If you haven't heard much about American Wireless sets then probably lowboy won't mean much to you. There are two types of cabinet with legs; the Highboy and the Lowboy. Both made their appearance at about the same time around 1927 and the names merely refer to a radio with legs; the lowboy's legs are from 6 inches to less than half the cabinet height and the highboy's starting at about half the height of the radio cabinet.
About 3000 or more different models were available in the 30s alone so identification is not that easy if missing its back or maker's nameplate.
This very grand-looking, walnut-cased model, is a "Majestic Ellswood" made by the Grigsby Grunow Company of Chicago. It actually came from Ebbw Vale which is nowhere near Chicago. In fact, close examination reveals that this radio was made for export: it carries a Marconi License plate and the mains transformer is wound for 230 volts.
The control knobs appear to be turned from hardwood and the mains plug is also made from wood. The latter is the type called an "adaptor". Before the general use of ring mains and wall-mounted sockets, most electrical items were plugged into the nearest light socket fitted with a 2-way socket. Presumably this radio hasn't been used for upwards of 60 years?
Like nearly all American designed sets it caters for only medium waves as, strangely, the long wave band wasn't in use for broadcasting much outside Europe.
The set uses "UX" based valves, types 24S, 51S, 24S, 47 and 80.
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