M70 models & variations

Hey guys,
I'm working on an M70 restoration. I scored a couple boxes in decent shape, one's 110 volt and the others 120 volt, both have problems... volume slider issue, janky tape deck, busted parts, etc, so I'm mixing and matching to get one sweet-ass box!

I'm wondering if anyone has any info on the different models? And which one I should go with, or is one better?

I have a M70-JW with a gold handle - it's 120 volts. And after that you'll see a pic of my M70-W with silver handle... 110 volts. Anybody know why the handles are a different color?

Just manufacturers process/material changing and what elements the radios were exposed to over the years.


You can use any slider from a M70W, M70JW, M70C and same for the M71 and M75.

The M70 is a great box. Like Joe said the parts are interchangeable in all the M70 series. Parts are pretty easy to get. I have some spare parts and I live in the Bay Area as well. Great box to have in your collection.

Cool thanks guys! Yeah, It's a sweet addition to the collection fosho! I should have a nice looking box with all the parts from both.

Hey Mellymelsr, can you recommend a good place in the bay area for repairs and belts? I'm in the south bay and have talked to a few shops - they're all afraid to crack into these old boxes! Figure there has to be a good go-to shop that's familiar with 'em.

mellymelsr said:

The M70 is a great box. Like Joe said the parts are interchangeable in all the M70 series. Parts are pretty easy to get. I have some spare parts and I live in the Bay Area as well. Great box to have in your collection.

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wakehappy said:

I have a M70-JW with a gold handle - it's 120 volts. And after that you'll see a pic of my M70-W with silver handle... 110 volts. Anybody know why the handles are a different color?

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Hi Wakehappy,

Maybe the original handle had been replaced once by a former owner. Although it is a bit hard to tell from a picture, it might well be possible that the handle is from a RC-M71. The RC-M71 's handle was of that color. Is the one with the more golden handle a European model (= L/LB) or American ( JW/C) ?

The handle became yellow due to sun exposure. I have several M70's with the same issue. I simply repainted the handles.

mellymelsr said:

Like Joe said the parts are interchangeable in all the M70 series....

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To a point. The euro version with the DIN's aren't 100% compatible. There are some significant differences in the main PCB beyond just the I/O jacks.

mellymelsr said:

The handle became yellow due to sun exposure. I have several M70's with the same issue. I simply repainted the handles.

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Are you sure? The handle on my L is a nice gold color, like it was that way from the factory.

wakehappy said:

Hey Mellymelsr, can you recommend a good place in the bay area for repairs and belts? I'm in the south bay and have talked to a few shops - they're all afraid to crack into these old boxes!

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Which is funny, because if you gave them an old Nakamichi deck, they'd gladly work on it. See, the real reason they refuse to work on boomboxes isn't because they can't, it's because they jump to conclusions and assume that you wouldn't be willing to pay more than $20 to fix a mere boombox.

Reli said:

Which is funny, because if you gave them an old Nakamichi deck, they'd gladly work on it. See, the real reason they refuse to work on boomboxes isn't because they can't, it's because they jump to conclusions and assume that you wouldn't be willing to pay more than $20 to fix a mere boombox.

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Yeah, there is some of that for sure. I spoke to a turntable repairman at one of the Beat Swap's about my VZ2000 and he was SHOCKED that anyone would want to spend money to fix them. Let alone BIG money to buy them.

When will the prejudice die? :annoyed:

Reli said:

Which is funny, because if you gave them an old Nakamichi deck, they'd gladly work on it. See, the real reason they refuse to work on boomboxes isn't because they can't, it's because they jump to conclusions and assume that you wouldn't be willing to pay more than $20 to fix a mere boombox.

Click to expand...

Lasonic TRC-920 said:

Yeah, there is some of that for sure. I spoke to a turntable repairman at one of the Beat Swap's about my VZ2000 and he was SHOCKED that anyone would want to spend money to fix them. Let alone BIG money to buy them.

When will the prejudice die? :annoyed:

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Yeah it's crazy... seriously!! We'll be the ones laughing in a few years when these old relics are impossible to find and worth a fortune.

EX_m71_Owner said:

Hi Wakehappy,

Maybe the original handle had been replaced once by a former owner. Although it is a bit hard to tell from a picture, it might well be possible that the handle is from a RC-M71. The RC-M71 's handle was of that color. Is the one with the more golden handle a European model (= L/LB) or American ( JW/C) ?

Click to expand...

mellymelsr said:

The handle became yellow due to sun exposure. I have several M70's with the same issue. I simply repainted the handles.

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Yeah it's a JW, and has a consistent gold coloration on both sides. My other handle definitely has some sun exposure on one side, but it's not as rich in color as the gold one. Maybe a replacement from an M70 Gold edition...

Here are two of mine. They're in similar condition and the one on the left is a JW. The right one is an LB. The handles are different but I don't read a lot into that. Considering the amount of survivors I think this model had a massive worldwide production run and probably had inconsistent parts bins.
I saw an M70 for sale in the UK last year on EBay and on the back plate it said that it was made in Nigeria!!