Sharp GF-9191 Radio Cassette Unboxing and Appraisal Before Repair. Boombox Restoration

[@peterperry1583]

Gutted for you there Dylan the 9191 such an iconic machine but I'm nervous now as I'm expecting a gf555 any day 😳

[@retro_restos]

I'm sure you'll be fine. I used to get issues all the time, but I've been relatively lucky. I'm hoping the pieces are inside, as it happened during transit. The 555 is a beauty. I have one to service at some point. It is in mint condition, so should be fairly easy I hope.

[@RoughJustice2k18]

The GF-555 is a large double cassette model - has 2 speakers, twin telescopic rod antenna, the usual 4-band tuner and optional manual/auto record level (behind the small door panel on the front). A beast to disassemble for service and is quite heavy.

[@mr.nobody5422]

Don't let it stop your awesome work or get you down. The parts from it might come in handy for another project.

[@retro_restos]

I've subsequently decided to fix it (assuming the broken parts fell inside)! It might not be the prettiest, but has to be worth a go 😀Thanks for watching 👍

[@timgiebel]

What a shame! Was this one you found on eBay? This is one of the reasons I pretty much never buy boomboxes on eBay, I hate the idea of them getting damaged in transit, when they have survived for 40 years. The other reason being that they’re usually way too expensive. And I love finding them in the wild.

[@retro_restos]

Yes, this was eBay. It was okay until it was posted. I often say the same - what a shame that they've been fine for 40 years and then someone packages it negligently. Very sad. Hopefully I can salvage it. I have decided to go ahead with the repair video 👍I've yet to find a single item in the wild - there's just no outlets near me, and the uk is bad enough. I'm envious of,say, the US - thrift stores are part of the culture. But in the UK our 'charity shops' are just full of clothes. The restrictions on electrical testing too doesn't help people sell. The recycling centres keep the good stuff for themselves too. And the charities have cottoned on to the value, so they have warehouses for all the 'good stuff' - and they sell at commercial rates through eBay anyway (in fact, this Sharp was from eBay - from a charity shop).

[@vidtech2630]

This wasn't damaged in transit ! This is the seller posting damaged goods. eBay is the worst !

[@timgiebel]

@@retro_restos yeah I know what you mean about charity shops, I’ve rarely found anything there. I’ve been lucky with freecycle, Facebook marketplace, gumtree, and recycling centres though. I’m in Bristol UK

[@RoughJustice2k18]

@@vidtech2630 I agree it doesn't look like shipping damage to me. 😔 I had a local seller pull that "post office damage" card on me just before Xmas last year. His listing was for a Sanyo (M9901F) and the listing pictures clearly showed everything intact. However, when it finally arrived (3 weeks after Xmas) the cassette door looked like it had been yanked and broken at the bottom (where it hinges to the front) plus its spring was missing. No way did that happen in transit. It was done deliberately before being sent. As a consequence the seller received bad feedback. Not all sellers are liars like that though - most of the ones I buy from are honest and OK. You take a risk when you buy anything online. 😎