Consumer electronics manufacturer, Grundig was established by Max Grundig, following World War II in 1945, in Nuremberg, West Germany. The company was named as Grundig AG and initially produced radio receiver units. The Max Grundig created his first radio for sale from a radio kit called as the Heinzelmann, in the year 1945. The success of his radio units was followed by the foundation of the "Grundig-Radiowerke mbH” in Fürth, Bavaria, Germany in July 1948.
The first major success of Grundig radio units, since the company’s incorporation, took place with the Grundig Majestic series of radio receivers. Production of the series began in the year 1955. The first model, the Grundig Majestic 1099 was introduced in the year 1955 and stayed in production till the year 1957. The Majestic radio could tune into three radio spectrum frequencies, namely Medium Wave (MW), Short Wave (SW), and Frequency Modulation (FM). Grundig Majestic could also receive radio signals using an external FM and AM antenna for excellent clarity in signal reception. It sported a socket for connecting an external 5 ohm speaker unit and a mono-phone pickup socket.
Three tone-controller knobs named as "Voice," "Orchestra," and "Jazz” were provided on the front panel as a very-primitive sound-equalizer module. Additional Treble and Bass control knobs were provided for alternating between clear sharper mid as well as high frequency replication or the deeper lower frequency bass reproduction. The speaker unit housed in the Majestic unit reproduces sound at almost maximum volume, without any distortion. The Majestic 1099 was initially sold only in the United States region followed by intermittent sales spanning across the globe. |
