Alternatives to a Scott cabinet

[David C. Poland]

Today, there are more decent Scott radios than there are decent Scott cabinets. About any Scott cabinet is worth restoring. They are furniture quality with quality veneer. A number featured exotic veneers. They were substantial with desirable acoustics. Most 1930's Scott cabinets were exclusive designs for Scott, with most produced by Rockford-Peerless Furniture Co, Rockford IL. Some of the more rare high end cabinets command more than the radio in them.

A number of Scott radios never had a Scott cabinet. The drill was to order  the radio built and consider a choice of cabinets from a catalog with as many as a dozen cabinets ranging from as little about $25 to way over $100. Scott also did custom installations, no cabinet there. Some folks had custom cabinets made to match their own taste. Some updated a fine old radio cabinet replacing an obsolete radio with a Scott. Many cabinets were discarded over the past 50 years because the kids weren't interested  and others were relegated to damp basements for slow destruction. 

Today, we usually price the radio and the cabinet separately. It may be too expensive to safely ship long distance if even if you find one you like and can afford. But playing your restored Scott to hear its audio quality, perhaps using an FM tuner or your I-Phone library or Sirius radio requires a decent cabinet. So what to do?

How about an early 1930's radio with an un-restorable radio due to severe pot metal problems?

How about repurposing some other cabinet to hold your Scott?

I have done both with pleasing results.

[David C. Poland]

Care to guess what the asian style cabinet was?

I gutted and rebuilt the interior. I detached the top to hinge it like many of the Scott lift top cabinets were.

The radio in it is Scott's last pre-war model: Scott Laureate, an AM/oldFM/ SW intended for a phono combo  cabinet. I don't have space for a big phono combo Credenza cabinet.  This radio has the optional 15 inch co-axial Scott (Magnavox) with the outboard crossover and single field coil tweeter.

Another project was a 1931 FADA low boy with doors, The chassis and speaker all had severe pot metal problems. Came from my brother-in- laws estate and I had admired the cabinet for years. I put a 14 tube Scott Masterpiece (1939) in it after making and veneering a frot panel for it. next photos:

[David C. Poland]

Somehow up-loaded twice after an error message.  Now mostly deleted.

[mike hadley]

Excellent job,you would never know.

I take it that the new replacement panel is the top half with the dial,

another scott rescued, great idea.

[Y2K Bruce]

Very Nice David-I especially like that FADA with the Masterpiece in it. I also have always liked those Stromberg Carlson Chinese TV cabinets..I have a special here with a single chassis Super XII installed in the Heron custom cabinet. I had a friend remake a new face board for it from an old Sparton face board and it turned out pretty nice too.

[David C. Poland]

Nice , Bruce. I have seen other examples of that hand some carved cabinet. Each had a different radio circa 1930.

The Chinese cabinet was indeed a Stromberg-Carlson TV cabinet circa 1955 or so with a 21 inch rectangular picture tube. my 3 speaker grill rods is a nod to the 2 of the original speaker grill.

The photo of  cabinet before removing the TV, donated to the Early Television Museum across town.

Also a rear view of the cabinet with Scott Laureate now installed. Note covered tweeter cutouts in case I decide to put a different model Scott in this cabinet. Would just need to make the appropriate panel.

[Dave]

Fine work David, one may think such cabinet mods would be easy, but I know better ! Thanks for sharing these examples.

[Scott Seickel]

Nice David.  I have a Masterpiece in a Braemar cabinet, but it doesn't look as good as yours in that Fada cabinet!

[David C. Poland]

Dave - Yes it was some work repurposing the TV cabinet. The cabinet was a bit wracked, so I had to detach the base in order to use pocket screw joinery to re-secure the sides to the bottom frame. Added a solid bottom. cut the original TV shelf to remove it in pieces. Instal a new shelf. etc, and then break the top's glue joints in order to detach the top so I could use hinges for a lift top. 

Scott - My Braemer has nice veneers and holds a single chassis Super XII. Tis a petite console cabinet.

Two years ago, I traded that FADA cabinet (has a lift top and I had removed a single play phono so as to reveal the top view of the receiver chrome). I was asked to restore a Scott Masterpiece in a beat up Scott MAYFAIR phono combo missing the phono, ragged cloth and broken rear corner due to the long term pressure of spring loaded top support. But the Mayfair cabinet is modest size and rare. We traded cabinets - my nice repurposed FADA  for his Mayfair "as is". My restored MAYFAIR cabinet is now pictured in the Scott site Cabinet folder. The new cloth is the reverse side of one of Kenny Richmond's repo cloths - black & gold diamond pattern but the back side appears a subtle brown - go figure. My Masterpiece sounds really good in this cabinet with a CD player using the phono input and the new owner of my FADA was really happy to have it. A win-win.

[Brad Winder]

Absolutely beautiful jobs! I too now have a Scott needing a cabinet. But I think I will build my own replica of this cabinet, that I have seen on the internet...I would like to display the shiny chrome, plus I love the Deco look! Was this a cabinet Scott offered? It appears to be the lower part of the Laureate Grande in design, but I don't see it listed in any reference material anywhere...

Also up for consideration is this McMurdo Silver "Clifton" reproduction, by Richmond Designs.

[Dave]

Hey Brad, your avatar prompted me. Here’s an otherwise unwanted Zenith 244 chairside, nothing like the black lacquer with chrome, wife calls it “caddy”. Only a goalie would pick out the worlds smallest “five hole” created by puck feet ! Needed the extra height bringing the MS6 up to sofa arm. 

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[David C. Poland]

Dave -the re-purposed Zenith chair side was a 9-S-242. (I have one), not the 244.. Would be Just big enough to squeeze a 15 inch in after gutting the inside, too. The black accent add drama.

Brad - agree the scratch built cabinet for the Philharmonic does appear to be loosely modeled after the lower part of a Scott Laureate Grande cabinet. The method of making a stair step panel is a nice touch.The only open style cabinet Scott offered was the Napier Consolette circa 1932-36, with a change to a lighter veneer (Dao Wood) sometime in 1934. 

Another repurposed cabinet: the early 30's Philco was very rough and empty. The top unbolted and I relocated the cabinet top surface on the base - photo attached with a Scott 16 displayed.

[Dave]

David, Here’s the Zephyr 7s242

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