E. H. Scott (formerly named Scott Transformer Company and later E. H. Scott Radio Laboratories) was a producer of premium radios during the period of 1926 to 1956. The company was located at 4450 Ravenswood Avenue, Chicago, Il. This radio was produced during the time when Scott had gained a reputation for making some of the very best ‘made to order’ high fidelity and long range radios available. The Allwave 23 is notable because it is one of the first radios from a small group of manufacturers to address the reception of high fidelity, a term that means that the radio can receive very low and very high audio frequencies and thus produce a more realistic sound, especially with music.
The Allwave 23 Imperial was an improvement on the Scott Allwave Deluxe (and subsequent models) that was introduced during the 1933 World’s Fair. The Deluxe featured the new rotary band change mechanism that was continued in our radio, the 23. The 23 increased the number of tubes from 15 to 23 and offered the fully chrome plated radio in a variety of beautiful cabinets. Each radio was made to order and the only way to purchase a Scott was directly from the Chicago factory (this changed in 1936 when two ‘salons’ were opened, one on each coast).The base cabinet selection was the Warrington and that is what our sample sports. There were at least two radio versions having either five or seven knobs. This is the seven knob version. It originally cost $192.50 and today the equivalent cost is $3,789.
Our radio features a large 15” main speaker along with a pair of 5-1/2” QR tweeters that are especially good at reproducing the high frequencies found in music. Proper reproduction of high frequencies requires quite a bit of power. To achieve this goal the Allwave23 included a new power supply combined with a 35 Watt audio amplifier. 35 Watts was a very high power rating for any radio in 1936. This radio, when restored, will have great volume and equally great high fidelity just as E. H. Scott intended. It will receive on the AM broadcast band, Low Frequency band, and High Frequency band. There are 7 controls plus a band change knob.
If our E.H. Scott receiver needed service there were five service representatives in Rhode Island, located in East Providence, Newport, Providence, West Warwick, and Woonsocket.
There was a service tag inside of this receiver from Copp Radio Laboratories. R. Stanley Copp founded this company in 1920, and it is still in business.
Click on an image below to see a larger version.
References and Resources:
The Scott News November 1935 issue includes a detailed description of the receiver.
E.H. Scott …… The Dean of DX by Marvin Hobbs, 2002 Expanded Second Edition
Radio Manufacturers of the 1920’s, Volume 3, 2nd printing of 1999, by Alan Douglas
Antique Radio Classified, Vol. 4, Dec. 1987, Serial Numbers and Set Production of the E. H. Scott Radio Laboratories, by Norman S. Braitwaite.
Allwave 23 Restoration, by R. Majestic, New Mexico Radio Collectors Club newsletter, March, 2019.
E.H. Scott Radio Enthusiasts, Internet forum for Scott radios. This is the place to find resource materials for all Scott radios. It is also where you will find hobbyists and experts willing to help you collect , identify, and restore E. H. Scott radios.