I have worked on a few boomboxes and am always on the lookout for some. I seem to come across a lot more Walkmans in my journeys. The only issue is that I know very little about them, so always pass them up. My question is what should I look for? Which ones are the grails that I definitely shouldn’t pass up if I want to get them into the hands on collectors who would appreciate them? Thanks in advance.
Jamie look at my signature below with regards to Sony those are the grails if you have to call them that, I call them good sounding units and not “grails”
Thanks TooCooL4. Didn’t know what else to call them. Just wanted to know the units I shouldn’t walk away from.
Jamie the ones in my sig are good ones but unless you really want them or you see them at a good price, I would walk away from them as people want too much money for them.
Welcome to the forum Jamie, I run into the same issues with some of the newer models but the older models are pretty easy, if it feels heavy without batteries, parts of it are metal, the tape control buttons aren't a single row and it's made in Japan, it's probably a decent model. A lot of these will have many screw ports on the back for mini-screws, the case doesn't snap together. The logos will look stately and solid, not pink and tan like a hairdresser got a hold of it. Latter models are much harder to identify, they got lighter, they got rid of mechanical controls and they tend to look alike. Without knowing the model numbers you may be guessing but again, if it's made in Japan, they tend to be good. Also if you see a remote on the headphone cord, they tend to be better models. I've been buying players for 20 years out in the wild, I see crappy units all of the time but nice ones don't show up much, especially the high-end 90's units.
Welcome! Some of the more expensive models of the later generations also seem to have rechargable batteries, often gumstick, and an attachable battery compartment for extra runtime, some have a display and metal-elements in their case – and of course as @Mister X has said a remote. Bass booster/Mega Bass and Dolby B/C as well. Make sure to identify whether the remote has a 3.5mm jack or a proprietary minijack by Sony. The latter needs a flimsy adapter with a heavy head or original headphones. Both are equally hard to come across. Oh and if you come across a TPS-L2, these are highly desired these days (not just because it's the first offical Walkman but also because of that movie Guardians of the Galaxy. Many fanboys want it). If you find one for a cheaper price, you probably can't go wrong with aquiring it. If it's broken, one can still attempt to fix it or resell it as spare parts. If it has the original headphones, even better. TPS-L2 models have two audio jacks. If you happen to come across one which has a Guys & Dolls writing instead of A & B at those jacks, get it. Those are incredibly rare and desired! The Sony WM-DD100 Boodo Khan is also fairly desired as it's a special edition. Also worth to look out for. It's hard to miss as it has a special imprint on its case. There are also silver coated Sony Walkmans (Tiffany, I think WM-701S/T models?). These are strictly limited anniversary editions, numbered and with a wooden case. Be careful with the so-called "green button Walkmans". They share a similar case design, WM-190, WM-150 and WM-2091 (all Sony) are some examples of those. Finding one in working condition with replaced capacitors and fixed clutch could be worth a look, but the majority of those have a clutch gear issue (broken) and dead capacitors, as nice as they might be. Read on if you're also interested in formats other than classic analogue tape Walkmans, otherwise feel free to skip. Other non-analogue models of the DAT type that might be worth a look would be the WMD-DT1 DAT Walkman by Sony. If it still works, has no broken or loose battery compartment door (serious serial issue!), intact rubber coating on the battery compartment (as in the image, very rare, should be matt looking) and if it's under 200$/€ by some mircale and especially if the original remote, headphones, pouch and manual is included, it's very worth it. These can be resold in higher price ranges as defective units too from what I could see when I looked for mine. Some models seem to have a weird groove between the battery compartment and cassette door on top as seen from the side with the Open writing. This seems to be rare. Regarding MiniDisc Walkmans, you can check minidisc.org to see which ones are worth a look. They're neatly sorted. Hi-MD compatible ones are fairly rare these days. Here's a link of an example of the more desired units (as far as I can tell. Been pretty happy with my midrange unit thus far, so I didn't inform myself as much as with other formats). If it's microcassette, check the Sony M-909. It's supposedly the smallest microcassette Walkman – and has a remote too. Then there's the oddity of Sony NT (those really small SD-card sized, tiny DAT-esque digital tapes). As far as I know there's just one Walkman-corder available for it (it's silver). Techmoan has a video about that. No idea about picocassettes and minicassette models though if you want to dive into those Walkmans as well. Maybe someone else has more info on that, though I assume you meant just classic analogue tape.
the answer to your question depends on few factors: purpose/ goal: Do you want this specific walkman to be saved for future investment?? or for personal use? budget: (pretty obvious) your skill: are you able to repair/ service vintage electronics? ( you mentioned that you worked on boomboxes) If you answer to these 3 questions I will direct you to the right walkman
