This Project G stereo with moveable sound globes was Clairtone’s breakthrough product in 1964. It is a symbol of the company’s sophisticated tastes and technological superiority.
The exhibit explores how Clairtone embraced the groovy trends of the 1960s in marketing their first mass- produced stereo, the G2. Sales soared in Canada and the U.S.
Clairtone was ahead of the competition in being one of the first to manufacture colour televisions in Nova Scotia. Visitors can watch the company’s 1967 commercials to find out why nothing beat a “used Clairtone”.
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the 1966 opening of their factory in Stellarton, the exhibit explains how this Toronto manufacturer came to have a state-of-the-art 7-acre electronics and woodworking operation in Pictou County, Nova Scotia.
The most identifying characteristic of the G series of Clairtone stereos were the sound globes, unique both in shape and size, being considerably smaller than conventional rectangular speakers.
Visitors can sit at the recreated assembly line station where workers used pliers and soldering tools to attach tiny bits to the electronic chassis for stereos and televisions. Most assembly line workers were women.
Why is this red light on?
Now, why is it off? Visit the exhibit to discover what was communicated with the red lights in the factory.
Technical components on display include a never-before-built simple and inexpensive black and white tv Clairtone planned to manufacture. This one shows all of the parts involved.
Many Nova Scotians who were teenagers in the late 1960s remember owning a tiny Clairtone radio called the mini hi-fi. They also remember the provocative ads.
A wealth of information was provided for the exhibit by former Clairtone workers. It allows us to explore what it was like to work in the newly-emerging field of electronics in the mid-1960s.
There is a lot to explore in Glamour + Labour: clairtone in nova scotia.
