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Discussion
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Hello from the PNW. I’m a woodworker who’s been interested in remaking an old wooden radio console that’s been in my family for years. It still works, but the woodwork is a little beyond repair, so I thought building a new one would be a fun project.
While it’s not a hard woodworking project and there are plenty of bluetooth kits out there, I realized that since I’m starting from scratch, why not make it sound awesome as well? I found 123Toid’s videos on Youtube, and now the project has grown in scope somewhat. Looking forward to it!
Ross
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Vintage Radio
updated 2 years, 6 months ago
1 Member
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4 Replies
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@rossquatch Welcome! Man this weekend was busy with Parades and family, all good things. Also good is the project you are starting. Sounds like a winner. @gregniznik does this type of project a lot. In fact, I just saw him renew an old bakelite radio. Really sweet.
How awesome will it be to have a radio, that you not only built, but that can be handed down to future generation. I can’t wait to hear and see all about it. If you need help, make sure to post any questions. We are here to help.
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You have my interest piqued. Do you have a make and model number? Mono or stereo? Tube, solid state or mixed? What kind of plans do you ultimately have, work with the original electronics with just a few upgrades or mostly new with a nod to the original?
There are quite a few YouTubers out there that do old radio work. If that’s your direction, I’ll link them later.
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Thanks for your interest! I’ll have to dig it out of storage to get the specifics, but from memory it’s a Panasonic AM/FM, probably solid state, about 14″ long X 10″ high X 8″ wide. 3/4 of the box is grilled speaker and a small door covers the knobs. Design looks like it’s from the 60s or 70s. Definitely nothing special except for sentimental value.
My SO has been asking about buying a Bose unit for the kitchen, but I’m wondering if I can recreate the old Panny from scratch and get way better sound. AM/FM plus bluetooth is ideal, not sure I have a use for a smart speaker. It would be ultra-cool to find a source for knobs and face plate, but that might be getting ambitious.
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Whenever you get a chance to dig it out, take a few pics and we’ll see what we can come up with. You may be able to tap the tuner section outputs and send them through something a bit more modern. That way you could set up your own selector switch, allowing the addition of Bluetooth.