1960 Japan transistor radio in box TRANS-ETTE shirt-pocket size CUTE - collectornet.net
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- Oh man, here's the sort of transistor radio that can best be described as a "real... sweetie!"
Yes, I run out of words to describe radios like this. And if you've watched any of my other videos you know I am just FULL of words.
This wonderful little radio was made in Japan around 1959 or '60. The plastic bar running vertically down the front--its chief architectural feature--is underpainted with a couple of stars... and has clear window areas to reveal the dial tuning numbers and the logo plate which runs vertically. The rest of the front is all a good-looking metal mesh grille.
On the back, this model has a battery door. On most transistor radios at the time, the entire back came off for changing the battery, but this one has a door with a latch which is operated by a chrome button. It's a little primitive and the battery cover can easily fall right off of there. And so that is why this other example of this radio that I have, a black one, has no battery cover--long since lost--I can easily imagine it being consumed up out of a gold shag carpet--no doubt with a lot of clacking--by a big green Hoover vacuum cleaner sometime in the 1960s.
In my earliest days of collecting these radios, I scoured flea markets and swap meets with a vengeance, always asking each vendor if they had any little radios. Occasionally, I'd be told, "Oh yeah, I have some of those at home, I didn't think anyone would want them." Sometimes they'd promise to bring what they had to the next flea market and sometimes they'd even suggest I come over to their house later that day and see what they had. Of all the times I did that, the only time it worked out--where I really found something good--was the time I went over and picked up this Trans-ette. The black one without the battery cover. And the seller was going to look for that battery cover because she was sure it was around there somewhere. And indeed I followed up with her several times about that...until I grew weary of it--and she with me. That's when I dreamed up the Hoover story instead as a way of getting closure on the matter.
Now what's this Valiant transistor radio? It's EXACTLY the same size as the Trans-ette, and despite the very different styling, there is a certain 'family resemblance' between the two. This Valiant has a nice underpainted top with a bulging magnifier window over the dial. When we turn it over we see that same sort of battery cover as the Trans-ette and our suspicions of a family resemblance are confirmed. They are almost certainly from the same maker.
These are very fragile looking radios with very thin plastic cabinets so I'm not inclined to risk opening one up to look at the chassis. They are obviously not intended to be opened up and besides, by the time these were made, the chassis in Japanese transistor pocket radios were pretty generic.
The Trans-ette's box is built the way Marvel boxes are made--the Marvel brand radios tended to come in boxes like this-- with a kind of an axle hinge from which the top flips up. And there's a cutout in the lid that reveals a compartment that holds accessories. Look at this case--it looks as unused as a new pair of Florsheims at the mall. And stamped on the back it says it is "Genuine Top Grain Cowhide, Hand Saddle-stitched." The little matching leather earphone pouch is here too--inside of which the earphone is still wrapped in its original plastic bag.
Putting it all back together we see the package that must have delighted thousands of kids, many Christmases ago. Imagine opening this up-- a gift from grandma--who usually gave you socks and stuff--and even one Christmas gave you suspenders for crying out loud! Imagine opening up this gift from her and finding this wonderful Trans-ette inside. "Oh, I was going to get you handkerchiefs," she says,"you know a boy needs hankies... but your grandpa thought you'd like that instead."
Thanks, grandpa!
Love the videos!! I'm 55 and have fond memories of my various transistor radios! ...the look...the smell...ahhh...takes me back...😁
Good old grandpa to the rescue, now there’s a man that understood what a boy really wanted for Christmas. 👍❤️📻
....these radios are under-appreciated marvels.
I enjoy your content, (though wish you posted more often.) I remember my transistor radio. I was about 12 when I got it, I don't remember the manufacturer, or brand, or really what it looked like. All that was unimportant. My father was semi professional country music player ... in his home, there were two types of music, 'country' and 'western' ... so what the radio represented was freedom to search the airwaves for alternative music types ... this was in 1962, just as the Beatles were coming into their own. (though I was more a fan of Dave Clark 5). Off topic ... I received a gift from the mother of a girl I dated, now over 40 years ago. An unused Kodak brownie 8mm movie camera, still in the box (unfortunately without the users manual). It is still in the box, collecting dust, not sure what I intend to do with it ... maybe my next yard sale, or fakebook market place ....
These radios are stunning, and even though I'm 66, (arrg) My love for them has never subsided. Please do a video on the transistor radio I grew up with the NEC-NT -620, it too is a beauty and a real shirt pocket radio. I still use mine on walks and around the house just as I did when I was a kid. Thank you for your great work.
Thanks! The radios for videos are more-or-less randomly selected, influenced by ease of access. I do indeed have that fine radio in the collection and it is certainly worthy.
You weave such wonderful stories into your narration.
Great looking radios.
Great video.
📻🙂
I can't decide which is better, the narrative or the radios. Both are wonderful. Thanks, as always for the post.
Thank YOU!
My dad had this one, always standing by at the ready on his side table for the local Friday night High School football game. He would tell us he almost got picked up by OSU on a football scholarship after listening to his weekly game on his radio.
Man, I like that story. Thanks for sharing that.
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I still have a beat up Dephyr GR
Go gramps!
Man if you just work on improving your audio and give a bit more information on the item to increase video length I could really see your channel taking off.
In what way do you think the audio needs improvement?
@@collectornet there's a lot of fuzziness in the recording that could be reduced and sometimes a video will start with a large inhale that could be cut out
@@95keat I've discussed this with our sound people and we hear nothing that could be called 'fuzzy' so I don't know what you mean. Perhaps other viewers would like to weigh in on this?? As to the inhale, that is real and remains there deliberately as my engineer insists it denotes reality and warmth. Apparently it is not having that effect on you!
@@collectornet what I mean by 'fuzzy' is throughout the entire video there is a low buzz or crackle like sound that can be heard even when you do not speak, that is associated with cheap equipment. It is sometimes due to having a fan or ac on while recording.
As for the breathing it could have the the affect of warmth but it could also give off a air of unprofessionalism and poor quality as that's how average person who's just recording something on a phone would start a video rather then a edit piece of media