Montgomery Ward Gen-3965

[Toolfan]

Hi, I’m new here and am a rookie to this hobby. A few months ago I was thinking about my childhood in the 80s and I remembered my Sony CFS3000.I always liked the badass JVCs, Lasonics etc… I found the GPO Brooklyn and loved the look so I grabbed that. That led me to putting together my old Sony component system I had in the 90s via eBay. Now I think I have the bug, but before jumping in and spending big $, i decided to try a cheap old school box I found on eBay. A Montgomery Ward GEN3965. Supposedly it’s in excellent condition, but I won’t know until next week.
I can’t find much info on it, so I’m hoping you guys can tell me about it. Will it sound better than my GPO ( love the look, not the sound). Are these a rebranding of another model? Are they built well? Are parts available? Or anything else you want to tell me about it?
Thanks in advance!

 

[Tirarcova]

I suspect someone on here knows more about these than is present on a quick Google search - but they seem to be a department store brand made by Shin-Shirasuna (according to wiki boombox).

http://www.wikiboombox.com/tiki-index.php?page=Montgomery+Ward

 

[Toolfan]

Well, the seller just canceled, but I also found a quasar gx3605 in the same price range, so I guess my question is the same, just in regards to that model.

 

[Toolfan]

I suspect someone on here knows more about these than is present on a quick Google search - but they seem to be a department store brand made by Shin-Shirasuna (according to wiki boombox).

http://www.wikiboombox.com/tiki-index.php?page=Montgomery+Ward

Thanks!

 

[Tirarcova]

Well, the seller just canceled, but I also found a quasar gx3605 in the same price range, so I guess my question is the same, just in regards to that model.

I believe Quasar was made by Panasonic. I previously owned the GX-3612 and GX-3641 - subjectively, they were decent, but IMO there are much better sounding units out there.

 

[Toolfan]

I believe Quasar was made by Panasonic. I previously owned the GX-3612 and GX-3641 - subjectively, they were decent, but IMO there are much better sounding units out there.

Thanks! Decent sound would be ok with me Im just hoping it doesn’t sound bad lol So they’re rebranded Panasonic? Thats pretty cool. Are there any other entry level units you recommend? Maybe in the $100-$300 range?

 

[Tirarcova]

Thanks! Decent sound would be ok with me Im just hoping it doesn’t sound bad lol So they’re rebranded Panasonic? Thats pretty cool. Are there any other entry level units you recommend? Maybe in the $100-$300 range?

I think Quasar was Panasonics "budget" brand in that timeframe.

As far as something in the $100-$300 range, that's a tough one because prices have been and remain inflated (especially on eBay). Unless you have a stroke of luck, you're probably not going to find a lot that is considered to be "good" or "great" in the $100-$300 range, but sound is purely subjective. I owned a Panasonic RX-5150 and for a small/midsize boombox, it sounded decent to my ears. An eBay search with a couple of the notable brands selection and the price capped at $300 yielded 400~ results on eBay this morning.

 

[Toolfan]

I think Quasar was Panasonics "budget" brand in that timeframe.

As far as something in the $100-$300 range, that's a tough one because prices have been and remain inflated (especially on eBay). Unless you have a stroke of luck, you're probably not going to find a lot that is considered to be "good" or "great" in the $100-$300 range, but sound is purely subjective. I owned a Panasonic RX-5150 and for a small/midsize boombox, it sounded decent to my ears. An eBay search with a couple of the notable brands selection and the price capped at $300 yielded 400~ results on eBay this morning.

I did see a restored Panasonic 5100 for around $275 that looked pretty nice, but I’ll see if I can find that 5150. I paid $85 for the quasar that appears to be near mint, but after doing a thorough eBay search, man-you aren’t lying,prices are really high for these. I’m thinking i might grab a nice CFS3000 for nostalgic purposes and maybe splurge on one more and that will be my collection lol
Thanks for the info!

 

[Toolfan]

I think Quasar was Panasonics "budget" brand in that timeframe.

As far as something in the $100-$300 range, that's a tough one because prices have been and remain inflated (especially on eBay). Unless you have a stroke of luck, you're probably not going to find a lot that is considered to be "good" or "great" in the $100-$300 range, but sound is purely subjective. I owned a Panasonic RX-5150 and for a small/midsize boombox, it sounded decent to my ears. An eBay search with a couple of the notable brands selection and the price capped at $300 yielded 400~ results on eBay this morning.

I just checked on eBay and 5150s in the condition I would want are pretty pricey. I found a few 5100s in gorgeous shape for $250-300. Are those any good?

 

[Tirarcova]

I just checked on eBay and 5150s in the condition I would want are pretty pricey. I found a few 5100s in gorgeous shape for $250-300. Are those any good?

TBH, I don’t know..

 

[Tirarcova]

@Toolfan - did you end up finding anything to add to your collection?

 

[Toolfan]

@Toolfan - did you end up finding anything to add to your collection?

I think I’ve added too much lol I have the GPO Brooklyn ,Montgomery wards and the quasar and I’ve also added a Panasonic 4940, a Sony w301 and a fisher phw402. I think now I’m gonna hold off on the cheaper ones and save for one of the higher end types