50's/60's era Zenith Portable Turntable Cobramatic
Posted: Mon Feb 22, 2010 3:50 pm
After having searched in vain for this, I stumbled upon this website! YAY!
When I was a child, and visited my grandmother, I was allowed to use what I am guessing was my Aunt's Zenith "hi fi", which was "portable" (still a behemoth in my mind). It was a large box like structure, with the speaker in the front, and a lid that you could lock shut. It had a grey and off-white color scheme. The turntable inside was a cobramatic, - I believe the tonearm was also off-white, and the turntable itself was grey. This was 45 years ago, so I may get some colors wrong. I listened to that for many years on my visits, and would love to find another one. It's probably an impossibility, but figured someone here would know the exact model number or even a photo of a similar model. My Aunt graduated high school in 1964, so I'm guessing the unit was probably from the late 50's.
I'm also keen on finding another Zenith model, that was stereo. This unit replaced the one above, and was set up on a hutch with the speakers attached to the sides - they may have actually been made to "close around" the turntable. Above the turntable was an AM-FM tuner, if I'm not mistaken.
Any leads would be greatly appreciated - as I get older, I get more nostalgic for the "machines" that provided me with the ability to enjoy music at such a very young age.
Thanks so much. jj
When I was a child, and visited my grandmother, I was allowed to use what I am guessing was my Aunt's Zenith "hi fi", which was "portable" (still a behemoth in my mind). It was a large box like structure, with the speaker in the front, and a lid that you could lock shut. It had a grey and off-white color scheme. The turntable inside was a cobramatic, - I believe the tonearm was also off-white, and the turntable itself was grey. This was 45 years ago, so I may get some colors wrong. I listened to that for many years on my visits, and would love to find another one. It's probably an impossibility, but figured someone here would know the exact model number or even a photo of a similar model. My Aunt graduated high school in 1964, so I'm guessing the unit was probably from the late 50's.
I'm also keen on finding another Zenith model, that was stereo. This unit replaced the one above, and was set up on a hutch with the speakers attached to the sides - they may have actually been made to "close around" the turntable. Above the turntable was an AM-FM tuner, if I'm not mistaken.
Any leads would be greatly appreciated - as I get older, I get more nostalgic for the "machines" that provided me with the ability to enjoy music at such a very young age.
Thanks so much. jj