!

picked up a 32" digital ready CRT set a year or so ago from the curb, guy was outside, asked what the deal was, he said take it if you want it, works fine.

GREAT set he said he was "upgrading" to a flat screen. it was only a couple years old.

I'm often amazed at what folks will give away if you tell them you will use it instead of reselling it.

(I dont resell.)

...

I was bored today, and playing with the basement hoard.. looks like I have a wall of Zenith's. I fired up the 2 Chromacolors ( they have been idle for awhile) The Console is a 1975 Chromacolor 2. The portable is a 1971 Chromacolor Hybrid. Pictures are great on both (altho my camera doesn't show it) I think the hybrid has the better pix of the 2.....

yep, nice looking sets.

Those Hybrids are amazing. No wonder Zenith was #1 for the 70's.

Got two 19DC11 chassis sets with all original tubes just like in your pic.

Zenith only made CRTs with a spherical screen, so that can't be a Zenith CRT.

Zenith actually pioneered the "flat screen CRT" with their FTM (Flat Tension Mask) tube back in the 1980s. But high manufacturing costs kept it out of consumer TVs, and restricted to high-end computer monitors.

...

Those Hybrids are amazing. No wonder Zenith was #1 for the 70's.

Got two 19DC11 chassis sets with all original tubes just like in your pic.

I've got a 1971 hybrid chassis 12B13C52, and it beats all of my other color sets hands down (aside from color which is not as good as one of my roundys).

I've got a 1971 hybrid chassis 12B13C52, and it beats all of my other color sets hands down (aside from color which is not as good as one of my roundys).

On the bottom - 12B14C52 (with tired 23VATP22) my parents bought new safely in my attic, as a keeper. (on my bucket list to fix) I wonder if Zenith used all those chassis numbers like RCA did with the letter suffix. I never could figure them out except the first letter denotes the year.

Top set is the Zenith's predecessor a '62 Motorola, got me started in all this....

Just an update (well.. more of a rant) but geeezzzz.. the seller of that Zenith lists it EVERY day (just saw it again today). One would think he'd get a clue and perhaps lower the price. Listed at 125.00 it's at least 100.00 overpriced. Sadly.. ain't no-one gonna shell out money for a console TV. Especially when I see high-end 32-36" CRT sets in the 40.00-60.00 range. Don't know if that's the case on most everyones local craigslist, but people are dumping their CRT sets in droves.

Not to sidetrack the topic, but...

I've been given some incredibly nice CRT sets lately. Most are 32-36" sets, and I have several big Sonys! I've turned down a 40" Mitsubishi CRT set, as I have no place for it, not to mention, it weighs a ton! CRT sets are junk to most consumers now, lucky for us!

I've aquired one Zenith... a 25" System III (first version) console with high fidelity sound and the hands-free phone system. Lovely beautiful color on it. It has a fairly new 9-160 module on it, too! Not stereo, but very nice sound.

Turned down a 1998 set this morning. Dont need parts, as I have a load of NOS modules for most of the newer versions.

Yes, people certainly are getting rid of the old CRTs left and right in favor of flat screens, although in my small northeastern Ohio town I haven't seen many CRT sets on curbs for some time (the last ones I saw were a 1978 RCA ColorTrak 25" console on a treelawn down the street from me, about ten years ago, and three table models several years later, not to mention a 1980-vintage RCA b&w portable just up the street from here). This is probably because folks are turning to recycling (by choice or by law) of worn-out sets, even flat panels, when these sets finally show their last program and quit.

There is no other choice but to buy a FP to replace a traditional CRT, since no one makes the latter anymore. With new large-screen HDTVs available now for very reasonable prices, it doesn't make much sense to be putting money into an old CRT TV (unless you are doing it just for the fun of getting an old set to work again, as do many VK members).

Hey Holmesuser01,
I got to thinking on the sets I have been given, and just realized that for my main viewing, I have $5.00 invested. For the main level in my house I have:
1) 32" JVC I'art, which my brother gave to me when someone gave him a 90's era 60" Pioneer Elite set. ( Altho the Pioneer was 10K new, I think I got the better end of the deal)
2) In my office room I was given a 32" Toshiba Cinema series set. Altho the picture tube is starting to show its age.. still watchable.
3) In my bedroom I got a 19" Zenith System 3 with Space Phone, for 5.00 at a thrift store
4) And for my basement work-out area, I got a 27" Panasonic Tau, free off of craigslist.
I just had a 25" System 3 that sounds like the one you have. (high fidelity sound,space phone) but the picture tube was going soft, so I had it in my garage and when I put it on the free section of CL, the people that picked it up told me they were scrapping it. Wasn't happy to hear that, but.. I needed to clear space.
And man.. I woulda passed on the 40" as well. That 32" JVC I have is the heaviest set I ever lifted, so couldn't imagine what a 36" or 40" CRT would be. lol!

[QUOTE=jstout66; And man.. I woulda passed on the 40" as well. That 32" JVC I have is the heaviest set I ever lifted, so couldn't imagine what a 36" or 40" CRT would be. lol![/QUOTE]

Trust me. If there had been a way, that 40" would have come here. :thmbsp:

I worked on several big System III's just like the one I have here back in the day. I remember replacing that 9-160 board, usually. I always repaired the boards I replaced.

A friend and I were moving a 1998 era Sony 36" out to the truck. We decided to get on either side and just carry it. Right. We got about 30 feet out of the house, and both wanted to put down the set really bad. We didnt use gloves, and the plastic was cutting into our hands due to the weight of that wonderful Trinitron kine.

On the bottom - 12B14C52 (with tired 23VATP22) my parents bought new safely in my attic, as a keeper. (on my bucket list to fix) I wonder if Zenith used all those chassis numbers like RCA did with the letter suffix. I never could figure them out except the first letter denotes the year.

Top set is the Zenith's predecessor a '62 Motorola, got me started in all this....

If you want a hybrid set to watch that can give most BPC CRT sets a real run for their money then I'd recommend putting that Zenith on your to do list. Your set has the same face mask/control panel as mine (though the cabinet is different), and both are listed in the same Sam's folder (which I have and could be persuaded scan and email to you at some point in the future).

Thanks Tom. The '72 Olympics were shown live on that TV and looked sooo real. The dinge and definition of Archie Bunker's living room was incredible. The CRT is probably weak (all colors equally so) from being on-off several times a day. I can assure everyone that Zenith or Motorola (excellent 19AVP4 CRT) will be buried with me, even if I don't get to them.

My biggest set is a 1998 36" Panasonic. It is too heavy and has a purity issue, possibly from being dropped. I hope nobody gives me another this big. I need to clean and move stuff around every few years.

We also have a local Habitat for Humanity that still thinks they are worth as much. Today I saw an RCA 32" there marked down to $125 from $175. If someone really wants one of these, just do yard sales in your wealthier neighborhoods on Friday and Saturday mornings and find them at about $40 right down to FREE in excellent condition. Let alone not selling them, people are not even looking at them to include the hispanics.
REMEMBER, NO yard sale is complete unless it has at least a 20" TV!! 99% of ALL yard sales have some form of a TV. LCD's are also showing up as well as computer monitors.

All the "thrift" stores around here have not yet gotten the message, either. I have a friend, who is in the resell business, and he buys ultra-cheap TV's to resell. He has no problem buying 13"-20" CRT sets for $10, or less. Here lately, he's had no problem selling CRT TV's; but, $25 seems to be absolute top dollar for a later model 20" CRT set. He doesn't like to fool with anything over 20" because they are too big and heavy. In other words, they don't bring enough money to justify the amount of room they take up and how heavy they are. I think the main people buying CRT sets from him are the poor and people who want a cheap TV for the kitchen or kid's room.

Sometimes, he finds older knob-tuned TV's at yard sales and if he can get them cheap enough, he grabs them for me.

He did tell me that some of the yard sale people are still living in the past. At one sale, they had a 25" console for $100. Another sale had a 12" B&W for $25. He tried to get them down on the B&W set because he knows I like them; but, they would not budge. There was a time I could have gotten $25 for a 12" B&W, back in 1990. The last one I actually sold was about 10 years ago for $5.

Same here in NE. The yard-sale people and the Goodwills have no clue.
I see "my" Zenith got listed again today, along with another one that is totally overpriced. On this second one, they even attached a vintage Zenith ad that isn't even the same set.......

http://omaha.craigslist.org/ele/2966816655.html

That one looks to be no older than the late '90's and could be from the early 2000's. The last Zenith console I sold was made in 2001 and looked like this one. It was in perfect condition and I sold it for $50, about 5 years ago; and, I felt lucky to get that much for it. Since then, I have not taken in any modern consoles since I can't give them away.

The TV in this ad will either be put out on the curb or taken with them. I can't see anyone paying that price for that TV.