There seem to be quite a few different model numbers of this awesome beast, but they are pretty much identical in appearance. Is there a list and explanation of how they differ and why?
You can add the GF767 to that list which was a cheaper version with Piezo tweeters. This site https://classicboombox.com/sharp-gf-1000 lists four of the variations.
I have no experience with the GF-777, you guys and China seem to have cornered the market but with other boxes there seems to be at least three different versions for some of them... 1. Japanese Domestic Market (JDM) the ones with the Japanese Letters on them. They might also have a smaller FM scale 2. World Market, the ones with multi-band radios and multi-voltage. 3. North America Market, the ones with just AM/FM radio. And some are just different for no apparent reason, my Sony CFS-99 doesn't have the LED music search that seems to be on most models but it doesn't have a different model number. Sometimes with other 80's appliances we had identical products with different numbers that would get retailed by competing stores. The stores had a price match policy or would even give a 10% discount if you could show the other store's price. Before they went to different product numbers, we had a lot of fun getting the bigger better deal.
I've never seen one myself, but used to regularly look at the listings on Ebay. I believe there are Japanese made GF777 and Chinese made ones GF777Z ?. From the number that used to appear on Ebay being shipped directly from China. I have wondered if they were the standard unit for schools or something (in the same way that the BBC computer was the standard school computer in the U.K.) I just couldn't imagine that many individuals in a country where incomes were low buying such a high end boombox. I recall one of the regular Chinese sellers posting a picture of a room with about 30 GF777s stacked up in it. I wish I had taken a copy of that picture. In hindsight I should have bought one as they were typically less than £500 including postage. However, that was about fifteen years ago when supply from China seemed to be plentyful.
They used to discuss those boxes all of the time, there were so many of them. I'm latching onto the theory that portables were very popular in Asian Countries, the GF-777 was perfect for home or businesses and it's lifespan in China lasted much longer than the rest of the world where the boombox "fad" slowly died.
Sharp GF-767 | The Boombox Wiki (wikiboombox.com) Sharp GF-777 | The Boombox Wiki (wikiboombox.com) Sharp GF-909 | The Boombox Wiki (wikiboombox.com) Sharp GF-919 | The Boombox Wiki (wikiboombox.com) Sharp GF-999 | The Boombox Wiki (wikiboombox.com) Sharp GF-1000 | The Boombox Wiki (wikiboombox.com)
I had a couple of gf 1000 and a 777, you have to be carful though as some of these models suffer from chrome rot and it looks terrible when it sets in. Anybody here remember peppin???? everybody went to him back in the day
And the front panels Reli.....i sold one of my gf 1000's for 50 pounds it was so bad....i couldn't bare looking at it
on the 909 919 and 767 yes,the 777 999 1000 on the right hand side it totally goes lad, i would say the ones without the chrome rot are the best ones to get my victor m90 had chrome rot on the left hand trim and the handle was totally gone, it's the only m90 i have seen like this, i just sanded it down and repainted it also lucky for me i had a spare handle
