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RIttenhouse Bel Air


Rittenhouse Bel Air ~1960

Rittenhouse Bel Air ~1960

The Bel Air 391 was a direct competitor Rittenhouse of the NuTone Chord Tone.

The Bel Air plays two chords for the front door and two notes for a second door. The chords are achieved with a pair of horizontally stacked solenoids and four tone bars. The solenoids are a stacked arrangement of the Rittenhouse Lifetime Floating Striker solenoids.

The stacked tone bar arrangement is similar to the NuTone L-36 Elite Clock Chime. The Bel Air was surface mounted and at 3 1/16 inches is a bit deeper than chimes that do not play a chord. Like many of its contemporary chimes, the Bel air has Stereo-like styling with acoustically transparent grille cloth.

The 1960 Rittenhouse Catalog describes the Bel Air:

391 * BEL AIR * This beautiful new chord chime provides true pleasure to both eye and ear. Melodious twin chords for the front door, two single notes for the rear. Light beige finish with modern grille and decorative “Lifetime Guaranteed Striker Mechanism.

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