Well so this is my 3000th post and 3 year anniversary of collecting (GOLD MEMBER) I thought I would do something fun.. I wanted to tell my story of all the electronics and boomboxes that I had while growing up...I know there was a simular post over a year ago and done by Jameswp67, but I wanted to give my best story with pics of my own...I believe Fatdog and all members old and new wont mind, then this way we can all just join in adding stories and pics...Most of pics are of my original items but some are what I have purchased in last few years ....Hope you enjoy and looking forward to your story
So to start off back in 1976 my aunt and uncle had gotten me this GE 7-2753 novelty AM radio commemorating 1776....My 1st radio and at 8 years old it was totally cool !!!! This is not my original but luckily it came with box, plastic, instructions and even earpiece
If my memory serves, next in line was a huge console stereo that my parents had but had upgraded to a complete Pioneer mini component system...The large Console Stereo was Am/Fm with record player that needed a needle...My uncle came the following saturday and surprized me with a needle..Now I could finally play albums, but they were my parents oldies from the 60's, because I still did not have my own...I still love the oldies from that era...
After having the huge Console stereo for about a year my parents decided to sell it to make room( around 1981 )...Nicely enough I did talk them into buying me From Montgomery Wards an am/fm dual deck with phonograph..I actually wanted a digital stereo they had on sale ($179) but they were out of stock and were not sure when they would get more...So I went with the more expensive dual deck...
Yes I just got another Radio to add to my collection that I had as a young boy....An Emerson K3661B Am/Fm radio cassette player.. I was maybe 12 years old working at a paper stand on the weekend for $1 an Hour plus $1 bonus per night. I maybe made $15-$18 in 2 days. I originally had (that my parents got me) an am/ fm/ tv1 /tv2 mono radio but wanted to upgrade to cassette player/recorder...So I saved for a few weeks and rode my bike, sneaking to Jewel/Osco to get it for $40...
Now I am still searching for the am/fm/tv1/tv2 mono box too. I believe it was a New Lennox or Lennox Sound brand. I do know it was silver and a mono. no tone control.......
Now the era begins with the walkman or walkabout stereo, This was a fun era and I had so many different types that I cant remember all but I do remember the important ones...1st up is from around 1981-1982... I was babysitting a couple kids next door when I seen an am/fm stereo walkman. I tried it out and thought...WOW!!! I still remember the song playing was Jack and Diane... I had to have one. So I begged and pleaded with my parents about one that was on sale at Zayer. The walkabout also included small speakers too for only $29.99... Neato, so with a few extra chores and encouragement I talked them into it. It was an Airmate with no model # on the original instructions I still have...This is one that I am still searching for...
Next up is a GE 7-1010A, because I wanted to upgrade to a walkabout with dual volume pots(not my original)...In between I purchased a few other cassette type walkabouts, but then I went all out and got me a Sony WM10 walkman, that I still have to this day, and just finished repairing and rebelting it but.....(needs battery cover and belt clip) but just purchased parts one on ebay...I do remember also purchasing from Service merchandise a Sony mini Graphic EQ ( seq 50 )with like 5 sliders that you hook between walkman and headphones...Found one for sale but was outbid...Like I said before I had many in between that I also remember hiding from my parents in a wall, in a closet in basement....Let's just say they wanted me to learn how to save money and not spend everytime I made it...LOL
So here is the fun one....My Boomboxes...Which started at end of 1984.... At school many people would carry these bad boys around, and yes i had to have one. So, still working the newspaper stands I saved a few weeks and got my 1st Panasonic RX5010 from Venture for $50...It was a real nice box but I wanted something bigger. So a month or 2 later I boxed it back up and took it back to Venture, got my money back, and went and bought my Lennoxx Sound CT772S for $80...It was bigger and louder than the Panny plus had detachable speakers... Now the unit I own now is actually the gray model CT772G, the model I had as a teen was silver....
So summer of 85 was getting close and my friend had just got his Marantz Superscope that took 8D cells... I could not have that the Lennoxx Sound only took 6D cells...That weekend, being I sold newspapers ( I always went through sales ads ) I had seen Zayer had this beautiful boomer on sale for onle $99.99...So I packed the bbx up in original box and had to ride my bike over 2 miles north to venture to return and get my $80 back. Then I rode by bike other way (south) about 3-4 miles to go to Zayer and it was there I had spent 3 hours trying to decide on the CEC OL-7540 on sale for $100 or a Magnavox D8443 Silver at same price.. Decisions, decisions !!!!! Well everyone knows what I went with and for good reasons...Sound, more knobs, dual decks and looks plus it took the 8 D cells ...The CEC OL 7540.....One of my holy Grails !!!!
So It is 1986, my graduation, and I am looking for that perfect present for myself...Yes I wanted a complete component system....Fisher, Pioneer, Aiwa, Technics are a few I looked at...Now price was one thing I had to be cautious with...Plus I wanted 15" woofers...So I felt the cheapest system that was a great sound with 15" white woofs and graphic EQ was Fisher... The system had it all dual decks, Linear tracking turntable, digital seperate tuner....So when I decided to move out a year later my parents wouldn't let me take it with. They assured me it would be put away with other stuff but low and behold my brother messed with it and blew out amp and speakers. My parents let my cousin try and repair it, but it ended up in garbage...The system I have now is exact same system minus CD player. I just bought this system a year ago...It is 100% clean and working with all original manuals......
The year 1988, It is Christmas and my Girlfriend that I was living with asked what I wanted... I had been telling her about wanting a huge Boombox. Christmas morning and I unwrapped a Huge Black maybe JVC, Sony or something 3 piece with CD player. I was so unhappy. so I explaned to her that what I really wanted was a ghetto blaster simular to size of Conion... Any way she worked at Ford City mall and Christmas time was super busy......I was there visiting after Christmas and she asked me to get her a diet pop from Woolworths. So I went into Woolworths and there it was, this huge Black boomer that would take 10 D cells and 8" woofs... I had to have it so I asked Shawn so ever nice if she had reciept for other radio. She said she's not sure but that she would return it and let me use money to buy my Lasonic TRC931 for like $160 from Woolworths... Totally great, Now I still have the original Lasonic TRC931 that I bought back then...Luckily I had just gotten it back in October of 2008 from my friend who had it stored in his dads basement. He had gotten it from my brother Paul who had it a couple years and had gotten it from my sister that I had given it too because in 1993 I had seen another famous boomer, the Lasonic TRC975 at the same Woolworths store in mall for around $180... I had to have it so I got it, but figured i did not need 2 at the time so I gave my sister the 931.... I still to this day have both Original lasonics plus the manual for the TRC975....
These other 3 Boomboxes I am showing are models people I knew had growing up. The Marantz Superscope CRS4000 is the same as the one my friend Matt had as teens...We both carried ours everywhere!!! The Magnavox Yellow D8300 in which Jeannie had as teen. She also had a disco lite that she got from Jew Town in Chicago but sadly just gave it up less than 10 years ago to her Ex husbands brother..We have still yet been able to retrieve it... And lastly the Emerson CTR965 that my brother David had in the 90's ( not his original ) But a very cool collector item
Well thats a sneak peak at my past, and present boomers... I am how ever still looking for a couple of the ones I use to own...The one mono box with am/fm tv1+2, the Montgomery Wards dual deck stereo with phono, and the 1st walkabout stereo made by airmate....Possibly the Sony EQ (SEQ 50)....Hope you enjoyed the read....Lets hear your stories with pics......
So to start off back in 1976 my aunt and uncle had gotten me this GE 7-2753 novelty AM radio commemorating 1776....My 1st radio and at 8 years old it was totally cool !!!! This is not my original but luckily it came with box, plastic, instructions and even earpiece
If my memory serves, next in line was a huge console stereo that my parents had but had upgraded to a complete Pioneer mini component system...The large Console Stereo was Am/Fm with record player that needed a needle...My uncle came the following saturday and surprized me with a needle..Now I could finally play albums, but they were my parents oldies from the 60's, because I still did not have my own...I still love the oldies from that era...
After having the huge Console stereo for about a year my parents decided to sell it to make room( around 1981 )...Nicely enough I did talk them into buying me From Montgomery Wards an am/fm dual deck with phonograph..I actually wanted a digital stereo they had on sale ($179) but they were out of stock and were not sure when they would get more...So I went with the more expensive dual deck...
Yes I just got another Radio to add to my collection that I had as a young boy....An Emerson K3661B Am/Fm radio cassette player.. I was maybe 12 years old working at a paper stand on the weekend for $1 an Hour plus $1 bonus per night. I maybe made $15-$18 in 2 days. I originally had (that my parents got me) an am/ fm/ tv1 /tv2 mono radio but wanted to upgrade to cassette player/recorder...So I saved for a few weeks and rode my bike, sneaking to Jewel/Osco to get it for $40...
Now I am still searching for the am/fm/tv1/tv2 mono box too. I believe it was a New Lennox or Lennox Sound brand. I do know it was silver and a mono. no tone control.......
Now the era begins with the walkman or walkabout stereo, This was a fun era and I had so many different types that I cant remember all but I do remember the important ones...1st up is from around 1981-1982... I was babysitting a couple kids next door when I seen an am/fm stereo walkman. I tried it out and thought...WOW!!! I still remember the song playing was Jack and Diane... I had to have one. So I begged and pleaded with my parents about one that was on sale at Zayer. The walkabout also included small speakers too for only $29.99... Neato, so with a few extra chores and encouragement I talked them into it. It was an Airmate with no model # on the original instructions I still have...This is one that I am still searching for...
Next up is a GE 7-1010A, because I wanted to upgrade to a walkabout with dual volume pots(not my original)...In between I purchased a few other cassette type walkabouts, but then I went all out and got me a Sony WM10 walkman, that I still have to this day, and just finished repairing and rebelting it but.....(needs battery cover and belt clip) but just purchased parts one on ebay...I do remember also purchasing from Service merchandise a Sony mini Graphic EQ ( seq 50 )with like 5 sliders that you hook between walkman and headphones...Found one for sale but was outbid...Like I said before I had many in between that I also remember hiding from my parents in a wall, in a closet in basement....Let's just say they wanted me to learn how to save money and not spend everytime I made it...LOL
So here is the fun one....My Boomboxes...Which started at end of 1984.... At school many people would carry these bad boys around, and yes i had to have one. So, still working the newspaper stands I saved a few weeks and got my 1st Panasonic RX5010 from Venture for $50...It was a real nice box but I wanted something bigger. So a month or 2 later I boxed it back up and took it back to Venture, got my money back, and went and bought my Lennoxx Sound CT772S for $80...It was bigger and louder than the Panny plus had detachable speakers... Now the unit I own now is actually the gray model CT772G, the model I had as a teen was silver....
So summer of 85 was getting close and my friend had just got his Marantz Superscope that took 8D cells... I could not have that the Lennoxx Sound only took 6D cells...That weekend, being I sold newspapers ( I always went through sales ads ) I had seen Zayer had this beautiful boomer on sale for onle $99.99...So I packed the bbx up in original box and had to ride my bike over 2 miles north to venture to return and get my $80 back. Then I rode by bike other way (south) about 3-4 miles to go to Zayer and it was there I had spent 3 hours trying to decide on the CEC OL-7540 on sale for $100 or a Magnavox D8443 Silver at same price.. Decisions, decisions !!!!! Well everyone knows what I went with and for good reasons...Sound, more knobs, dual decks and looks plus it took the 8 D cells ...The CEC OL 7540.....One of my holy Grails !!!!
So It is 1986, my graduation, and I am looking for that perfect present for myself...Yes I wanted a complete component system....Fisher, Pioneer, Aiwa, Technics are a few I looked at...Now price was one thing I had to be cautious with...Plus I wanted 15" woofers...So I felt the cheapest system that was a great sound with 15" white woofs and graphic EQ was Fisher... The system had it all dual decks, Linear tracking turntable, digital seperate tuner....So when I decided to move out a year later my parents wouldn't let me take it with. They assured me it would be put away with other stuff but low and behold my brother messed with it and blew out amp and speakers. My parents let my cousin try and repair it, but it ended up in garbage...The system I have now is exact same system minus CD player. I just bought this system a year ago...It is 100% clean and working with all original manuals......
The year 1988, It is Christmas and my Girlfriend that I was living with asked what I wanted... I had been telling her about wanting a huge Boombox. Christmas morning and I unwrapped a Huge Black maybe JVC, Sony or something 3 piece with CD player. I was so unhappy. so I explaned to her that what I really wanted was a ghetto blaster simular to size of Conion... Any way she worked at Ford City mall and Christmas time was super busy......I was there visiting after Christmas and she asked me to get her a diet pop from Woolworths. So I went into Woolworths and there it was, this huge Black boomer that would take 10 D cells and 8" woofs... I had to have it so I asked Shawn so ever nice if she had reciept for other radio. She said she's not sure but that she would return it and let me use money to buy my Lasonic TRC931 for like $160 from Woolworths... Totally great, Now I still have the original Lasonic TRC931 that I bought back then...Luckily I had just gotten it back in October of 2008 from my friend who had it stored in his dads basement. He had gotten it from my brother Paul who had it a couple years and had gotten it from my sister that I had given it too because in 1993 I had seen another famous boomer, the Lasonic TRC975 at the same Woolworths store in mall for around $180... I had to have it so I got it, but figured i did not need 2 at the time so I gave my sister the 931.... I still to this day have both Original lasonics plus the manual for the TRC975....
These other 3 Boomboxes I am showing are models people I knew had growing up. The Marantz Superscope CRS4000 is the same as the one my friend Matt had as teens...We both carried ours everywhere!!! The Magnavox Yellow D8300 in which Jeannie had as teen. She also had a disco lite that she got from Jew Town in Chicago but sadly just gave it up less than 10 years ago to her Ex husbands brother..We have still yet been able to retrieve it... And lastly the Emerson CTR965 that my brother David had in the 90's ( not his original ) But a very cool collector item
Well thats a sneak peak at my past, and present boomers... I am how ever still looking for a couple of the ones I use to own...The one mono box with am/fm tv1+2, the Montgomery Wards dual deck stereo with phono, and the 1st walkabout stereo made by airmate....Possibly the Sony EQ (SEQ 50)....Hope you enjoyed the read....Lets hear your stories with pics......