NuTone Chord Tone L-30
L-30 “Chord Tone” Desert Sand cover. Smart Grille pattern. Gold flecked grille cloth. 2 chords front door, 2 notes rear door.
NuTone’s home town paper, the Cincinnati Enquirer, spoke in superlatives upon the introduction of the Chord Tone describing it as: “the world’s first chime with vibrant chord tones.” Technically, this is true as it was the first chime that played two chords for the front door, although earlier chimes are known to have played a single chord by striking both tone bars or tubular bells simultaneously.
As early as 1939, the Mello Chime Harmony played a single chord on two tone bars. Indeed, the 1940 NuTone Model C was available as either a two note or single chord chime. And the NuTone Elite employed two stacked solenoid units and four tone bars to produce two chords for the front door.
At the introduction, the Chord Tone was available in lime oak or walnut however these choices were apparently discontinued by 1958 with only Desert Sand available for the cover. The Chord-Tone was relatively short lived having disappeared from the NuTone Catalog by 1960.
| Manufacturer | NuTone Incorporated |
| Location of Manufacture | Cincinnati, Ohio, USA |
| Date of Manufacture | Introduced 1956. Museum example 1959 |
| Cover | Styrene Plastic |
| Mechanism | Stamped steel |
| Tone bars | Painted Steel |
| Height | 7 1/2 inches |
| Width | 9 1/2 inches |
| Depth | 2 7/8 inches |
| Notes | ElectraChime Collection. Unused original condition in box. |
Hello, is this one for sale? I have one but it went bad, not working and I would like to keep it original in my 1927 home. Please let me know. 248-217-0719 Thank You
Hello,
I’m in search for a Nutone L-30 Chime Cover for my working L-30 Nutone Chime. Would you happen to know where I can find one for sale? I’ve done an extensive search online. I’ll visit some antique stores next. thank you!
Guillermo Machado
As with most things related to vintage door chimes, you probably have to scavenge. Everything turns up on eBay eventually.
I absolutely love this chime. In my old house that was built in 1962, there was this chime installed there. We loved it so much we took it with us. Still have it, still works. Best chime ever, without a doubt.