So I just imported a WM-EX633 from Japan. I paid like $160 for it after shipping, which considering it was new that's a good deal in my book. And when I say new, I mean It still has the seal over the gum stick battery and the plastic on the cassette door window. Not one scratch. Also, the belt had not turned to goop yet, except in one spot (where it was on the brass motor), meaning it had never been spun. But what's interesting is the purchase receipt, it has "NHK" stamped on it: Now, as a collector of Japanese things, I am familiar with NHK. They are a large television broadcaster in Japan, introduces much of Japan to satellite TV, and created the famous "DOMO" tv short series. I didn't make the connection until I saw the main body: The front clearly has the NHK 3 eggs logo on it, silkscreened onto the aluminum. The seller said nothing about it being NHK, and sold it as junk. I couldn't find any info on this online, but I did find a few other examples of NHK branded electronics... another Walkman, and a Sharp MD player. Anyone know anything about the information surrounding these branded players?
Do you know what year this came out? Just doing a little checking around the internet Sony did a golf series "The Sony Open" broadcast in Japan by NHK. We've seen other Sony Golf Tie-Ins including the famous gold M-9G microcassette player handed out in the early 80's.
The user manual is dated 1996. The purchase date was 5/31/1999. That’s an interesting theory, I wonder if sharp would be a part of that… I ask because of this NHK sharp MD player: This is not mine, but I found this image on a HongKong auction website… the plot thickens.
I’ve seen a few other NHK ones around, likely it was part of NHKs procurement, like how years ago all govt depts, big corps had their names on pens, batteries, books, anything their staff used … I think to stop theft (don’t know if that worked ). I used to work for a big Australian broadcaster and a Telecommunications and they had their logos on all types of items, TVs, Monitors, Stationery, Phones etc.
Interesting! I hadn't thought of that theory, but it would explain the receipt being stamped. My only question is... why would NHK need these Walkman players. I could understand NHK branding Recording Walkman, DAT Walkman, or other equipment relevant to broadcast engineering, but these slim consumer grade Walkmans would just play back tapes, and probably not do as well in the field. Yet, we never see any professional gear branded as NHK, only these EX slim models...
they may not have been pro work related, I remember in my companies they also had gifts for years of service, so maybe something like that. And it was never full on professional work stuff, more disposable type things apart from TVs. Walkman have always been a kinda disposable music player, that’s how cassettes were treated. I am guessing. Honestly, I don’t know for sure, but these types of things I have seen before, so maybe, just maybe that’s what these nhk ones are the same.
