I've had some success finding a few nice boxes on Craigslist the last couple of years but I think I finally hit the peak. Picked up a very nice and complete Big Ben last week after a few offers and phone calls with the seller. He turned out to be a pretty nice guy that probably thought I was pretty weird for wanting to collect these boomboxes. He did know about the pocket calculator web site and the value of these boxes but he still gave me a very good deal by my nutty overpriced standards.

looks like its in good shape....does it work?

Everything works except the tape deck, that will be the project for this box. It's in near mint shape visually with nothing broken or missing, the only notables are some dings in the panel around the play button on the tape deck. To get the stereo to lock I have to off tune the station then center it once the stereo locks, that should be a fairly simple adjustment though. Overall it's about as good a condition as I could hope for so I'm very pleased.

Congrats, Don!! There's a local guy selling his Fisher PH-492 on CL. He wants $400 for it!!

Did you place a want ad on Craigslist or was it for sale on the list? Either way nice grab!

I place want ads in craigslist every month, but only get a few replies. Ususally from people with small-ish boxes, and I also get a ton of requests to see if I'm interested in selling!

I hope to reel in a sweet haul like yours sometime.

Peace,
Paul Z.

Thats cool, i just wish mine had its eject button.....

Congrats!

nice one MB --
have been following your recent posts/ acquisitions --
and i think you have a nice little complete collection, now

Thanks Bobby, it was a few days of nervousness wondering if I would get it. The seller listed it in several city Craigslist classifieds so I had to offer and wait, I did talk to him on the phone a few times so we got pretty comfortable with the sale then a few days later we met up and the result is in the pic.

$400 for a 492, that's way to steep unless it's mint in the box.
____________________________________________
Master Z this was an add I ran across just minutes after it was placed. I have placed want adds in CL but just like you only a few boxes came from it, a mint TRC-931 was by far the best I pulled from the want add. I also received a lot of requests to sell but most of them wanted good boxes for cheap.

All I can say is keep looking often, I've pulled a few nice boxes off of CL but i've spent countless hours looking and I look every chance I get.

Ira, your right I've had a tremendous string of success lately and most of the time I stumbled on the deals just because I was searching many different sources and often.

Nice score MB! There is a treasure trove on CGLST I'm sure but there are others out there like Bobby said that are out there with prices.

Congrats Don ! ! ! ! ! Awesome find.

quote:

Originally posted by oldskool69:
Nice score MB! There is a treasure trove on CGLST I'm sure but there are others out there like Bobby said that are out there with prices.

Yeah, I sent the guy a reasonable offer and he e-mailed back telling me he's going to put it on eBay.

He actually wants to trade the PH-492 for a Playstation 3 or Wii.

Don, congrats! It looks awesome with those mics!

What do you think about the sound? I think mine rivals (almost) the best of the best!

Weird, every time I check the LA-area craigslist, there's only 4-5 boomboxes on it, and all junk. You would think LA would be the best city for boomboxes.

Very cool Score,I'm very Jealous!

Congrats Don. Man, I can't believe how complete it is and it's condition.

quote:

Originally posted by vladi123456:
What do you think about the sound? I think mine rivals (almost) the best of the best!

I haven't spent much time with it yet but I can say it sounds very good, I leave the treble on "0" because it has such strong treble there's no need to boost it. I would place it in the group of my best sounding boxes. It's even bigger and heavier than I expected but that's always a cool thing.

_________________________________

I agree reli, It seems to me L.A. should be loaded with cool old boomers. The dry climate should have preserved them nicely so why don't we see very many in L.A.?

Ya, I agree about treble. And - thanks to the sub - the bass is also pretty good. Overall, I would probably rate mine as second best - after M90.
As Gord used to say - *the size of the speakers makes me laugh, but when I turn it on - this boombox blows most everything out of the water* - or something like that
I need to get me the mics somewhere - it looks SUPER awesome with those!

Thank you everybody, this is one box I had doubt's about ever finding in reasonable condition. I've been offered a few and passed on a few auctions because they all had a fair amount of issues/damage that I didn't want to deal with.

There's more out there and I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys/gals find, It's a blast to watch the stories.

very nice. it is odd how many amazing deals i get from craigslist.
you just have to be persistent.

Sweeeeeeeeeet box don congrats.

Its always exciting finding a new box, especially when its as cool as that one !
Mics too !!! Looks very
Well done on a great score

That's a cool looking box MB84, all that patience waiting for the right one is definitely worth it. Mics are nice bonus.

Patience is a hard thing to time Ewen, I bought a few boxes where I thought the timing was right but I was wrong. Sometimes the boxes weren't as described or a better example of the same box came up for less. Oh well I'm not really keeping score just trying to purchase wisely and enjoy what I've got.

There's pretty much always a gamble - but HEY - you got your BIG BEN now!

Can we get a shot with the grill off - love seeing that woofer.

Hi MB-That's a fantastic Sanyo Grail!
I never knew that they sounded that good.
Seeing them apart the speakers don't look that big but I guess size isn't everything!
Nice find-Ghettoboom777.

Way to go MB congrats probably one of the best looking Sanyo ever bought from Craigslist.

Thanks ghettoboom and Ford, it was certainly a shocker to see it come up on CL. The Big Ben is a nice sounding box, it has sound to match it's looks which is a cool bonus.

Gawd that is a very nice Big Ben,congrats!!!!!

WOW ! What a SCORE ! ! ! Congrats, you gotta love Craig's List sometimes

Congrat's MB. Excellent find. and even better he didn't sell it to someone else. I've found a few "grails" on Craigslist, only to have the seller reneg cause someone offered him more. No honour nowadays

Peter that is precisely why I made the necessary arrangements to pick it up sooner rather than later.

I was on my way one time to pick up a Panasonic RX-7700 from a craiglist seller, and I called him to confirm he was meeting me, he said someone offered him more so he's selling it to them. Pretty sad eh?

That is pretty lame.
When I make arrangments with someone that's the deal unless the arrangements fall through. In fact I just sold some items on CL and before the buyer came out I received a sight unseen offer of $25 higher but I had already committed to the first buyer. No regrets at all, that was my deal and I stuck to it, would be nice if all sellers operated this way but sadly many don't.

Man, what a find! I love my BigBen...and with the mics it's just sooooooooooo hot!

-gsbadbmr