20160503 144454[1]

Ah, a Truetone sold by Western Auto! From what I have found out, you have a 1938 model D-699 and it seems the plastic knobs are the correct ones. Most 1938 models I am finding are usually built by Detrola for Western Auto, but yours appears to be from a different jobber. Still, those knobs are the correct era and all the other '38 models seem to be using those plastic or bakelite knobs. Shouldn't be too hard to find a couple more as other brands used those. My one word of caution, do not plug it in until you have it looked at by someone who knows how to repair these old radios!

Ah, a Truetone sold by Western Auto! From what I have found out, you have a 1938 model D-699 and it seems the plastic knobs are the correct ones. Most 1938 models I am finding are usually built by Detrola for Western Auto, but yours appears to be from a different jobber. Still, those knobs are the correct era and all the other '38 models seem to be using those plastic or bakelite knobs. Shouldn't be too hard to find a couple more as other brands used those. My one word of caution, do not plug it in until you have it looked at by someone who knows how to repair these old radios!

 

Thank you for the information! And actually, it's plugged in now- it's always worked fine! Great Grandma took good care of it, save for the knob issues (my Dad admitted the other day to breaking one as a kid. Great Grandpa was mad!)

 

If you still think it should be unplugged for a tune up, I'll relay the information to my parents as the radio's in their house (although I've told mom before I call dibs on it!)

If it is working with no major hum, you MIGHT be okay. Just if the electrolytics go out, it will fry the power transformer in it. It's possible the radio was serviced at some time during its life and the electrolytics were at least replaced. Sometimes a radio will keep going fine as long as it is used once in a while. I am on this forum for radios. It's mostly Philco, but has an area for non-Philco radios as well and the people there can really help you or at least guide you in the right direction:

http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/

If it is working with no major hum, you MIGHT be okay. Just if the electrolytics go out, it will fry the power transformer in it. It's possible the radio was serviced at some time during its life and the electrolytics were at least replaced. Sometimes a radio will keep going fine as long as it is used once in a while. I am on this forum for radios. It's mostly Philco, but has an area for non-Philco radios as well and the people there can really help you or at least guide you in the right direction:

http://www.philcoradio.com/phorum/

 

Thank you so much! It's nice to finally have a starting point for taking proper care of this thing!

You are quite welcome! It's nice to see someone wanting the radio for what it is, instead of trying to convert it into an iPod dock or something like that. Too many people want to just chuck the guts in the trash and convert the radio into something else. I wish the AM band had more going on nowadays, but I believe in preserving these pieces. My late friend was the radio repair guy. I am just the collector, tinkerer and probably getting too may! LOL

I know what you mean, my now deceased grandmother gave an early RCA television to my uncle. It was in a beautiful cherry case, that had doors that opened, it even had a slide out phonograph. He took a saw to the thing and put in a 13" color TV!!! Talk about a crime!

 

The thing had been sitting under a heavy blanket for 30 years and still looked brand new.