Please identify this GE

[Kevin's Rack]

I came across this in my garage yesterday, it's been sitting in there for a while. Been a few years since I played with it. Any info on it is more than appreciated. Is it vintage, or is it crap? The picture seems pretty sweet though... Also, what year might it be from?(circa.)





What the hell, here's some nudies for you to enjoy:


(she's a little dusty)





If it knocks anyone's socks off, I will consider selling it [for a nominal fee].

-Kevin

[Whirled One]

Originally Posted by Kevin's Rack

I came across this in my garage yesterday, it's been sitting in there for a while. Been a few years since I played with it. Any info on it is more than appreciated. Is it vintage, or is it crap? The picture seems pretty sweet though... Also, what year might it be from?(circa.)

I was going to guess that it looks like one of the many variations of the ever-popular GE "12SF" tube-hybrid chassis, but the number of tubes (plus what looks like an upside-down mounted HV rect.) makes me think otherwise, so I'll let someone else guess. The cabinet does look a lot like the later-style "12SF" sets, though, as well as GE's solid-state B&W portables that were also sold in the mid-1970s.

As for when it was made, I'd say it's early-mid-70's, but no later than ~1975 given that it appears to have a continuous UHF tuner. Another clue may be provided by the date-codes on the tubes (which appear to be original ones from the set); at least one of the tubes in the photos has a visible code, but the image isn't quite sharp enough to read the numbers. (the codes used on GE tubes from that era are in the form YY-WW, where YY is the last two digits of the year the tube was made, and WW is the week in that year) This would provide a "low point" for the date the set could have been made.
In any case, it's not exactly a vintage or sought-after set, but wait fifty years and who knows...

[Kevin's Rack]

yep, all of the tubes are original. It gets better- they're all genuine GE! Thanks for the date info, I'll have to crack it open and report back. It's exactly 12 inches, so you got a good eye. Tunes in VHF perfectly, UHF might be a little flaky.

[Kevin's Rack]

I suppose this belongs in "rectangular tube" section.

I'll repost it there

If a Mod could move this whole thread there, that'd be great!

[Eric H]

Originally Posted by Kevin's Rack

I suppose this belongs in "rectangular tube" section.

I'll repost it there

If a Mod could move this whole thread there, that'd be great!

Done

[Kevin's Rack]

Thanks.

All but one tube all say 71-11 on them, which would indicate they were made around now in 1971. Thanks guys. Any other info out there?

[mbates14]

I had a set that had an identical chassis. no transistors at all, but the board was so brittle, it cracked. and the picture tube was weak also, so I junked it.

[mbates14]

also forgot to mention, this one looked like a floor model, but very small replica of one.