Introduction from the UK.

Good evening everybody.

I would like to wish you all a very merry christmas and a happy new year for 2019.

Hello my name is Paul and I'm 51 years old. Growing up in Essex UK i was hooked on Soul music from a young age. I have spent many hours listening and playing soul on a wide variety of devices through the years from my parents first "Hitachi tape to tape stack system" A Walkman, followed by my first Sony boombox (which didn't really boom at all), my very own Pioneer separates system which i bought from the old Littlewoods catalogue on the tick i then proceeded to my first iPod followed by a couple of Bose soundocks. We now use digital Mp3 and can store thousands of tracks on one device....incredible !

Sorry for going on !!!

I now have two boxes that need some TLC to return them to their former glory. A GF8585 that needs belts, servicing and paintwork followed by my recently acquired VZ-2000 (massive thanks Stuart x) In full working order and decent condition just requiring slight restoration to the clear front panel, aerial and the body.

Im not experienced at all in electrical restoration and was overjoyed to find this site to help me along the way. I have reasonable manual skills and a fairly well equipped workshop (car background) so i feel fairly confident to take these projects on with your support and wealth of knowledge... if you'll have me ?

Apologies for rambling on but i'm excited ha ha !!

Kind Regards Paul.

Welcome Paul, looks like you are in the right place, there is tons of knowledge here and good to have you on board. Be nice to get that GF8585 up and running, they are cool boxes!

Hi T-STER and thank you for the welcome.
I agree the 8585 is definitely a cool box and certainly packs a punch.
Being the smaller of the two I think it's probably wise to start that resto first and build up some skills before tackling the VZ? What do you think ?

Hello and welcome to forum.

tallpaul said:

Good evening everybody.
Im not experienced at all in electrical restoration and was overjoyed to find this site to help me along the way.
I have reasonable manual skills and a fairly well equipped workshop (car background)
Kind Regards Paul.

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To have a working place is very good.
You must take a pictures and open a new topic in
https://boomboxery.com/forum/index.php/forum/39-restorations-customizations/

Good luck with restoration.

Hi Goodman. Thank you for your welcome. I will add some photos in due course. Was it difficult when you carried out your first restoration ? I guess the key is to photograph each stage for future reference ?

Hello and welcome to the site! Being fairly new here myself, everyone has made me feel very welcome and there is definitely a ton of knowledge on here!

tallpaul said:

Hi T-STER and thank you for the welcome.
I agree the 8585 is definitely a cool box and certainly packs a punch.
Being the smaller of the two I think it's probably wise to start that resto first and build up some skills before tackling the VZ? What do you think ?

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I think thats a great idea Paul, dont worry there will be loads of help here. Sharps are relatively easy boxes to work on to usually so a good box to start on. Most have a unique issue with a capstan roller disintegrating so these need to be replaced, im sure the 8585 is the same, we can guide you on that. Apart from that it's new belts, relube, clean heads and adjust azimuth if required and generally servicing the tape path so all is smooth and well greased again.

Yeh that 8585 will a good place to start as it’s relatively easy to work on. They’re well designed and disassemble and reassemble easily. Yep take lots of pics as you go.

The VZ is a much trickier beast to work on but there is a guide on here with pictures that make it a hell of a lot easier.

The 8585 may well have the usual Sharp idler tyre that’s turned to goo. There are loads of threads on this as it’s a really common problem with Sharps. Easy to fix once you’ve got the deck out to do the belts

Wow thank you all for your speedy replies! I can't wait to get started...! Are the service parts available to buy on here somewhere or should I go to eBay ?

The belts can be bought individually (expensive) or in multi packs (much cheaper). The tubing you use to replace the gooey tyre can be rc car fuel line, the size you’ll find on one of the threads

Welcome aboard Paul, great to have another member with a love for audio on any medium.

tallpaul said:

Wow thank you all for your speedy replies! I can't wait to get started...! Are the service parts available to buy on here somewhere or should I go to eBay ?

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Take photos as you go, sometimes you might feel overwhelmed but photos can help massively.

Also, I think it us good advice to lay screws out on a table in the orientation you took them out so you can be sure they go back in their rightful place.

Great advice thank you.

Northerner,
To clarify should I purchase a multi pack of belts from eBay?

Docs, thank you for the warm welcome.

I listen to music across all my devices depending on my mood/situation at that time. Fortunately my VZ already has Bluetooth connectivity and using Spotify I am in Boombox heaven. Although the sound quality may be inferior to today's modern devices there is something refreshing about pressing proper buttons and dials.

Hello Paul

Hello Hisrudeness. I see that you've been a member for a while. May I ask what's your favourite box in your collection ?

tallpaul said:

Hello Hisrudeness. I see that you've been a member for a while. May I ask what's your favourite box in your collection ?

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To be honest it changes quite a lot. I’m at 130 odd boxes so I fall in and out of love with various brands/models. I’ve been coll3cting since 2004 but it was the old pocket calculator site that was one of the inspirations for me to join the forums.

http://pocketcalculatorshow.com/boombox/

Welcome and look out for one of the UK collector meets in 2019.

I certainly will sir and thanks for the welcome. All the best for 2019.