Clocks & Music
1937 Zenith 5-R-135 Walnut Tombstone Tube Radio Restored with Bluetooth
1937 Zenith 5-R-135 Walnut Tombstone Tube Radio Restored with Bluetooth
This 1937 Zenith Model 5-R-135 is a compact tombstone-style tube radio in figured walnut, its rounded shoulders and vertical grille bars giving the cabinet a softer, more restrained profile than some of Zenith's larger and more ornate tombstone sets of the same period. A round black dial sits at the center of the lower panel, reading "Standard Broadcast" beneath the Zenith script, with kilocycle markings from 55 to 160 and a reference marker for police frequencies, flanked by two Bakelite knobs for tuning and volume.
The 5-R-135 is a five-tube AC superheterodyne set with a 456 kHz IF, built around a 6A8, 6K7, 6Q7, 6F6, and 5Y3 rectifier, driven through an electromagnetic dynamic speaker and tuned to the standard broadcast band. It was offered new at $30.00, positioning it as one of Zenith's more accessible tombstone models rather than a premium multi-band set, though its black dial and figured walnut cabinet give it the same visual presence collectors associate with the company's higher end radios of the era.
Zenith produced tombstone radios across a wide range of price points in the late 1930s, and the 5-R-135's smaller scale and single-band tuning made it a practical choice for buyers who wanted the format's distinctive Art Deco silhouette without the cost of a full multi-band chassis. Its vertical grille bars and rounded cabinet corners remain a clean, understated example of the tombstone style at its most approachable.
This example has been restored and equipped with Bluetooth through a 1/8 inch adapter, allowing a smartphone, tablet, computer, or record player to connect and play through the radio's original tube driven sound. The result pairs modern convenience with the warm tone of a vintage Zenith set, housed in one of the more compact and handsome tombstone cabinets of the late 1930s.
