Skip find sharp gf9191!

Hi all complete newbie here, iv always really liked boomboxs but never got round to getting a nice one and well yesterday I found a gf 9191x just in a skip a few doors down the road from me on the way to work!

Needless to say I was late to work that day as I retrieved it and it's in pretty good shape, tape deck obv not fully working and has a small amount of casing damage (on the back so not really visible) but bar that the only things I can see wrong with it: 1 Ariel missing the other missing the end but is original and the volume sliders don't work on the 1st 1/3 or so of the scale.

Will try and get some pics up later on.

Pics

Tape deck does actually play, rewind etc but I can see the belts/wheels stopping starting so clearly needs work. Played a tape in it and it started to chew it up so...

On closer inspection the LH speakers don't come on untill the slider is 1/3 the way up the scale so probably has a dead spot the RH comes on at the lowest point on the slider but doesn't increase volume untill it's 1/3 the way up the slider so is likely the same.

On 1st thoughts could I swap the sliders/wiring from the record volume sliders?

I'm also pretty sure the fine tuning knob is inoperable too, to me it seems to not do anything, FM light inop too (the little red one) but all the modes seem to work mono/stereo/steady wide and the loudness switch too.

Has power cable and battery cover, battery compartment is pretty clean too.

Fairly happy with my find.

Wow nice find!

Use contact cleaner and that will more than likely sort the volume sliders. The tape chewing is the little tire on the capstan bar hidden in the deck...happens to all of these. Lots of info on here on how to do it

Thanks man I literally couldn't believe it when I saw it sat there staring at me out the top of the skip, I was going to get it after work but didn't want someone else to nab it so I went back for it and took it home, so glad I did.

I'll get some contact cleaner and have a go, like I said total newbie.. I'm an engineer but know very little about electrics/electronics. Should I pop the case to do this? So I can get into the potentiometers? It's super super dusty/grimey ATM so defo needs a good hosing down!

Any idea where I can get ariels? Need some bad, I guess I can get the tape deck parts easily?

All any any advice/info is very much appreciated.

I did a full sequence of photos of stripping down a GF9191 but can't find them on here. Just use the search function on here but if you can't find what you need we can run you through the steps

You'll need to undo the screws on the back, open the deck door then pop the front fascia off. Unplug the speaker cables after noting where they go.

Take off the knobs off the top and unscrew the top fascia.

You then have access to everything

Excellent....always a great feeling when you find something in the wild

I will have a loon for it thanks muchly, I have actually already had the case off and the top panel and given the sliders a quick blast out with a hand pump to get out loose dirt so it should ent be a problem but once it's open it's like a maze of wires and circuitry that scares me lol sure I can get my head round it tho I'm fairly good at icing things.

I'd like a line in on it too don't really want to use an adaptor hoping to potentially alter/customise the wiring to suit but then I really don't wat to attak its originality as it's in such good condition.

Man spellcheck is a turd, plus I have fat fingers and a small keypad..

Contact cleaner on order will be at home by the time I get there so I'll get that done later this evening, can't find a strut down through search so pictures or anything like that will help I don't want to damage anything.

Sharp, very sharp!

You can't get better than FREE! The condition shouldn't be too much of a worry as every BB has the potential to fulfil a role somewhere.

Looks nice! Great find.

This is one of the easier boxes to work on so you'll be fine

The sliders require a special way to clean, you can't just spray into them.

What a great find! One of the most iconic boxes.

Belts and deck overhaul is quite easy on this. You can remove the back case, if i remember rightly you can undo the tuner scale and remove, slide the deck out and disconnect a little connector or two then you have access to it. There is a video for belt changes but it assumes you already have the deck out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enrEIVwxxfI

I haven't watched it but it looks about right. Personally while in there i would do the capstan rubber, replace pinchroller if required, do the belts, clean and lube, clean heads and check azimuth etc. Might as well get it all while you are there. I use these little slim beads for the replacement rubber or some rc fuel line of the correct size. Let me know if you need some as i have enough to do about 100 boxes lol.

Great score mate well done. You will love that thing once finished.

Have had a good go with contact cleaner to no avail, well not completely they work better and have a useable volume now as it was basically stuck too high before but still the same issue as described earlier, no crackling now though, mode switch much cleaner too.

How to I go about cleaning them properly? Big job? Cutting wires or resoldering??

The tape deck is much less of a issue ATM need the volume working properly, plus that little red fm light not working is annoying me.

Btw thanks to all you guys with positive comments, I knew she was a good grab! Canne wait till she's blasting tunes properly.

Don't forget to use contact cleaner on the headphone socket and the record bar...the audio signal passes through both so it's important to do these too

Have pretty much K.O'd all boards ext with it and air afterwards too, will have another go in a minuet.

T-Ster I literally have no idea what half the parts you've said to service are or what they look like/do..

I need to learn quickly...

The "record bar" is usually the longest silver bar on the main circuit board. It's connected by a lever to the Record key.

Meh had a got at the record bad earlier with no luck, actually sounded worse like when I first got it, scratchy controls again now and sometimes rh channel cutting in and out.

Would having the tape deck out make any difference or give me interference if something isn't grounded etc?

*had a go at the record bar* #icantspell