Geloso, founded in 1931 by John Geloso, was an Italian manufacturer of radios, televisions, amplifiers, amateur receivers, audio equipment and electronic components, that had headquarters in Milan, Viale Brenta 29. In 1931 they began to produce not only Radio sets but also, by choice of John Geloso same, most of the electronic components with which they were built, and over time developing and patenting also many others. After the Second World War, Geloso expanded and expanded his production, becoming from 1950 onwards a real point of reference for domestic electronics enthusiasts and hobbyists. The many products under the brand name Geloso were known throughout Italy and much appreciated abroad. It was innovative products, high quality, well-made and the low price. The big production was formed of radios, amplifiers, tape recorders, televisions, boxes of assembly, professional laboratory instruments etc. but also components such as capacitors, resistors, potentiometers, switches, connectors, transformers, microphones, etc.
Bulletins
Geloso was considered a good businessman, but also strongly wanted to share his passion for electronic. He created in 1932 Technical Bulletin GELOSO, a free quarterly publication that not only contained everything needed for the repair and development of its equipment, but also and above all, updates, tips, instructions, characteristics, schemes and everything that technicians and enthusiasts had to know. Those were the years in which there were no training centres and schools electronics were extremely rare. These bulletins had the merit of spreading, so simple and clear, the knowledge to people who otherwise would not have any way to learn and develop their passion.
Mounting kits
Another important contribution of Geloso were mounting kits. The kits allowed for TVs and radios to be home-assembled almost from scratch, beginning with raw metal frames onto which components were installed. There was also a user-friendlier line of pre-assembled, pre-calibrated kits and, also available, were cabinets, knobs, keys, etc. - all branded Geloso. Bulletins instructed how to calibrate finished units.
By 1969 - the year John Geloso died - S.p.A. Geloso had become an empire of eight manufacturing facilities. Production persisted till 1972, when the business closed. Several were the reasons for the end of activities: fierce foreign competition, managerial problems, union demands and massive indebtedness to banks. Some of S.p.A. Geloso most successful products were: radio receivers, tape recorders, audio amplifiers, record players, television sets, radio and TV parts, ham receivers and transmitters.
