Correct

I would agree; the orange 'Lytics are definitely '50's or early '60's. Nevertheless, it's a tribute to their longevity, given that they are still apparently functioning, 50 or more years later.

The dark brown wax caps look original. Not sure about the two light blue ones though.

yeah, but it's been my experience that sets that were used have less cap issues than ones that were put away or shelf queens.

Dont know about that as many that were "put away" often was due to a bad hum.

Carl

I'm sure you're both correct, but the odds of a capacitor not drying out would seem to be greater if it were in use continually.

The same concept as "reforming", in fact.

I found something similar a few years back - it was a 1939 Motorola tabletop that had been in continuous use its whole life. And it, too, was found in Virginia. Apparently it had gone to the same repairman for about 45 years, as the same initials were marked on the back of the chassis with dates ranging from the 1940s through the 1980s. Underneath, there were only two original caps left. The others were a mix of bumblebees and ceramics.

I love stories like this! The set is great too - GE made good, solid radios. I find that I prefer these "less popular" models and my collection is almost entirely made up of sets like this. Sold off most all my "desireable" ones years ago and never looked back. Also convinced that the cap's longevity is due to the constant use over the years.

Thanks!

Dave

I dont think dry electrolytics dry out

OTOH chemical composition changes continuously occur whether used or not and finally the hum gets too bad to tolerate, the rectifier arcs, and/or the transformer smokes. The so called reform doesnt mean infinitely and many 50's caps seem to have a long life in my experience.

Carl