SWLing Post reader, Ken, commented that the “faux” knobs on the Melson S8 were derived from the Grundig Satellit 500.
Ken has taken a photo of the two radios together (above).
Note that the knobs on the left side of the Melson S8 are fake (right).
Read the Melson S8 review, posted yesterday, by clicking here.
My dad had an Astatic radio/phono console from around 1947 or ’48 that had a compartment at the bottom for storing records and the speaker beside the compartment. The compartment door had a wooden knob, and the speaker side had an identical fake knob though the speaker grill did not open. the fake knob was there for symmetry. I can date the console based on the AM/FM radio having the current 88-108 mHz. FM band and the record player being 78 only. Dad never upgraded the phono to play 33s or 45s, consequently for a long time we had no records newer than 1956. Perhaps during a consumer product’s development in different countries, industrial designers yield more or less clout depending on the zeitgeist formed by the industrial prowess, real or imagined, of the society at that time. After all, during the ’50s American auto manufacturers in their hubris put tail fins on their cars bowing to the God of style.
How weird! The fact that the radio has fake knobs is in itself enough for me to not consider a purchase of the radio 🙂 Do fake knobs really impress the buying public?
Mark, sadly, it worked for me! 🙂 Ha!
I have no clue why a manufacturer would design something like this. Wait…perhaps those knobs used to tune in numbers stations? 🙂