Hello all! I’m a collector who used to be a member, but I’m guessing my membership got archived when the new site was started? Anyway, I’ve been collecting around 15 years, I’ve had many boxes, been lucky enough to have many grails over the years, have sold a ton as well...I’ve written articles in magazines and even on gizmodo a few years ago, and I had an installation art piece using boomboxes for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics Code Live Art show...M70s are my sentimental favourite, but my tastes range far and wide, also love Pioneer 909s, Aiwa 880s(who doesn’t), and two boxes I have never owned but admired from afar:Sanyo 7830, andAiwa cs 500! I’m currently missing two radios I’ve owned and sold, National Panasonic 5410, and Grundig rr1140 in silver. I live in Vancouver, Canada, but I’ve met quite a few collectors over the years in NY, Hong Kong, Berlin, Tokyo, and at home in Van, but have not made it to a meetup as yet...I love the stories and the sentiments as much as I admire the design and the tech. I used to post videos of radio demos on YouTube when I was selling them, by today’s standards, they are probably terrible, but at the time I enjoyed making them and letting people know what they were getting. I’m enjoying reading and catching up after years away, but I thought I should post as well
Welcome back James. We would all like to see some photos of your past and present collection, and maybe links to the articles you wrote as well. We have a few members in Canada. I am trying to remember the username of the member there who had an amazing collection of Weltron 8 tracks etc, and who tended to put everything about his collection into one long post.
Wow, welcome back! and the funny thing was I was thinking about you the other day. You always had beautiful equipment and I'd drool over the photos and always wonder how somebody could find all of those. Remember the guy that had all of the Conions back then? My collection has gotten pretty big and I think how it's all supposed to end, I think you mentioned you were done with boxes and selling everything at the time, I'm not sure I could do that, at least not yet and I still love listening to the radio on my big boomers. The site has changed hosts, a lot of photos and early threads are disappearing but some of the early members are slowly coming back but they need to start a new account with the new hosting service. You can find some of the old threads in the Forum Reader and I found the first forum from 2002 over on the Wayback Machine, it's in a thread around here somewhere. Weltron's Thread is pinned at the top of one of the subjects, another canuck with an amazing collection.
Hi, super interesting, curious about the Olympic art installation. I'd say welcome back but I'm new here and dont really belong yet.
Thanks Marty! You’re here so you belong! Welcome to you as well. The art piece was part of the Code Live art show my piece was called Foreign Voices, Common Stories. I can elaborate about it if it ever interests you, I have pics somewhere—it was fun! Some people on here helped me by contributing stories about why they collect...
Thanks for the info! And thanks for the kind words! I spent probably too much time and money collecting, but I’ve been very fortunate as well! When I left a few years ago—five or so I think? I sold a bunch of radios including quite a few “grails”, but I moved to a much smaller space, so something had to give! This pic has most of what I have left although you can only see about 1/2 of what’s on the wall! But I’ve been itching a bit lately, and I’ve found some gems—someone gave me an M90! That started the juices flowing again! I think the conion collectors name was Gord? Gsbadmr I think on here? He was also a computer white hat hacker and he lives in Quebec and would drive 1000km to pick up a boombox! Really nice guy—never met, but he was very helpful and fun to talk to! I still talk to Skilphil if you remember his Ebay auctions back a few years, very funny dude from Tampa Bay.. I found a link to some of the old posts and I’ve been reading a bit to catch up with things—still feels like a nice place to spend some time)
Auto! How is life in Geemany? I think I found the sign on eBay for $10? I’ll look now—found it: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/282329085804 A cheaper one here: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.com/ulk/itm/233287921331
Thanks for the welcome Longman! I found some references to a few things I wrote back then—I also had a very lazy boombox blog called Analogue Nostalgia: Phillips, James W. “Size Does Matter, When Bigger Was Better: The Design History of the Boombox” in The Boombox Project: The Machines, the Music, and the Urban Underground, by Lyle Owerko foreword by Spike Lee. P34-37 book chapter Abrahms Image NY 2010 Phillips, James W. “How Boomboxes Changed The World Forever” http://gizmodo.com/5725877/boombox-project-secrets-of-the-block+rocking-beat Phillips, James W. “Radio Gaga” in Lodown Magazine #60 Feb 2008 (p 60-61)
Google is a much better search engine for the old/new site http://www.stereo2go.com/topic/index.php?content_oid=193392314112125056&board_oid=193392314111653418 I found an old thread you asked me for help! http://www.stereo2go.com/topic/index.php?content_oid=193392314112125056&board_oid=193392314111653418 I wonder if Kristi Carr got here RX-1924 fixed? Maybe AO knows...
Welcome back James! I remember your posts and your collection. I still kick myself for not bidding on a couple of them. You had some rare ones, like that Denon 3-piece, and they actually went for a lot less than I expected. It's a shame that people like yourself who are honest and reveal everything usually get lower prices than the dishonest people who provide intentionally brief descriptions. Do you ever make it down to Cali? We often have meets in NorCal and SoCal.
My long term goal is to have a little shop/space that I can tinker, I have a repair guy who does my work, but I don’t do much more than canned air and deoxit usually—not enough time!
Hi Reli! Thanks for the kind words, always enjoy reading your posts, great knowledge and insightful! I did love the Denon—mostly because I love all things Denon and Sansui—I don’t like minimum bids, let the market decide, I had an Aiwa Walkman fetch $1000, which back before the Russian phenomenon was huge! I’d definitely come down south for a meet up sometime! That would be fun!!
We're having one at Venice Beach April 11, here's the link https://www.instagram.com/p/B9QV8F1JraZ/?igshid=x31yozokl02v
Welcome back James...a distinguished member to be sure. And if that’s you in the pic you are DAPPER in the extreme...very cool!
Sad I will be working I hope by that time as I have been (not working due to losing my Left 5 toes to diabetes) and wont be able to make that date but I am Not working the Summer and I hopefully am planning a west coast trip this 2020.
Hello James I used to live in Houston and now I live in Dallas with mother and I am still active with cassette's and their players
thanks northerner! It is me, a few years ago a friend did a photo series and asked me to do a few, this was one of them.
