Request for photos of 1980s Pioneer boomboxes for recreation of vintage Pioneer brochure

I am an artist and I am recreating a Pioneer Stereo brochure from 1981 that my stepmother had when I was 15. As a kid with little money, I used to stare at this brochure in hopes I might be able to get one someday.

I've found some low resolution images of this brochure to use as a guide, and after many hours of design work, I have recreated at high definition (300dpi) most of the layout. It's look really good, but I am missing some important photos of specific Pioneer models. I have been unable to find the exact images I need (the lighting and perspective are very specific) and I am hoping I can find owners who would be willing to take a specific photos for me. I've reached out to sellers on eBay, with very limited success.

I have attached some photos below showing some parts my project. I've recreated/restored all of the human models, the graphics and text. I recreated the custom font used by Pioneer for the silkscreened lettering on the surface of the stereo cabinets. From scratch, I completely recreated the front view of the Pioneer SK-31 and top view of the SK-650.

In return for helping me and supplying photos, I would be happy to send you a PDF version of the brochure when it's all done. OR I could possibly help you with a design/imaging enhancement project. I have photo guidelines for each model I need: PIONEER SK-11, SK-21, SK-31, SK-51, SK-61, SK-71, SK-95, SK-200, SK-210, SK-600 and SK-900. Feel free to contact me for more information and specifics.

Thanks again for considering my plea for help.

David

 

Hey there! Good question... they don't have to be in perfect shape. I can do a lot of neat imaging tricks to fix scratches, dents, discoloration, speaker grill damage, etc. What really helps is to get the correct camera angle/perspective and overall lighting. It takes a really long time to correct problems with camera angle and lighting (it can be done but it's really time-consuming).

 

Wow! I'd love to work with you, as I need good shots of all the models you have! :-D I can send you a couple nice printed copies of the brochure when it's done. (It's going to look awesome!). I can guide you with some photography tips if you've got the time and want to do this.

As an aside, about a year ago, you helped guide me to some overseas auctions sites as I was searching for an SK-650. In the last year, I got three (!) SK-650s, one from the states, one from Japan, and a cosmetically decent one from Canada. I also bought two SK-400s as donor models. If I can, I am going to try to save all of them -- they all need lots of work (transport issues, etc). If I can save all of them, will likely sell two of the 650s and one or both of the 400s. Photo attached!

 

I love the SK-650. I'm kind of obsessed with it... I even recreated the 1981 Owner's Manual for it and printed a bunch of them. (I found a low res version on the web somewhere, and used it as a guide to completely remake the layout and I redraw all of the illustrations from scratch.) I used a photo of the SK-650 I am restoring for the top left corner of the Owner's Manual. Since you're a fan of the SK-650, I'll share a couple photos of my user manual here...

 

That's fantastic work David. Some of these models / boomboxes etc,. are important icons of a certain era. SK-650 is now on my radar. It has that classy look that I can believe in too.

(I did quite a few hours of Photoshop work to try and bring out / make legible the Sony Discman D-555 manual and print it out. And formatting and cropping to print out a decent reproduction D-35 manual also, as well as the Sony WM-D6C manual. Nothing comparable to your work though! Also, for example, the top model Discman ever made, the D555, its user manual exists only as a black and white photocopy of abysmal quality. (But it can sometimes rarely be seen with units for sale online) For the top model Discman you would think someone would scan a manual and put it on Archive.org. Oh, if you ever want to recreate the D-555 brochure in some way, here is a German language version. I exhausted Google trying to find an English version or .pdf that I could get professionally printed and as a wall poster!)

 

Thanks, Hyperscope! Yeah, the SK-650 is a great little boombox with a unique look. It's those VU meters that really make it classy. It doesn't have the Dolby or higher-powered speakers of the SK-95 or SK-900, or the cool handlebar condenser mics in the SK-51/61/71/95, but other than that it's one of the better models in the 1981 Pioneer SK-series lineup.

That poor D-555 manual... it really is in bad shape. Someone needs to get a better copy scanned. That German D-555 brochure scan is a lot better, and I saved those images you pointed me to. When time allows, I'll see if I can get them into printable condition for you. I can't translate German to English though!

 

Super, David! Can only imagine how much time and efforts you did invest...

Which software have you been using for those?

Just wondering if it's your profession?

 

Hey Alex! Glad you liked the Owner's Manual. It was fun to do. I wish I had saved the original, but I was a kid when I tossed it out and had no idea I would want it again someday! Yes, I am a designer: CAD, illustration, font design, visualizations, graphics, 3D printing and models/replicas. For the 1981 Owner's Manual, I used several applications (Illustrator, FreeHand) but did the final assembly in Photoshop. I use FontLab for creating the typefaces and a pressure-sensitive drawing tablet for the little cartoon figures.

 

Hey there! I sent you a message using the "conversations" feature last week. Not sure if you can see that, let me know if you didn't get the message. I'm hoping you're still possibly interested in helping.

 

Good job, David! You really did it completely and proudly. I have one of them, namely the CK-Series, but it is still gathering dust because it has been sitting around for a long time

 

Thanks! I’ve never seen a CK model in person. I think those are newer than the SK 650, I dont know much about them.

 

Yes, it seems they were born in the 80s. I was very enthusiastic, until finally I visited the Russian website, "Recall Sharp". There are quite a lot of archives about Pioneer & various other Boombox brands, I hope this helps. sorry if my english is not good

 

Hey David!

Shared your works with my pals, they did like it!
One of them just noted:
"The guy is cool,
But if I were him, I would probably take the easy way out first.
(as we say here normal heroes always go around ),
namely, first I would look for a printed original
on eBay or second-hand bookstores
(catalogues of those years have long been considered in such offices).

BTW, did you try looking for those online?
I would still keep looking just in case..

Take care!
Alex

 

Heya Alex! I've been looking for an hard copy of this piece for a long time. After a few years of trying the easier path, I decided that the most likely means for me to get a physical copy was to take the harder path and recreate it myself. It is humorous and strange to notice what a person is willing to do when their passion is challenged by obstacles.

 

The first thing I recreated in the brochure layout was the feature chart. Since it was the easiest thing to make, I thought I'd start with it. It also was a good starting place because the 1980s-style pinstripe background serves as a foundation for much of the brochure's layout, and the chart grid is determined by this pinstripe pattern. In recreating the chart, I noticed factual errors in the original brochure. For example, the original brochure omits BFC switches for several of the Pioneer models that actually do have the BFC switch. This presented an issue: do I recreate the error, or do I fix the mistake in the new layout? I still have not decided the final answer for myself, but in the sample below I did fix the errors. Before the brochure goes to print, I will have to make a decision. Part of me wants to keep the errors in, because they were part of the original. But the other part of me likes the idea of correcting a 40-year-old mistake! hehe

 

Heya, Mate!
What about making 2 versions - with errors and another, like "Edited in 40 years by David"?

 

Part of our nature.