1957 Muntz 721CV color set found in northern California

[Steve D.]

John Fosom suggested his Muntz color set uses an RCA CTC-5 Deluxe chassis. The consumer controls are totally in a different configuration than any RCA CTC-5 model, being located below the screen in a pencil box. Chris' Muntz has them on the side with that strange tuner? Jon's Muntz also has the controls on the side with the channel selector in a different location. Could Chris' Muntz be a prototype and John's a production model? Or perhaps Chris' set has a replacment tuner? I'm confused.
Couldn't find a SAMS listed for this model.

-Steve D.

[Mal Fuller]

From what I've observed and learned servicing early color sets beginning in the late 1950s, RCA worked hard to encourage and pave the way for other television manufacturers to offer color TVs to the public. For example, 15GP22s and deflection yokes were supplied to the engineering departments at most if not all TV makers. I also know first hand that RCA "lent" engineers to Admiral when the latter was developing their 21" color sets.
I speculate that RCA sold Muntz a semi-assembled basic CTC-5 chassis less tuner(s) and control panels.
I wonder where the static & dynamic convergence controls, screen & background controls, all of which were behind the front pencil box on the RCA built CTC-5 models, were re-located to on the Muntz?

[ChrisW6ATV]

Here is a picture of what remains of the tube layout diagram on the back panel. It appears to be a Super/Special rather than a Deluxe CTC-5. I have not yet checked to see which type I have, but now I am curious enough to go look.

[ChrisW6ATV]

Originally Posted by vintagecollect

IS that an Omega symbol broken off after Muntz badge? Chris does really nice work restoring tvs and I'm excited he found such a rare set to one day bring back to life.

I think that may have said "Muntz Color" at one time, or maybe "Muntz Color TV" since their regular logo reads "Muntz TV".

Thank you for the compliment!

[John Folsom]

On my set, the controls behind the front fold down door are as indicated in the rCA CTC-5 deluxe service data. However, the wooden escutcheon panel has fratory holes in the panel and decals for the horiz. and vert. hold controls. But the tone, tint, color and contrast controls have crudely cut holes and hand scrawled glued on paper labels. Thee hole in the side of the cabinet for the tuner shaft is crudely cut. So I am not sure how to interpret all this data.

[ChrisW6ATV]

John, your tube diagram matches mine, and appears to be for a Super/Special chassis. The tuner diagram (VHF) appears to physically match the tube locations in my tuner, and their numbers do not match those in an RCA CTC-5 tuner (KRK-35). Very interesting.

[ChrisW6ATV]

I confirmed-my chassis is a Super/Special. It has two 12AT7 tubes and five tubes total on the color board. I also noticed that the 3.58 MHz crystal is in a tube-style case-is that typical on a CTC-5?




I removed the cover over the chassis front controls and took the pictures below.

[bgadow]

Very interesting sets-it's the little idiosyncrasies that I really like about these. I suspect this had to have been about the cheapest way to buy a color set in '57.

[miniman82]

My CTC-9 had a glass envelope 3.58 crystal like that, though it was soldered in under the chassis.

[Phil Nelson]

My CTC-7 has the glass-envelope crystal under the chassis, too. Had to scratch my head for minute, until I figured out what it must be.

I love how those new legends (COLOR, etc.) look like they were just rubber-stamped over the originals. Be careful when cleaning -- you don't want to rub them off!

Phil Nelson

[David Roper]

So the Muntz color set turns out to be the cheapie version of a 5 after all. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you.

[Kevin Kuehn]

Originally Posted by miniman82

My CTC-9 had a glass envelope 3.58 crystal like that, though it was soldered in under the chassis.

Likewise my CTC-10 has the glass envelop.

[ChrisW6ATV]

OK, so the glass-encased crystal is not unusual, thank you all for the notes. I don't remember noticing what my CTC-5 has, and it is on loan to a museum right now.

[miniman82]

I would have expected my CTC-7 to have one as well, but is has a metal case crystal with really long leads. It seems there's no rhyme or reason to what crystal made it into one chassis or another. 'Course, the one in my '7 could be a replacement...

[Username1]

that cabinet even looks a little like the ctc5 special, the lowest end of the ctc5's Anyway its a ctc5 chassis with a twist!