The Sharp GF-777 Boombox
It’s taken me longer than I’d hoped, but I’ve finally got this new video completed. It’s a rather expatiated look at the Sharp GF-777 Boombox.
https://youtu.be/et4W90STW1Y
You wouldn’t believe how many people have linked me to the BumpBoxx B-777 Boombox campaign on Kickstarter. I received two new emails about it this morning alone.
With all the interest in this modern day homage to the 1980s Sharp GF-777, I’ve been prompted to finally make a video about the original. With the new look-alike model due in a couple of months the timing seemed perfect to show where it all started.
Yes the video a bit long, but I’m in no rush. It’d be impossible for me to do this justice in a YT short - plus the dimensions don’t suit portrait video anyway.
If you’re interested in the Bumpboxx reimagining, I’d like to direct you to this video featuring the CEO as it really does seem like he is someone who ‘gets’ it. I guess you had to be there to appreciate how a piece of tech has the power to conjure up certain emotions. https://youtu.be/WHRjvmKAXHg
Once I’ve had a good sleep, I’ll see if I’ve got enough content for a Patreon exclusive update video. I suppose if you have any burning questions now might be the time to pop them below. I'll try to answer any easy ones.
Take care and have a good week.
UPDATED: Removed the word ‘inertia’.
Comments (56)
Excellent video, 10/10 Techmoan
Got so excited about the BumpBoxx. Then I am reminded how rubbish our AUD is
SNRS was probably based on Philips' Dynamic Noise Limiter (DNL), just like the Dynamic Noise Reduction (DNR) feature of some new cassette decks today. BBC announced that Radio 4 on 198 kHz longwave will be shutting down on 26 September 2026, so you have a few more months to pick up anything on the LW band, aside from a few distant signals at night, such as on 225 kHz from Poland.
I had a garbage-picked RISING boombox in the early 90's. Aside from the tape transport control buttons and levers breaking off during casual use (necessitating a Radio Shack micro-screwdriver perfectly housed in one of the broken aerial holes) it did what it said on the tin. A ton of inputs and outputs and, surprisingly, they all performed in spec... or at least, exSPECtations. I likely wouldn't remember that "ghetto-blaster" at all except that I used the built-in microphones as room mics when recording drums in my parent's garage as a teenager. I've had a few "name" engineers quiz me on how I got that sound. My mother ensured that boombox returned to the garbage pile it was picked from as soon as I moved out and I never missed it. Imagine my surprise to see them listed for $800-1000 online. Uhh, it wasn't THAT good.
I liked the way you explained all the features it was very good, you took the time explaining them which I liked very much.
happy to see the Muppets return!
i can tell you for sure that the kids i went to high school with in the 80s absolutely, positively called them Boom Boxes.
90w PMPO... on AC power only according to the spec sheet at the end... I wonder if the D cells can't produce maximum output. It might have a bit more OOOOMPH plugged in to the mains.
Unfortunately PMPO really does mean nothing. It’s like a car reaching 500bhp but only if you blow the engine.
PS - My recollection is that while, yes, "ghetto blaster" was a well-known term, even in the 80's it was considered tacky, at best. We called them "boomboxes."
This is exactly why I value your channel. "Vintage boombox" is a perfect example of a thing that I really enjoy looking at, but have next to no interest in actually owning. Even if I came across one at a garage sale for $50 I'd have to weigh (literally) how long I'd actually enjoy it versus how much space it would take up. (As it is, I keep staring at the iPod HiFi in my office and wondering if it's time to either find an actual role for it as a piece of audio, or find a new home for it.) I do enjoy the build quality of these higher-end boomboxes. It was an interesting category of product design, where pretty much the same high-quality knobs, switches, and indicators from component stereos were packaged in a nominally "portable" form factor. Gorgeous objects. I'm looking forward to reviews of the Bumpboxx. You've already mentioned that they won't be able to source quality tape mechanisms. IMO they also need to convey the premium feel of all of those controls. I'm pleased to read that they're using a weighted tuning dial; that's a good start.
Flossy Carter already has a pre production unit of the Bumpboxx https://youtu.be/DM3taLJiff8?is=J2FU9fpBfcCgGj6r
I liked the outdoor part of his review the most. Got me nostalgic.
22:55. 707 😄
I saw the mic and was hoping for crooning. Gutted
I recall both terms being used as a kid in the 80s
I have this probably misplaced feeling the term changes depending on the neighborhood it is used in...
True. In 1981 a much older colleague brought in an impressive Sharp "Boombox" to play Christmas Carols on. He was full of enthusiasm for it. I very much doubt if he approved of Elvis or any music since then.
I always knew these as boomoxes, or just radios. I was an adult when I heard it called a ghetto blaster, and that was from my uncle, who is about 20 years older than I am. So, was ghetto blaster a 70s thing? He would have been a teenager then.
I never even heard the term "ghetto blaster" until 1988. It was always "boom box" in my early years 😁
6:33 It took me a moment to realise that was "Son of a Preacher Man" and *not* "Hits From The Bong". I feel mildly problematic for subconsciously stereotyping boom boxes as hip-hop delivery systems.
Hello Mat, Great video really enjoyed it. I have sharp gf-909 which is I think a similar version, I won it on a Japanese auction about the time when the event was on. For me I miss it not having LW and SW on the radio if only for a bit of fun. I am looking to your review on BumpBoxx B-777. All the best Thanks
Thanks for the thorough review of the Sharp GF-777. Like you have stated; I think its better to stay a dream than to own an original. I will be very interested in your BB-777 video; as I think a lot of folks are. Want your assessments over the tape transports; maybe compare them to the We Are Rewind and or a modern hifi stereo Teac component deck? Hoping that you will take the unit open similar to how you did that Leotec / AIWA / Medion video a few months back. Saved me from wasting my money on an inferior device; because it would have went back to amazon in short order. Your thoroughness & thoughtfulness is much appreciated. Its videos like this and the many others I have watched over the years that makes me want to be a patreon member of your channel. So I joined today. ;-)
I think I've given myself a hernia just from looking at the thing. Thanks for showing us around this sophisticated device. Shortwave support seemed to be a bit of a running theme with Sharp boomboxes. Even the fairly basic Sharp GF-4747 we had in the kitchen back in the 80s came with it, along with that beat-cancel switch. It's a bit surprising Sharp didn't bother with Dolby noise reduction, given the otherwise extensive feature set (like support for metal cassettes).
$800 in 1981. . . that's about the price of a premium stereo from like Pioneer at the time. That wouldn't buy you the speakers but that's amazing to think. Really expensive boombox.
Having commented on the price earlier I thought I had better do a search "Based on the context of early 1980s small-displacement motorcycles, a new 1980 Honda CB125S (the successor to the CB100) was priced in the range of $700–$900" So like I said the price of a new Motorbike.
Mat, I suspect you're being facetious, but thanks for steering clear of 'shorts' on YouTube. No one (even creators) appears to like the format, but the algorithm seems to demand them.
I think the biggest lie in the world today is... "Got it, we’ll show you fewer shorts. "
This was as excellent as expected. I've been anticipating this video since it was teased all those years ago.
One more thing about the terminology - though later than the citation Mat shows, when Jersey City in the US banned boom boxes in the mid-80s, the text on the signs (some of which exist still, or did until not too long ago), read: "Boom boxes are illegal in Jersey City. Anyone playing a boom box on any street, sidewalk, or public place in Jersey City is subject to a fine of up to $1,000.00 and/or imprisonment". It's very much a contemporaneous term, not something more modern. The insistence otherwise is baffling to me.
Back in the day ... when I bought a Boom Box in 1981 or '82 ... we called them Boom Boxes. Yep, some people called them Ghetto Blasters but those same people also said other quasi-offensive things as well. Ahh, #TheKidsToday. I did note that in the US magazine that the version in the image had AM (MW), FM, and 2 SW bands while the one in Our Hero's studio has AM, FM, SW and LW. And I think that Mat's unit might have been for the (West) German market since it had "U" next to FM for Ultrakurzwelle which is, literally "ultrashortwave" but commonly means VHF ... which is where FM broadcast is. Likewise, "K" next to shortwave, "M" next to mediumwave ("AM" in North America) and "L" next to longwave (non-existent in North America). Fun. If you are a nerd.
The "UKW" and "MW" labelling is really something you only see on older kit, from back when manufacturers still bothered to localise the front panels. FM/AM was widely understood as well, mind you, though it wasn't all that common in everyday spoken German. These days, pretty much all AM stations in Germany have been shut down, aside from the odd low-power artistic installation.
Mat, in your end-of-video wrap-up segment you tell us that you don't recommend anyone buying one of these. Alright now Mat, what's the REAL reason you don't want anyone else to buy one?! You just want to keep them all to yourself, don't you??!!!🤭 Kidding aside, while I was watching this, I slowly realized just how good you are at presenting tech demonstrations like this. With no notes you explain all the features without errors. If I picture myself trying to talk through the cassette features, I know that I'd get all mixed up trying to describe what I'm doing while I'm doing it. You've always been able to quickly and accurately present these demos for years now and you make it look easy and seem to enjoy doing it. Kudos and thanks Mat!👍
If I’m honest I do have to shoot some segments multiple times until I’m happy with them. The ‘sleep timer’ segment and the relay play bit had some tricky timing that I wanted to feel right.
• Nicely done video; as always I enjoy your added humor and the historical information you include in the retro-tech videos. • My memory of dual cassette decks is the record deck is always on the right, so I must either have a failing memory or a failing perception. • I see a fair amount of these on eBay and a lot of them are much worse for wear. They're certainly not a rarity, so Sharp must have seen some profits back then. • Phew, holy mackerel. $800. 10 years later their partner harps on them about this wondrous monstrosity taking up too much space. 😔 • A burning question: what's your lifetime experience burning VHS to DVD and cassette to CD? I've been so busy in the past couple of weeks that I haven't had a chance to keep up with anything, so it will be very relaxing to watch an Oddcast. Take care, 🤍 you.
I have never seen one of these or an M90. I guess they were just too expensive for most shops to stock. The smaller Sharp GF555 seems to be really common here in the U.K. I have had two of those.
Great that you found the new prices. My very first post on Stereo2Go was to point out that in 1979 my Sony CFS45 (which was in the magazine review) was 1/6th the price of the new Honda Motorbike I bought the same year. $800 suggests the GF777 was the price of a new Honda Motorbike ! Someone was complaining about the price of the Bumpbox but in comparison it is a bargain. I do remember, about fifteen years ago there were Chinese sellers on eBay with dozens of these for sale used at around £400 including postage. A bargain if you got a good one and had the room for it.
We lost Karaoke Matt but gained DJ Moan! That BB-777 actually looks like a good deal. Pitty there is no DAB, but it's too large for me anyway and I already have enough portables.
My "holy grail" boom box continues to be Radio Raheem's Promax Super Jumbo (which, famously, also used a lot of D cells), the screen-used example of which is in the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in the US, but I'd take one of these in a heartbeat - it's a lovely piece of kit, and just looks so well-made. Alas, this video has shamefully reminded of the comment I left on your Sharp GF-9191 video a year and a half ago about how that video had given me the kick up the bum I needed to finally fix up my GF-9090. Maybe this one'll do the trick... I'll vicariously enjoy your Sharp boom boxes in the meantime instead. (Oh, and I thoroughly enjoyed the video, cheers).
To me those mid to late 80s Hong Kong knock off jobs hold zero appeal. I remember a market stall in the underground market in Manchester had a Conion in its window for years - no one wanted anything to do with it at the time - they were faux gaudy tat. Nowadays they have their collectors, and good luck to them, but I'm happy to sit this out, it'd be like collecting 1980s Alba or Goodmans. You'll get no bidding competition from me.
"Carry around" if you're a firefighter, lumberjack, or body builder.
Maybe Lady Gaga and Madonna both picked the Disco-Lite GF777 lookalike because it is lighter :-) although the flashing speakers were a more likely reason.
SNRS looks like it's the snores system.
I have the Japanese version (GF-909) laying out in pieces on my 6ft dinning room table. Belts arrived but waiting on the tires. Mrs. ain't too thrilled about that. I too am a BB-777 backer. It will be nice to finally have a decent boombox without opening it up and breaking it more. And as far as I could remember, these units were always called boomboxes. I've been following eddyhashee on Youtube Shorts and his determination to fix a Mini GF-777. It's a brutal journey! https://youtube.com/shorts/xvnPiY9_PG8?si=CP10NsGK8bz214B3
Great video. Ironically I pre-ordered an album on cassette last night (coming out 22nd may). Often the cheapest format now released or was in this case, and my amazing cassette deck still going strong
There's no way of pointing this out without appearing to put myself in the same category, but the use of the word "inertia" at 13:18 might awaken a bunch of miserable pedants and prompt an influx of annoying comments. I promise I'm not actually a pedant myself, in fact I love to wind them up by calling them "pedent's", especially if they're in denial about it.
I can’t think straight tonight, what word is it I was looking for, momentum doesn’t sound quite right.
C'mon Mat, the proper pronunciation is, "GF-treble seven."😉
I’ve never heard anyone say it. You’re lucky I didn’t call it the seven hundred and seventy seven.
I knew you’d have been sent the Bumpboxx plenty of times, I’d still hope to see a review from you when they’re available for general purchase just to see your no nonsense honest review. The GF-777 is one that’s out of my price range so looking forward to watching this tonight. All the best Mat.
If one turns up I’ll be doing a review.
Looking forward to a lovely Sunday Techmoan! Take care Mat, hope you enjoyed your holiday! Or are you going next week?
I’m back now, just getting back into the swing of things.
BOOMBOX VIDEO!!!
Ghetto Blaster!
I love you.