Picture of the last Zenith B&W console from '81
 

I was doing some more digging in my Sams and came upon set 2016-3, which covers what I believe to be the last Zenith 22" B&W set. The Sams folder is dated 9/81 and covers models M221W1, M222W1, M223P1. These all use the 22MB1X chassis and "M" tells us that this set is from the '81 model year. I don't know if all three of these models are consoles; but, the picture below is of the model M223P1. Maybe someone who has access to Zenith sales information from this period can tell us what type of cabinet these other two models are housed in. This set uses a 22VBAP4 CRT and is constructed on a single board chassis. I'm very lucky to have a 22" Sylvania B&W console from '78; but, would feel even luckier if I could find one of these last Zenith models. I'm sure finding one of these would be very difficult, as I'm sure very few of these were actually sold and the ones that were sold have long since gone to the dump. Audubon5425 and myself were discussing an article that he found and I think it stated that Zenith discontinued it's production of large screen B&W sets in '81. Heck, this is probably the last B&W console that was offered in the US.

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I've only seen one in person, even unpacked it from the box.

I worked for my Uncle as a kid in the late 70's/early 80's. We had an old farm couple special order it. We tried to talk them out of it, and even offered them a decent used color set for $100.00 less than what that sucker cost. They wanted NO part of color. IIRC there was only 1 cabinet style available, and it took forever to arrive. I even remember the distributor making jokes and couldn't believe someone wanted one.

I think it was a tad over $300.00 and we were even running a sale on a NEW no frills Chromacolor 2 19" set for $349.00, so that is wht I have never forgotten that set.

Most manufactures put out some horrible, wood/plastic cabinets beginning in the late 70's, and this cabinet was no exception.

I've seen the pictures of your Sylvania (if it's the new never sold one that was posted awhile back) and your Sylvania looks wayyyyy better than this.

:)

I searched that chassis number and all I found was a reference to Zenith Service Manual TV-59, which covered 22MB1X, 19MB1X and 12MB1X among others.

I would be shocked if one ever turned up.

That is hilarious! Do u remember if the couple were excited to see thier brand new TV?

Yes, they were, which was a relief! I just remember that they were FIRM on a NEW B&W console. I think my Uncle and even the distributor were shocked that Zenith had one available. My grandpa (who worked in the store) thought they were nuts! LOL!
By 81 it seemed NO ONE wanted a B&W. The potables we had on the shelf sat forever gathering dust. My Uncle even tried to talk them into a new 19" Zenith B&W with a stand thrown in for $125.00. But nooooo, it HAD to be a console, and like I posted earlier it wasn't cheap. It had to be special ordered from Zenith, shipped to the distributor in Omaha, and then to us.

kind of off the subject, but here is a picture of me and my Uncle at a Zenith convention at the Distributor in Omaha for the NEW System 3's. It was taken around the time of this B&W set. (we are in the bottom right)

I see it didn't post. will try one more time.

I really like that story! A few years ago I was contacted by someone looking for a bw console for an elderly relative; that was what she wanted. I told them to give me a few days and call me back, but I never heard from them again.

2 things I remember: going with my uncle to a father/son dinner at his lodge and they gave everyone a nicely done book detailing the advancements that the space program had brought to everyday life. There was a page about some device found in Zenith TV sets and they had a picture of a showroom; according to my memory, it said that advancement was being used in their bw sets. The other: around that time, maybe 82-83, I rode my bicycle to the local GE/Zenith dealer to window shop. There was a 19" Zenith bw on the floor and Mr. Evey was dealing-he was willing to knock about $40 off the price, taking it down to about $120. I fell in love with that set but my parents thought that was too much for bw. Eventually I ended up with a 12" Midland for about half that.

Even as recent as the early '90's, I still ran into people who only wanted B&W. I didn't have any problem getting $20-$30 for a good 12" B&W and I could get $30-$50 for a decent 19" B&W set. I even sold a few tube type (mostly Zenith) B&W consoles for $20-$30. They didn't bring as much as the portables; but, they still sold. A friend of mine ended up with a beat up late '70's Admiral built Truetone B&W console that he was able to quickly sell for $25. By the late '90's, it got hard to get much over $10 for any B&W set and it usually took awhile to do that. About 6 or 7 years ago, I found a really nice mid '70's Zenith solid state 19" B&W set and I let a friend, who sells at flea markets, take it to see if he could sell it for me. After about 4 months, I think he got me $10 for it. I think that was the last B&W TV that I actually sold. Any that I've found since then were either given away or they stayed here.

In '92, my tenth grade English teacher, a lady in her early 60's, asked me to fix her TV; which, turned out to be an early '80's Sears 12" B&W set. She had this set in her kitchen and it was her only TV. And, no, she didn't have cable. Actually, I doubt that she watched much TV as she had her fingers in many pies around here, as well as her teaching duties, and she also traveled alot when school was out. As long as she could watch PBS and the news, she was fine.

I think the main thing that killed the sale of B&W sets is the fact that most of the people who were buying used ones from me in the early '90's were either senior citizens or people who didn't have much money. Most of the older folks that were around back then are no longer with us and even poor people could afford a color set when they started selling new 19" sets for under $100. Now, many people have never even seen a B&W TV.

Quote: Now, many people have never even seen a B&W TV.

Ain't that the truth!

My nephew was traveling through the area and stopped over for a few days and I was showing him my electronics and collection of things and I powered up the Predicta. First thing out of him was "that's not color?"...Wow, did that put things into perspective about the lack of a historical understanding of television and not having been exposed to anything else. It's up to us to educate and even my son's friends that come around have picked up on a few things if they so inquire!

Boy is thread bringing back memories! Bryan, you got a Midland product?!? How long did it last? I remember Midland products being so very horrible. We had a "Pamida" chain the next town over and they had Midland products. The color sets were awful. The pictures looked like crap on the floor. I remember trying to adjust them, to make them better, but try as I may, I couldn't get them to look good. They had a very old fashioned clunky look about them as well. Perhaps I was spoiled because I grew up on Zenith products, but man.....
I also remember our town had a Western Auto that carried the store brand (Trutone) and Midland sets. If anything was as craptastic as Trutone it would have to be Midland! I totally forgot about that brand! The B&W stuff would have been pretty basic, so at least I'm sure you got your monies worth. Zenith wasn't cranking out that good of stuff in B&W either. I remember some of the 19" sets we sold coming in 5 years later with weak picture tubes. Has anyone else run into that with mid 70's early 80's Zenith B&W's?

This brings back a memory for me. I had an elderly customer who came by to check out my shop. He wanted to come by and see where he would be bringing his beloved TV for service. Asked alot of questions, etc. Then he leaves.

A few days later, he's back. There is a truck behind his car. He tells me the TV is in there. They unload the truck. I am expecting a big Scott set, or a big Zenith, or RCA... It's a GE lowboy floor model with about a 23" screen. I was amazed, as we had a set almost exactly like this one when I was a little kid. Built in around 1957-58 or so. It had the shelf inside with the chassis on it, and the CRT mounted down below. with two large speakers firing out the sides.

His helpers bring it into the shop and set it down. As usual, I turn it on to be sure it is doing something. Dim picture. I told him I would check it out and call him the next day. He has a bad video output tube. 12BY7 comes to mind... I replaced the tube, tweeked the vertical lin and height, and let it run after I cleaned a dirty brightness control.

A day later, he comes back. Same truck and helpers. I found out then that he had rented the truck and the helpers both times. They load the set back up and he pays my bill, and they are gone. Around 4 years later, he came back. Saw I was still in business, and hauled the big GE back for more. This time, it was a new CRT and an electrolytic in the vertical circuit. He wouldn't even consider a new set. This one was running just fine, and if it would do something he couldn't fix, then he would replace it.

If I remember right, I worked on that old GE about 5 times total. I know he paid more to me than he did for the set over time. When I did the CRT, I tried to tell him that the set really wasn't worth a new tube, but he wouldn't hear of it. I used Video Display Corp back then for rebuilds, and the turnaround was about 4 days. He was very happy with the results.

A few years later, I read that he had passed away. Then, I saw an ad for a yard sale at his address. I went. The big GE was sitting in the living room beside the fireplace playing. It was not for sale. The old gents widow told me that she was keeping it because her husband had bought it for her as she could not bend down to reach the controls on most of the sets built at that time. I told her I had worked on it several times. She said that I must have been special, or didnt say something that would piss off her husband. Her son told me that his dad could be a real monster to unsuspecting vendors in his travels as a medical products salesman.

At the sale, I found a couple of radios that I wanted, but they refused to sell them to me. I was made to just take them. I still have one, a Brunswick, that is still playing today. Funny what you can remember when your memory is jarred just right.

Bruce

"They've never seen B&W TV..." Several years ago, I got Bethany & her siblings-All 6 of them-little El Cheapo 5" B&W sets for Xmas..IIRC, they were like $14.95 or maybe $19.95 each...THEY'D never seen B&W TVs, so the sets made a hit. Believe it or not, I think some of the little guys actually survive to this day..

I remember a couple years back, the dollar stores were selling those el-cheapo chinese battery operated 5" B&W sets for about 10 bucks each. then the digital switch happened, and never seen one since.

About six or eight months before the DTV transition, I saw at least 75 of them at one of the local discount stores for, IIRC, $14.99 each. I probably should have bought one just so I could say that I bought one new TV in my life. I do have a few that were given to me in various degrees of operating condition. As far as buying a new TV, I never have and probably never will. I've always been lucky enough to find one somewhere, fix it, and use it.