As you brace for a cold winter in the next couple of months, think back to a warm sunny Saturday afternoon beachside with sand, surf, friends and your favorite tunes playing.

Casper Yardely shared some shots of one of his stereos (he has several) on the beach. He says, “The Aiko ATPR-9000 is the regular one that goes, thought one week I brought the Marantz CRS-4000… nervously. A JVC RC-656 makes its way up from time to time, and a Realistic SCR-8 once in a while goes along for the ride. The Aiko is the “beach goer”, and Its ridiculous how many people comment on it as we are walking there and even while we are there. Others have their cheesy iPod docking stations which sound horrible with exaggerated treble and crappy bass, where as the units I bring have the “throw” of mid-range and realistic treble and bass. All the same, I have yet to once see any body else… not one… have a traditional beach boom box up there…” By the way, Casper has a shop in the Chicago area and he can help restore your favorite radio if you need it. Look him up and give him a shout!

Thanks Casper!

I was extremely fortunate to visit Tokyo and one of my most anticipated visits was to a little shop in the west end of the city called Turbosonic. This shop sells nothing but vintage boomboxes and stereo accessories! I believe this may very well be the only ghettoblaster store on the planet. If you don’t have the ability to hop on a plane and check out Turbosonic, hopefully the photo tour below will suffice. You can also visit their website.

I finally arrived after a frustrating 90 minute metro ride and one hour search for the shop. The shop is on the 7th floor of a building pretty close to the subway station. But if you don’t know Japanese (like me) getting around can be very difficult.

The left wall…see anything you like? Some of the most sought after radios are present on these shelves: The Sanyo Big Ben, Panasonic RX-7200, RX-7700, JVC RC-550, 2 Sharp turntable boomboxes!

The owner keeps a select collection of headphones and vintage audio tapes under glass. Somewhere in there is a new in the box Soundburger!

As you enter the shop you instantly notice that all of the TV boomboxes are displaying the same thing–these hypnotic videos synched to ’80s homegrown beats. Very cool effect.

The owner also collects 12″ vinyl.

More classic radios against the back wall. Check out the Pioneer Disco Robo in his own little cabinet.

That arcade shaped thing was homemade by the owner’s friend who’s an expert in plastic. The illustration in the back was done by some well-known Japanese designer. It also serves as the illustration for the “official” Turbo Sonic t-shirt.

Shouro and Hisami are the owners of the shop. Incredibly nice people–they kept bringing out stuff to show, old catalogs, brochures, articles, etc. I wish I could’ve stayed longer!

I was pretty overwhelmed by all the stuff in here. Just now I’m noticing the boombox in the back with the color tv.

If you can make it to Turbo Sonic, please check it out. You can take the Marunouchi or Chuo Line to the western part of the city, the address is: Turbo Sonic, ACP Building 7F, 4-23-5 Koenji-Minami, Suginami-Ku, Tokyo. tel: 03-3313-5717.

I had a hard time finding it, but it’s just a 2 minute walk south of the Koenji stop on the Chuo Line. It’s on the 7th floor of an office building with a white facade and a large green sign on the roof.

UPDATE: Their shop has moved to the Shibuya district, a much more accessible neighborhood. Please visit if you can!

Flaskback to 1982, here’s George poised in front of his giant Sharp dual cassette getting ready for a night on the town. He purchased his ‘777 on Fulton St. in Broolyn and still has it to this day. Wonder if he also kept those vintage “Disco 92” WKTU banners on the wall?

Jimmy in Montreal valiantly won this classic JVC RC-550 in a fierce auction on eBay a while back. It’s a rare piece and one of a select few equipped with a 10″ woofer. There’s a little directional microphone up top, a fine tuning knob in the front and five bands of radio coverage. In case you were wondering, this model records and plays back in mono only.

The first in a successful series of slasher flicks, Wes Craven’s Nightmare on Elm Street graced us with a small role by a giant star…Take a close look, do you see? No, not Johnny Depp, I was referring to that GE behind him. Dubbed “The Blockbuster” back in ’83, it’s the 3-5259. Thanks Dwayne for the capture.

Mike from Moscow, Russia provided a terrific pic of one of the rarest and biggest Panasonics of all time, the RX-5350. It offers 8″ speakers, a five-band equalizer and requires 10 D batteries for its big sound. The model appeared briefly in 1983.

Thanks to Andy in the UK for providing us a shot of his Sharp GF-525. AM/FM/SW/LW tuning, twin cassettes, Sharp’s automatic music search system and cross fader make this a rare model indeed, especially in this condition. Thanks Andy!

Obtaining this stereo was a big achievement for me, it was one I’ve wanted for several years. It’s a National RS-4360 but is identical to the Panasonic RX-7700. I love the sound on this stereo and the incredible reception. The little stereo mics up top are aluminum and flip up with the touch of a button. The tuning knob is weighted and feels much like a home receiver. This radio will sit in my office at home to be enjoyed for years to come.

Rich in the UK has an impressive stereo collection and is quite knowledgeable. You might bump into him in the Boombox Message Forum. Here’s a picture of his gorgeous Grundig RR-1020, a radio enthusiast’s dream. This one appears to have an analog and digital readout! Like other Grundigs of the day this has frequency presets so you can access your favorite station at the push of the button. Very high tech for an early ’80s stereo cassette.

Bryan, from Bristol, Connecticut found this unusual Lloyd’s. It’s clearly and ’80s model with the bright green and orange graphics but look closely in the lower left corner–that’s an 8-track! Sure, Lloyd’s was popular with budget-concerned consumers, but they sold plenty of innovative products.