I inherited an old 1950’s valve radio when my parents passed. The Philips was part of my childhood – so I couldn’t just dump it. I decided to get it refurbished. I am so delighted with the outcome that I want to post it up to YouTube and here, so that Dave Shaw of dabhandradio.com gets a testimonial for his work. He is a great guy, very knowledgeable, highly skilled, and a genuine nice bloke.

Before:

The radio would power up, but the switching was dodgy, the mains cable downright dangerous, the paint scuffed and damaged and the Bakelite case faded and scratched…

After:

Dave saved the valves but replaced old wiring and paper capacitors. I had asked for a sympathetic restoration – I did not want it to look as if it had just been made. So Dave agreed to retain the fabric and some of the “patina” of age, just cleaning up, spraying some damaged paintwork, and giving the Bakelite a good polish. And the icing on the cake – he fitted a “piggy-backed” Bluetooth unit with the switches and controls discreetly mounted on the back of the unit. Now the old radio works as an original, but can also play anything my phone can access! Thanks so much Dave!