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.

[Dave]

David, you got the 15” metrics right with 5his cabinet. Added a side firing mid whizzer for good measure. Tight fit

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[David C. Poland]

Dave -  Yes looks like a tight fit. Zenith put a 10 inch in it originally. How does it sound?

Did you put a cap in series with the small speaker VC as a crossover to limit low frequency to the small speaker?

FYI - Scott used a 2 MFD in the mid 30's which I replace with a modern 600 volt 2 MFD mylar/polyester cap.

[Dave]

Yes always bypass LF, 2 mf typical

[Y2K Bruce]

McMurdo Silver sets are also known to be found with non original cabinets. I have 3 sets with non MS cabinets in my collection:

Here is a Masterpiece II in beautiful chromed working condition on a repurposed Philco 112X console that Richmond Designs cut down and refinished for me. This is a wonderful sounding set. I had to put the 12" pedestal speaker at an angle inside and mounted the amp vertically also. The box is newly replated and looks better in person

[Y2K Bruce]

Next is a Philco 38-116 console I bought on Ebay already cut down into a speaker cabinet. I currently have my super duper rare McMurdo Masterpiece (1) in the original brass plated version on it. This is a very large console base.

[Y2K Bruce]

Finally here is an interesting McMurdo Silver Masterpiece 5 very nicely put into a modified Sparton 109 or 110 cabinet. This one was done so well I suspect MS factory technicians did it. Even the lid is now hinged.

[Dave]

Timeshares

Then

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Now w little more router work

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[David C. Poland]

Bruce - nice examples of re-purposed cabinets.

Dave - that must have been risky router work. All's well that ends well.

So now to find another cabinet for the Scott AW-23, huh. Maybe you have some ideas what to watch "up North"  from this thread.

[Dave]

New “homes” found. The Westminster sourced in Cedarville OH from 5 to 7 hole. Yes still need that bfo filler.

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Second up is the Warry, a happy CL find by friend in Chicago burbs, purported to be radio delete but indeed included the tuner section and knobs. Rough, but got fortunate finding original reproduction cloth from fellow radio buff. Front trim lattice was shot but a Buckeye buddy has a CNC “shopbot” which quickly turned new layers for glue up.....a little ingenuity required. Some additional coloring to the patch jobs and I’ll be happy. Full disclosure....before I knew the tuner came with this cabinet, it was scheduled to be carved for one of my McMurdos, yep, hate to say it but it was to be a Scott/Silver marriage. Now I’m left pondering how many purists hackles that would have raised ?

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So yes, “up north” is good !

[David C. Poland]

Dave - Both looking good. Consider having more of the lattice made as a number of cabinets need replacements?

Maybe more MS hackels,  than EHS hackels. Fewer MS sets, so more exclusive group?

Disclosure -I have an AW-12 pedestal speaker for my MS-MP3 restoration (Claridge cabinet), someday.

[Joseph W Strickland]

These are all commendable modifications of cabinets to house a Scott receiver! I am still working on the modifications to my Metropolitan 16A cabinet to house the 800B that I have. It is mostly related to fastening down the two chassis in the cabinet. Most of the rest of the cabinet has been modified to provide the needed headroom for the 800B radio tuner chassis. The tall commutator panel at the back of the chassis makes the 800B tuner chassis taller than the one used in the Metropolitan 16A. There is currently another 800B empty cabinet on eBay if anyone is interested. I contacted the seller and asked him for some extra photos showing the changer compartment and the back of the cabinet.

Joe

[jonathan dollimore]

David,

here are a couple of rough photos of the London made cabinet for my Philharmonic/Capehart. The knobs are missing from the tuner because I'm still reinstalling it in the cabinet after work.