Getting a mystery Zenith

[Electronic M]

I haven't seen it yet, but my Mom found(for me) a knob tuned Zenith set at a garage sale, that she thinks is color. It says custom series on the front. Has all the paper work, and a 10-14" screen. It looks like it is from the 70's and likely has a plastic case. It was made in Mo.

I think 15$ was an okay gamble on it, but for the life of me I don't know what to expect. Anybody have a better idea of what this thing than me is from the description I was given?

I'll try to post pictures when I've seen it and have time.
This could be nice or junk for all I know.

[dieseljeep]

It's probably a mid-80's 13" Zenith. The styling was rather dated at that time, so it looks like an earlier model. I never had any real problems with that model.

[radiotvnut]

Those "custom series" badged sets were made from the mid '80's until the early '90's. I had a 19" knob tuned "custom series" Zenith from around '88-'89. IIRC, it used the single board 9-470 chassis. I've seen quite a few 19" sets from that time with weak CRT's. Fortunately, the 13" CRT's seem to hold up better. Knob tuned Zenith's from the late '80's and newer don't seem to be that common. If the set you got is clean and works good, I'd say you did OK.

I also remember the schools having some 25" Zenith "custom series" table model TV's that were housed in particleboard cabinets. They had a keypad style tuner; but, used a regular volume/power knob.

[Electronic M]

I'm glad I went for it! It looks cool, and works good....plus there is a bonus manual from a 60's monochrome Zenith mixed into the paper work.

And now some pictures....










It does a decent job of picking up the local LP analog UHF station, but I went with S-VHS tapes for a clearer signal in all but the first shot. It came with free antennas and a 75-300ohm balun too.

[radiotvnut]

Nice TV and it's older than I thought. That looks like a 9-160 module set. That would put it in the '79-'83 range. Those sets had very nice pictures when working right.

[Sandy G]

Ya done GREAT, from what I see... It'll make a good bedroom/garage/workshop set.

[jstout66]

Nice. I remember when those came out. Zenith used that same design in the Chromacolor series as well. (which weighed a TON btw) IIRC.. this System 3 version has a little heft to it as well!

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by radiotvnut

Nice TV and it's older than I thought. That looks like a 9-160 module set. That would put it in the '79-'83 range. Those sets had very nice pictures when working right.

I picked an identical set from the free pile at an estate sale last summer. Mine even came with a UHF/VHF splitter. The grease in the UHF tuner is a little stiff, but it seems to work OK.

[Jeffhs]

This set is Zenith's model L1310C. I had a set just like this one in '79 -- my first new color TV. Great picture on rabbit ears and the 1950s-'60s-era antennas in the attic of our house at the time (long before DTV). No problems whatsoever with it -- typical Zenith. Used it three years, then bought a Zenith with then-new (1982-83) varactor electronic tuning; no problems with that one either. Had both sets for years, then I moved in 1999 and left them both at the old house (bought a new RCA color set when I moved to my apartment). Don't know what became of either Zenith TV after that.

[Electronic M]

Originally Posted by jstout66

Nice. I remember when those came out. Zenith used that same design in the Chromacolor series as well. (which weighed a TON btw) IIRC.. this System 3 version has a little heft to it as well!

The knobs definitely remind me of the VHF knob on my 23" CCI hybrid. I know what you mean by heavy on the CCII sets because I've got a 1977 19" table set that has some good weight to it.

Jeffhs, thanks for the model number. The paper label with the torn corner(which I think is supposed to have the model number on it) is faded to the point that I can't tell if it ever had anything printed on it to begin with.

I'm in the process of moving to a house down the shore a few miles from my apartment so I have no clue where I'm going to use this set yet, but I'll probably find a nice place for it.

I'll have to be on the look out for the model the 60's manual goes with.....I love Zeniths so much that when I'm too swamped to seek them, they seek me.

[Jeffhs]

I had no idea that the L1310C model we are discussing here had the System 3 chassis. Most System 3 models I've seen have the illuminated "spotlite" channel selector panels, Space Command remote control or both. The only thing I can figure is that the L1310C must have been a low-end, 13" version of Zenith's System 3 portables. In any event, I enjoyed mine, with its excellent Zenith picture. (In 1995 I received a 19" Zenith table set as a birthday present; it had the same great picture on cable -- I never used it on an antenna.) These sets were made, I would guess, about ten years before Zenith's television plant was moved from suburban Chicago to Korea.

[mrflex65]

Do you plan on taking the back off of this set? Would love to see the innards....

[Electronic M]

Well between the move I'm preparing for, and looming college finals I won't really have time to pull the back for a few weeks, but afterwards I probably will to blow the dust out and satisfy my curiousness.

If I remember your comment when I get time then I'll try to snap some pictures.

[mrflex65]

Thank you Tom!

[bgadow]

I have one from this series, it has one of the brightest pictures I've ever seen. But, it also has an intermittent power issue, which I've only made worse. I'm afraid I'll end up tossing it one of these days.