Empty ghost of a TV... - Videokarma.org TV - Video

Carmine · #1 09-18-2009, 08:44 PM

Have you ever gone to an estate sale and got a little excited when you catch a glimpse of what you know is a TV cabinet, with doors on the front. Then you open it, wondering what strange new treasure you've found, and see this:

Whaaa-whaaa...

Well that's what happened to me today. So here's what used to be there...

23XC36

That's a Zenith "squarie". Normally, I rant violently in disgust at the abomination and law enforcement is summoned to the scene. However, the reddish tone and style of this wounded beast called to me...

...As did the 1/2 off price, so a pretty good quality chunk of hardwood for only $10. (Thanks estate sale people for putting a gooey price sticker front and center... Can't wait until you have an authentic Di Vinci painting and slap a price sticker on the face of Mona Lisa part II.)

It came with an inch of authentic East Detroit dust, plus the distinctive odor of warm vacuum tubes. I guess that smell never leaves, like a ghost.

The original plan that came to mind was to use this cabinet to replace the smallish one I currently use to house my Louie Prima/Erik B. & Rakim/Green Acres CD/DVD collection. It's an excellent match for the furniture in my living room.

Then I got to thinking... I've always wanted to be have a roundie in the living room with my "normal" TV without having it look like Uncle Lou's mis-matched furniture warehouse. (That's called OCD folks)

I do currently have a Roundie in a paperboard cabinet so cheap the Zenith logo keeps trying to jump off...

So what say ye of VideoKarma town? Is it an an unholy sin? Would it even fit?

In the meantime, it would be most interesting if any of you with Zenith catalogs could scan a pic of what this thing looked like before the lobotomy was performed. I have a feeling they may have actually even offered this same cabinet WITH a roundie.

What year is "X" in the great Zenith date code puzzle?

***Eric H*** · #2 09-18-2009, 10:34 PM

I'd rather have a nice working set in it's original cheap cabinet than a Frankenset in a nice cabinet any day.

Put some shelves in it or a fish tank, bottles of booze or maybe a nice LCD set.

RobtWB · #3 09-18-2009, 10:37 PM

Sadly I have seen a few gutted cabinets.
One recent cabinet was used as a china cabinet. I believe that one was an old Maggie.
The most recent was an RCA combo set. The phono, tuner and 8 track were still there, but the television space had some spc apex/funai/symphonic junk slid in.

Looks like that cabinet will refurb nicely. Lots of uses for furniture like that. Of course the original tv would be the best use.

I'll probably catch flak, but I have seen several cabinets "bastardized" with a modern set, and a few of them were just stunning. Sadly most are not, and end up looking like they belong in a 1970's house trailer.

radiotvnut · #4 09-18-2009, 11:12 PM

I've had three similar experiences recently:

1. Happened right across the street when my neighbor died. There was a '60's small console TV cabinet with doors. Looked to have been a 19", maybe a 21". I asked the son about it and he couldn't remember the name but remembered it was color. He said when it died, his dad tossed the guts and had a cabinet maker put doors on it.

2. Two or three months ago, I was at my Sunday school teacher's house and spotted a gutted late '60's-early '70's TV console. It was a very nice cabinet and looked to have been a Magnavox, which I later confirmed. As usual, the guts had been tossed years ago. My SS teacher is a medical doctor; so, I'm sure that was a high end, probably remote, set.

3. Back in the early '90's, an older lady kept bugging me to gut a TV for her. For whatever reason, I kept putting her off. I did see the set and it was one of the earlier Motorola rectangular color sets. I recently had a need to talk to her and I asked her about the set, thinking that she may still have it and I could trade her a gutted particleboard cabinet for it; but, she had someone gut hers and it's now a shoe cabinet.

Adam · #5 09-19-2009, 08:11 AM

23XC36 is in sams 863 which is 1967, it's a rectangular set which used the 25GP22A.
Still I don't like those pressboard cabinets either, if it would fit I'd swap them. It would still be a Zenith set in a Zenith cabinet.

drh4683 · #6 09-19-2009, 08:54 AM

AH! I hate it when that happens, which is quite often. That cabinet is called the "Flourentine" and was first introduced only as a rectangular CRT using the 25MC36 chassis in 1965. The cabinet was last offered as a '67 model like yours. It was one of Zeniths highest end cabinets too, which unforutnatly the higher end the cabinet, the greater the probability its been gutted when spotted at an estate sale.

Heres some pics of what the TV looks like, this one has the large 25MC46 chassis though.

Charlie · #7 09-19-2009, 09:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eric H

Put some shelves in it or a fish tank, bottles of booze or maybe a nice LCD set.

Go with bottles of booze!!!

freakaftr8 · #8 09-19-2009, 10:34 AM

I have that exact same set too. It's just sad when these get gutted...

drh4683 · #9 09-19-2009, 10:50 AM

shawn,
what chassis is in yours?

DaveWM · #10 09-19-2009, 11:46 AM

You guys have some beautiful sets...

wa2ise · #11 09-19-2009, 06:44 PM

Was going to reuse that picture I attached long ago in AK where I placed a computer VGA monitor in a cabinet for a RCA CTC19 to make a HDTV console set, but it's disappeared

...

Was going to say that your Zenith transplant would likely come out looking a lot better.

jeyurkon · #12 09-19-2009, 07:40 PM

I have mixed feelings. If I was sentimental about the paperboard Zenith I'd be sad to see it taken apart. I don't care for paperboard either though and the other cabinet is gorgeous. It's your set, roll the dice. You can always save the paperboard cabinet in case you change your mind later.

I was feeling a little guilty about moving a 1-108 Sylvania from a 1-076 cabinet to a 1-128 cabinet even though they both use the same 1-108 chassis. But I'm very sentimental about the 1-128 console and want to see it alive again.

John

*zenithfan1* · #13 09-19-2009, 08:41 PM

I just hate it when people gut tvs, I've found some gorgeous empty cabinets in my time.
I'm glad you saved that cabinet, you may find the correct guts or that roundie might fit, but probably not.

Doug, Shawn, you both have gorgeous sets.

Carmine · #14 09-19-2009, 08:47 PM

In Photoshop™...

But I was curious if I'd need to adjust the height in photoshop, or if I could maintain the proportions, so I did not allow myself to use any control that didn't keep proportions, and it seems to fit... At least virtually.

Why didn't I use a tape measure you ask? Because the other set is stored at another house, and that would be a hassle.

What if I gave the cheap cabinet to a needy VK'er who has the same model with a trashed cabinet? Then no TVs are lost.

True, I hate hot-rods. But this isn't a '42 Desoto with a stupid camaro subframe and small block Chevy. This is more like using a 228 cubic-inch 6 cyl, from 1941, vs. the proper 236 ci. 6.

My last conversion still gets compliments:

(I didn't trash the Porthole! It was done before I bought it!) But I am decent with a sawzall...

Either way, you needn't worry for a while. For now I've got way too many home destruct... err, "improvement" projects going on to find time for something fun like a TV!

For now nothing will be going inside it but little RubberMaid® tubs full of DVDs and CDs.

RobtWB · #15 09-19-2009, 09:02 PM

Nice conversion with that cabinet there Mr. Carmine.

Much better than any of those g** damned assemble it yourself particle board crap stands and cabinets from wally world and ikea et al.

I've got a boat load of very nice CRT table top sets but can not seem to run across a previously gutted cabinet that is suitable for a conversion.

BTW that hardwood floor is stunning!