Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 45 minutes ago
Panasonic made some very stylish transistor radios. This is not one of them.
Not that it's so bad looking. It's... OK. But you'll notice it's not even a Panasonic. So what am I even talking about. Sigh. In the middle 1960s, after the transistor radio had been around for about ten years, most were sold on the basis of price, with styling only a secondary concern, if that. But a few brands continued to care about design, like Sony, and some even improved over time, paying ever greater attention to styling over the years. And one of those brands was Panasonic. They made some very stylish radios in the 1960s, and even gave us these a bit later. But in the early days of the transistor radio, the 1950s, Panasonic made radios that were well-built, and good performers, but just not necessarily attractive.
Now why am I showing you a Maco radio and talking about Panasonic? Because both were brands of Matsushita Electric. What other brand did Matsushita have that was even a more popular name in the 1950s? I'll give you a hint. It's National. No, I guess that wasn't a hint. National... Maco is an in-between name and a name that doesn't show up much in histories of the corporation that began in 1918 as Matsushita and became, officially, Panasonic in 2008.
So why this Matsushita radio doesn't have the Panasonic brand on it, I don't know. The Panasonic name was coined and first used in 1955 and this radio is from the later '50s. But for whatever reason, it's a Maco. Or I suppose I should say "Mack-O" since it is short for Matsushita Company. I think this is the oldest transistor radio I've ever seen with a textured-finish paint on the grille. This Sony TR-714 had it too, and it was from around the same time. Anyway, it's a nice look. A serious look, true, but that's Mastushita--what their early transistor radios might have lacked in grace, they more than made up for in gravity.
I can't quite figure out what this dial is trying to be. The first time I saw it I thought something must be missing. A piece of clear plastic over it--or something to hide that screw in the center of the dial and the other numbers. The other numbers on the dial that you are NOT tuned to. But no, this is it. This is the design.
There are twin jacks on top--one for the earphone, which, most unusually, is a crystal earphone rather than the typical dynamic earphone found on most transistor radios. And this earphone has an unusual plug... The radio also has a jack for an external antenna wire, which is included in the box as well.
The case is some kind of leather...pigskin perhaps, and appears to be of high quality.
On the back we see that said back is held on with a large screw... and that this radio once belonged to Timmy Bugg. Well, Timmy Bugg, it's mine now. Opening up the back reveals a very crowded chassis. Some of these transistors in here, branded National, are on longer leads than you'd normally see and they're bent over on top of other parts. You'd have to add insulation to all the leads in order to make something like that, and that they did. All in all an impressive piece of work... And inside the back, the label reads Maco, 6 Transistor Portable, Model AB-100, Matsushita Electric.
And here's the instruction book. Matsushita was NOT one of those little outfits in Japan who conscripted one of their employees to stay after hours and translate the instructions into English because he had had a semester of English in high school eight years ago. No, as we have seen, Matsushita DID NOT FOOL AROUND. This instruction book is in impeccable English--although, how would I know? Why me think qualified I am saying such I ain't sure. Still, I am qualified to say that the type in this little instruction book, the font, is... way too small.
Thanks for not throwing out the box, Timmy. I appreciate it. It's a nice looking package for an interesting and rather unusual little artifact from the golden age of the transistor radio.
Panasonic made some very stylish transistor radios. This is not one of them.
Not that it's so bad looking. It's... OK. But you'll notice it's not even a Panasonic. So what am I even talking about. Sigh. In the middle 1960s, after the transistor radio had been around for about ten years, most were sold on the basis of price, with styling only a secondary concern, if that. But a few brands continued to care about design, like Sony, and some even improved over time, paying ever greater attention to styling over the years. And one of those brands was Panasonic. They made some very stylish radios in the 1960s, and even gave us these a bit later. But in the early days of the transistor radio, the 1950s, Panasonic made radios that were well-built, and good performers, but just not necessarily attractive.
Now why am I showing you a Maco radio and talking about Panasonic? Because both were brands of Matsushita Electric. What other brand did Matsushita have that was even a more popular name in the 1950s? I'll give you a hint. It's National. No, I guess that wasn't a hint. National... Maco is an in-between name and a name that doesn't show up much in histories of the corporation that began in 1918 as Matsushita and became, officially, Panasonic in 2008.
So why this Matsushita radio doesn't have the Panasonic brand on it, I don't know. The Panasonic name was coined and first used in 1955 and this radio is from the later '50s. But for whatever reason, it's a Maco. Or I suppose I should say "Mack-O" since it is short for Matsushita Company. I think this is the oldest transistor radio I've ever seen with a textured-finish paint on the grille. This Sony TR-714 had it too, and it was from around the same time. Anyway, it's a nice look. A serious look, true, but that's Mastushita--what their early transistor radios might have lacked in grace, they more than made up for in gravity.
I can't quite figure out what this dial is trying to be. The first time I saw it I thought something must be missing. A piece of clear plastic over it--or something to hide that screw in the center of the dial and the other numbers. The other numbers on the dial that you are NOT tuned to. But no, this is it. This is the design.
There are twin jacks on top--one for the earphone, which, most unusually, is a crystal earphone rather than the typical dynamic earphone found on most transistor radios. And this earphone has an unusual plug... The radio also has a jack for an external antenna wire, which is included in the box as well.
The case is some kind of leather...pigskin perhaps, and appears to be of high quality.
On the back we see that said back is held on with a large screw... and that this radio once belonged to Timmy Bugg. Well, Timmy Bugg, it's mine now. Opening up the back reveals a very crowded chassis. Some of these transistors in here, branded National, are on longer leads than you'd normally see and they're bent over on top of other parts. You'd have to add insulation to all the leads in order to make something like that, and that they did. All in all an impressive piece of work... And inside the back, the label reads Maco, 6 Transistor Portable, Model AB-100, Matsushita Electric.
And here's the instruction book. Matsushita was NOT one of those little outfits in Japan who conscripted one of their employees to stay after hours and translate the instructions into English because he had had a semester of English in high school eight years ago. No, as we have seen, Matsushita DID NOT FOOL AROUND. This instruction book is in impeccable English--although, how would I know? Why me think qualified I am saying such I ain't sure. Still, I am qualified to say that the type in this little instruction book, the font, is... way too small.
Thanks for not throwing out the box, Timmy. I appreciate it. It's a nice looking package for an interesting and rather unusual little artifact from the golden age of the transistor radio.
