Trailer Queens...

[oldskool69]

In the last thread (collections) I started it was mentioned my collection looked mint...

I should've commented then and there that it is not. There are some that are mint, but most are not what I would call mint. To me that is a boomer with at least 98% integrity with the most minor of blemishes. (The PMS-3500 fits that bill perfectly being pretty much a 10/10...)

Given that I like to use my boomers much like all of us do, what is really mint? Do we use our boomers without fear? (Common sense, yes of course.)

And do you treat them like trailer queens? Show ponies that never see much riding? I personally dig the battle scars that some of mine have. It tells a story and I'm only writing my own chapter in the boombox record of life. Obviously I do my best with the resources I have to take care of them, looking as good as possible, and yes they are displayed nicely according to some. But they get driven hard and have been put to work outside. All of em' to date. Battery or AC. Don't get me wrong, it ain't nothing like my teenage days but they get toured around the house during the week or used at work/workouts to keep 'em cycling.

Some had to be cleaned for smelling like smoked pork as they kept me company whilst barbecueing. Some were in a smokers environment. (And absolutely would be given a once over....) Some were around very young rambunctious children! (YIKES!!!)

So are your boomers trailer queens? Sort of that horse that's done it part and now gets to live it's life out easy? The car that's just too precious to drive? Which ones in your collection get the most care? Which ones take a lickin'? Treat em' all the same?

 

[Superduper]

None of my boomers look as good even if treated like a shelf queen as when I first finished and cleaned them. They all need dusting and some dust is really sticky. Most need re-deoxit. Most chrome are no longer as shiny and could use re polishing. I see frequent overuse of the term "restored". In my mind, a cleaning, rebelting and some spray cleaner does not constitute a restoration. A tuneup maybe. Regular maintenance maybe. But short of complete recapping and disassembly of all controls for internal cleaning and restoration, the BOOMBOX is never "truly" restored and prone to continued cap deterioration as well as needing regular deoxit treatments. Controls disassembled and oxidation manually removed, debris removed and contacts treated with preservative and moving parts lubed with new grease is the only way to obtain long lasting noise and trouble free use as when delivered from factory.

But looks like I've digressed and slung off on a wide tangent. Sorry about that Freddie.

 

[oldskool69]

But looks like I've digressed and slung off on a wide tangent. Sorry about that Freddie.

No sir! That's what this discussion is all about! Some may see it as boorish or unfair because we have FM stereo generators, oscilloscopes and the like and may not feel (deep repairs/maintenance) that as a requirement to make a boomer "mint". I've refoamed speakers even when unnecessary, replaced controls, etc. But just because I take the time and money to invest it doesn't mean I'll check humidity levels and alignment of the moon to take 'em out.

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

GREAT THREAD....can't wait to read all the comments that this subject will bring....

I respect the guys that have the 10/10 collections. If no one did it, we wouldn't have N.I.B. and perfect examples for us to admire.

But I'm not that guy. I have said it for years, I use them and they get F'd up! I have sold a few radio's because they were too nice for me. Sounds crazy, but it's true. I sold a Pioneer SK 900 that was just too much for me. It was literally 9.8/10 and I knew it would be a 6 in no time!

My radio's go in the trunk. They slide around in the back seat. The most work I have ever done on a radio was my M70 EVH. Total tear down, clean everything, 20 hours in the paint, Norm rebuilt the deck, slider controls and put in the LED kit! AND YET, it's been to the beach a few times, has sand in some crevices, salt on the tuner glass. What can I say....I use it AND it's not for sale!

The trade off has been....Friends having a great time at the beach with music SOOOO F@%&$ING LOUD that it can be heard over the waves and I'll tell ya, you can't fricken' do that with an iPod Dock

There are times when I may have a radio with me and I know it's kind of a beater and I might be a little self conscious thinking "Man, I wish the deck was working" or "Bummer the tuner glass is scratched". But it is what it is.

These are 30 year old machines....they have earned the RIGHT to show their history. It is a badge of honor

No, don't have any Trailer Queens.

 

[Beosystem10]

The commonwealth will soon have a "trailer quean" if wrinkly Lizzie doesn't stop spending our money PDQ but applying the term to boomboxes? OK, so I admit that my Hacker RPC1 Cassette Sovereign was mint which - by definition - means that it has its original packaging, the mains lead and original battery are unused and the only parts it's needed are belts since every electrolytic cap in there is an original Plessey Windings one that I've reformed rather than solder in a potentially troublesome modern replacement with a European or Asian name on its shiny metallic can.
I said "was" mint because I bought it to use and I do just that. It now has some traces of talc in its crevices from its turns on bathroom duty, its FM aerial has been put up and retracted a few times now so it's not as tight as it was and there's a tiny spot of spilled battery acid inside the floor of its cabinet but still none of the woodworm that killed many of these 30 years ago, just that satisfying whiff of creosote when the back cover comes off.


If I were to find a mint, boxed M90 with its remote and optional accumulator in the Heart Foundation shop tomorrow, I'd have that box opened, I'd fit dry cells instead and I'd use the thing, even if it takes the guts of a month to reform that many caps!
Sorry in advance to the anally retentive, concours d'état types, but just as I won't leave any of my old cars standing doing nothing for years on end when I could be filling their tanks with fresh fuel and going for a drive, nor will I abuse a boombox by neglecting to use it. And to those whose criticism is based around the idea that "you can't listen to all of these at the same time!" Yes, I think you'd find that I can, that's what the Spitfire (Medium wave transmitter) and the Line-X (VHF/FM transmitter) are doing here.

 

[blu_fuz]

Ill type my story when I get to a computer.



Edit:

I am 100% on the same page as a handful of members here. My radios go with me whenever I get the chance. You guys have seen me with a M90 out in the cold and SNOW blasting tunes before a football game. That same M90 out camping with us and had beer spilled on it by some dudes inconsiderate girlfriend that somehow forgot that when you tip a bottle of beer over it will spill .

It has bumps, bruises, and shows its wear. It came out of the TRASH in Brooklyn, NY for Christ's sake, it isn't MINT but it shows well and gets used, it's fully working, complete, and has all original parts on it!


I too have sold boxes that were just way too mint. Boxed Panny 5085, boxed Matsuki Wheely, and plenty of others.


Same goes for all my radios, the are in the back seat, bring them to work to hookup my computer and jam internet radio, camping, any event I can (or the wife lets me ).


Do I have some 8+/10 boxes? Sure. Do they hit the streets? Not always but I wouldn't hesitate to take any one of my 30 boxes out of the boom room to share with the world.


Boomboxes are like cars, if you don't use them they die.


PS, I totally agree with Norm.

 

[im_alan_partridge]

Most of mine are a 6-7 out of 10 but im cool with that because if i knock them getting them in/out the car or in the garden im not totally mortified.
Dont get me wrong, im not a total numpty and do take care of my stuff but accidents do happen.
Ive never really had any 10/10 boxes, probably for the best as i would be scared to use them

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Boomboxes are like cars, if you don't use them they die.

Oh So True!

Most of mine are a 6-7 out of 10 but im cool with that because if i knock them getting them in/out the car or in the garden im not totally mortified.
Dont get me wrong, im not a total numpty and do take care of my stuff but accidents do happen.
Ive never really had any 10/10 boxes, probably for the best as i would be scared to use them

I learned early after STRESSING over dinging a nice 777 I got from member Patron, that it's gonna happen if you use it! I only had the 777 about a week. I had put it in the car, wrapped up in a sweatshirt, but some how it was rubbing on something in the trunk and rubbed a nice wear mark in the top paint
I thought I was gonna puke.

But like a new car, once you get that first scratch...then your over it!

 

[Superduper]

I got so many boxes, many doubles, so I have the luxury of keeping valuable minty ones at home and carry the beaters or users with me. I enjoy my boxes but do need to be smart about the very valuable ones. Now if I was rich, or did not know how much TLC or work or dollars was expended in either acquiring or getting those boxes to that point, I might not care so much...

 

[oldskool69]

But like a new car, once you get that first scratch...then your over it!

Absolutely. I realized this years ago and it just isn't worth the stress to bother about it. (Like people who park their cars at the end of the lot or take up two spaces...only to watch a grocery cart bang hard into it. ) My oh so precious minty black Sansui CP-7 has a ding or three in it now and the cassette section has taken a vacation. (At least until I get to it...)

 

[Northerner]

I've got a few boxes in really good condition but they've still got to be used...I totally agree with the classic car analogy ie if you have one you gotta fill it up and take to the roads...same rule applies to boxes as well as cars!

The only ones I wouldn't take out are the biggies like my Sanyo 920, VZ2000, Sharp GF9000 and the like as I can't be arsed because they're too big and heavy...they all get regular use tho.

I can't be that precious about my boxes as I let my teenage son and his friends use the room they're displayed in

 

[floyd]

mine are closer to trailer park queens lol.

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

mine are closer to trailer park queens lol.

 

[hemiguy2006]

No shelf queens in my collection that's for sure!
None I can really call mint but most of my boxes are very presentable.
I enjoy them on a regular basis and take them with me whenever possible.
With that said I am a bit fanatic with preserving the condition of them , but we all know how that goes, especially
With the large sized ones.

 

[Alberto]

I have about 50 boomers, all cassette decks work and all tuners work as they should,etc. It took me a lot of time and work to get them that way and I didn't do that for someone else to enjoy someday. I use all my boomers, everyone of them. When I die, they die with me.

I am not a boombox collector. I am a boombox user.

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

I have about 50 boomers, all cassette decks work and all tuners work as they should,etc. It took me a lot of time and work to get them that way and I didn't do that for someone else to enjoy someday. I use all my boomers, everyone of them. When I die, they die with me.

I am not a boombox collector. I am a boombox user.

Very well stated!

 

[AZA]

I like my boxes minty. Just because you use them doesn't mean you have to abuse them.

 

[Retro Addict]

None of my radios are perfect, but some are pretty close! About half of mine have what I'd call "battle scars", ranging from dents in brushed aluminium trim, to knocks and scratches on chrome trims. The rest have more minor scars such as wear marks caused by normal use, and missing paint on speaker grilles. On one hand, I'd love all of my boxes to be absolutely mint, so I could marvel at the time warp that I have, and knowing that they look exactly as the designers intended. But that's never going to happen. And on the other hand, I do like some marks, as long as they dont spoil the overall appearance of the boombox, such as melted bits and missing cassette doors. None of mine have blemishes as bad as those, as I don't buy boomboxes with those problems. I don't mind a boombox with marks, as long as they're clean. Perfectly clean. Physical damage can't be helped, but there is no excuse for dirt. It can always be cleaned off.

 

[blu_fuz]

I like my boxes minty. Just because you use them doesn't mean you have to abuse them.

Put it this way, I'm sure everyone here doesn't make ANY boombox worse than when they got it. The "use" and "abuse" was done well before our time rescuing them from the trash, gutter, thrift shop, garage, or yard sale.

 

[Lasonic TRC-920]

Put it this way, I'm sure everyone here doesn't make ANY boombox worse than when they got it. The "use" and "abuse" was done well before our time rescuing them from the trash, gutter, thrift shop, garage, or yard sale.

Totally agree....It's a real bummer when an unfortunate ding happens. I try hard to not add to the damage, but's tough. The bigger radio's are hard to get through a doorway or navigate a crowd. (and we have recently learned you can't put 2 Wheely's in the back seat of a full sized pick up)

I also agree that the damage on these radio's came at a time after the original owner bought them and lost interest and before we "Rescued" them. How many radio's have you had or seen that were covered in paint splatter, or filled with sawdust and dirt from being in a workshop. Before these became collectors items, they were just tools to deliver the tunes and by the late 80's and all through the 90's they weren't worth much to anyone. Just like a 454 Chevelle in the late 70's early 80's was just a big block gas eater and a VERY undesirable car to have.

Again, I respect the guys that have enough self control to keep a radio in 100% perfect condition and I think we all are just plan jealous of members (like Norm) who have built their collections to the point of having one to keep and one to play with! But that's a dream and subject for another thread!