First SONY WALKMAN TPS-L2 1979

[kinmanyuen]

lol the year I was born

[SpeakerFreak95]

good music, from what I can hear.

[SpeakerFreak95]

thats pretty cool!

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@SpeakerFreak95

I gave this to the cassettemaster

[peterFans]

Sell it to Pawn Stars!

[mcxpaez]

FROM ISRAEL INCLUDED ORIGINAL BOX AND TAPE DEMOSTRATION 1999 USDLS

[TheSigma144]

I have this model too. Is it valluable? Can i sell it somewhere?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@TheSigma144

I'm not sure what the value is, but it is rare. I would research it on ebay.

[gimnazjalista97]

mam walkman ale niestety nie mam sony walkman tps-L2

[dunhillsupramk3]

does it have a USB port?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@dunhillsupramk3

No, no USB port. The Apple II was a fairly new PC at this time. I had two of Apple II's, but not at the same time though.

[toltec13]

@dunhillsupramk3 No USB port. Remember, the Walkman came out before home computers. What's cool about this Walkman, the first generation, is that you could listen to music, and with a flip of a switch of the external microphone, you could listen to music and your external surrounding so you didn't have to remove your earphones when someone was talking to you. How I wish ipods had this external mic feature.

[toltec13]

@dunhillsupramk3 as the 1980's rolled around the Walkman became cheaper in terms in price and quality. By 1989 you could buy a Walkman without the cassette port for a few bucks. The REAL Walkman was built like a tank and it costed around $125.00(someone correct me if i'm wrong).

[fkfelix]

He have a SD card slot?

[MrAndyAngel]

Just great! But the quastion is - WHY THE CASSETTE IS TDK??? ;)

[arhuxtable]

The walkman's popularity rose in 1981 with millions of music lovers and listeners on the go. Some were just cassette players,some were just AM/FM radio.some were both.

[impheatus123]

I SWEAR THIS IS THE WORLDS FIRST UNBOXING VIDEO EVERR

[meatisdeliciouse]

Thats so cool, I wonder if you have any personal memoes from 1979? I somtime like going through ols tapes just to see what is on them or watch the adverts.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@meatisdeliciouse

I do have some music tapes from back than.

[meatisdeliciouse]

@AllAmericanFiveRadio Cool, I wonder if you have the origonal 1993 PC windeos 3.1 computer? I like the older technology, it's CLASSY. what I really want is, apart from the compputer, a WWI mint conditioned working origonal plane.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@meatisdeliciouse

I got my first PC in 1978, an Apple II. I got in to MS-DOS before 3.0 but all those old computers are gone.

[meatisdeliciouse]

@AllAmericanFiveRadio Thats such a shame, I never forgave my dad for the computer he threw away, I think I wen absolutely BASERK when he did, god I loved that thing, almost as much as I loved my rabbit. I just like the style of the older technology, I like the screans too. I have an arsonal of tapes and cassetes somewhere.

[minoshman1]

My dad just gave me his old one!!!

[itxchas]

I suggest you sell to Sony headquater in Japan.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@itxchas

To late I gave it to the CassetteMaster.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks doughboy902

[itxchas]

My God. How can you keep this device so good?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@itxchas

The leather cover kept it very nice, and the cassettemaster has it now.

[visigoth2020]

@itxchas from what he says at 0:27 i asume he most had for some reason gone to jail and his mother put all his things away 

[Nemie125]

I was 11 years old when these came out and I can remember watching people rollerskating around the streets wearing their Sony Walkmans - Micheal Jackson's "Off The Wall" seemed to be the album everyone was playing. What wonderful days they were! I just showed my 9 year old daughter your video and she was like, "What is that?". There then followed a lengthy explanation lol!

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks Nemie125

It is amazing how much everything has changed. I think the first WalkMan sounds better than any iPod. But I can imagine your daughter hearing in the future, what an iPod?

[xxxMrSuspendedxxx]

The double mini jacks is a new one on me-- is that a special feature? I never had "rich kid" stuff like this till I picked up a SRF-59 radio in '99, lol.

Do you have the DC converter, and if so what are the specs on it.

Oh okay. "Jack A" is your external mic / Aux jack, I see. I was thinking I'd never seen mini jack headphones with two jacks, lol.

I have the WM - EX10 and it's quite a mess-- can't touch it without it fluttering. I think it fried in a attic or car :-(

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@xxxMrSuspendedxxx

There are two audio output jacks. This is a player only.

[joeybinky]

I like the "Hot Line" feature, that letts you hear whats going on around you while listening to music over the headphones. I'm looking for a sony soundabout I had in 1983. It is the same looking model as the wa-33, only it had "Soundabout" printed on the side face. Do you or anyone know where I can find one?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@joeybinky

I hope you find one. I would set up a search on ebay. If someone post one for sale, ebay will send you an email alert.

[joeybinky]

@AllAmericanFiveRadio I did'nt think of that, I'll try it thanks, but I have been looking for a while now and hav'nt seen one. I'm sure they exist somewhere. Thanks for your response.

[joeybinky]

@joeybinky well, I just found my Sony Soundabout wa-33, and I love it. Whoever had it before me kept it like new. I use it every day and I think the sound quality is better than my Ipod! I was shopping the other day for food, and listening to it and a little boy with headphones asked me, What the hell is that thing? I told him that it's the grandfather of what he's listening to. He was amazed at how big and heavy my Sony is, and even more amazed about what this other thing is. It was a cassette.

[cowboybear40]

For my 15th birthday, I was offered a Walkman or a ghetto blaster, my favorite aunt was living overseas at the time, she descirbed it as a personal casette player. Didnt know what the hell she was talking about, so I opted for the ghetto blaster . Wow that Walkman is in mint condition!

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@cowboybear40

I was traveling for my job so for me it was the only choice. And I thought it was neat.

[cowboybear40]

For my 15th birthday, I was offered a Walkman or a ghetto blaster, my favorite aunt was living overseas at the time, she descirbed it as a personal casette player. Didnt know what the hell she was talking about, so I opted for the ghetto blaster

[FelixTheHouseFreak]

Just got one of these!

[dmc081]

u better save it because it's gonna be worth alot of money

[authentic09]

RIP walkman (1979-2010). I'll upload a tribute video later. Stay tuned.

[xxxMrSuspendedxxx]

@authentic09 Relax man. They are just scaling down production because they are discontinuing the cassette in Japan. But the cassette player Walkman will still be offered in America. There are millions in warehouses still anyway. Or like myself I keep picking them at Salvation Army and Goodwill thrift stores.

Walkmans and little flashlights are useful for depleting AA batteries that get lower than the specs to run digital brain devices. The cassette will eat new AA batteries in a hurry though

[authentic09]

RIP walkman (1979-2010). I'll upload a tribute video later. Stay tuned.

[BringBackMy90s]

what is an ipod?

[meatisdeliciouse]

I used to have one of the computers I described but when I was 12 my dad threw it out when I was at school, I was so furiouse that it took me 7 years to stop getting angry at himover it and I don't think I realy have forgiven him yet.

[meatisdeliciouse]

Your welcome, now if you could show me a 1978 mobile phone that would be so awsome. I am looking for a 1993 dos windoes PC with windeos 3.1, a 5 1/2 inch floppy drive and the in built speaker. Have ou got any?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@meatisdeliciouse

I don't have the PC anymore, but I kept one 8" floppy from that dos PC. That floppy looks so weird now. But I have a friend who still has dos and cpm machines.

[edgarsaenz]

I do



[meatisdeliciouse]

@edgarsaenz If you have what I am thinking you have then I would like to buy it off you.

[edgarsaenz]

@edgarsaenz Sorry Not for sale

[meatisdeliciouse]

Thats awsome.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks meatisdeliciouse

[heyoshea]

does anyone know how I would find the Sony Walkman commercial shot on the Brooklyn Bridge? It won a bunch of awards. It was for the original international launch, I think came out in 79

[jriley1992]

1979? Thats impressive, this paved the way for the iPod. I hope I can make a video about my iPod in 30 years lol.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

@jriley1992 I hope so!

[FrostyExchange]

Very nice, I'm thinking of getting one off eBay or something, just to have, I love old electronics ha

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks FrostyExchange

[Paul68595]

Nice! I actually was reading about Sony's Walkman origins one day on Wikipedia. Which showed the exact same Walkman you have as being one of the very first Walkman's ever made. That's awesome that it still works for only being 31 years old. I used to have a mid to late 80's Sony Walkman that had a 3-band equalizer on it. I'd play the hell out of it and it lasted me a while. Plus to this day I still think Sony makes a good MP3 Walkman as well. I was wondering if any one in the world had this one

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks Paul68595

I sure someone does and will see your comment.

[lcvd1]

Very nice, thank you for sharing this with us. I looked up the model and found out this one records as well. Also it was the first commercially available Walkman in Japan and UK on July 1, 1979.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks lcvd1 

[lemonlimestiv]

my daughter just asked me what a walkman was!!

[dzffe]

I have a Samsung that looks similliar to that one. Its a Samsung though. Model ST-906. Anyone that got information about it?

[jupiteravatar]

why does it still look brand new?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

I took good care of it and I bought the leather cover to keep it in good condition. Thanks.

[OBSysteme]

oh oh , this is good! super retro-look!

I am a big fan of tapes... people don't realise how good they sound in a good quality deck....

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks. Yes the quality is surprising.

[MetallicBill]

I see these various Walkman at the local GoodwillEasterseals. My brother had one of the thinnest Sony Walkmans ever. I only recently got a recording one that is the TCS-310. Stereo L/R mic jacks and tape counter as well as 4 AA batt back removing...not so nice there, and built in speaker

[killerob666]

Goddamn...I had one of those when I was a kid and busted it to pieces.

I remember it was very heavy...and had a cigarette-shaped electric motor.

[drjuancarlosvega2]

It's funny how he's treating it like an ancient artifact some archeologist just dug up and dusted.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

It does have a good home.

[UKSazzy67]

I'm 42 and I don't remember the Sony Walkman being launched in Britain until about 1981? In 1979 I was 12 and I don't remember seeing adverts for the Sony Walkman in Colour supplements until 1981.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

I was 34, and very busy working on new digital phone offices. I don't remember seeing any advertisements on the Sony Walkman. I had a habit of buying new Sony produces.

[ClampInMotion]

Made In Japan?

How about sound quality?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Oh yes, made in Japan and the sound quality was very good.

[mig189189189]

Awesome video. Keep on with that good work!

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks!

[TheIxtlan]

The classic walkman. This are now considered a collectors items. Old VHS, BETA, are also considered collectors items. Protect old tapes from being damage by sealing them when not in use. I also considered turntable vincle records collectors items.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Oh yes and + the quality is better than must of today's audio gear.

[TheONEWELL]

Mate i think your right. I'm 13 and have a B series walkman. If anything can have outstanding sound quality forget stupid iPODS, you nedd a walkman.

[EcirpWehttam]

we've got one of those somewhere. It worked very well until recently and now it just doesn't want to know anymore :( Still a great machine though. It's a shame that Sony have lost their lead in portable music.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

It probably only needs a new belt. It is a great collectable.

[pidosilencio]

wow the good walkman, my first walkman i had in 1989 or 1990, the second one was in 1997, then i bought a discman :P

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

I bought a discman too but I don't know where it is.

[DSM1G90]

The condition that this thing is in will garnish quite the dough being in a collectable value. I still have my panasonic portable cassette player that I bought in 1982 which also has the FM radio.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Yep, but I sent it to cassettemaster he needed it more. Those were some nice machines back then, definitely .

[DvdXploitr]

Another great example of how old tech is so much better than todays tech...things used to be built to last and now it's just cheap crap thrown together.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Exactly! Thanks

[dashwarts]

Sony's the best example of that deterioration! The stuff they made in the '70s was and is insanely durable and even the gimmicks were good (eg. the simple but handy Lumisponder and remote holster on TVs), but their new stuff is flimsy and too gimmicky.

[masterlee123]

sell it on ebay you get rich I seem them go for $800+ on ebay in that new condition

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

The cassettemaster has it now and that's worth more.

[AnalogueJosh]

I've got a logic controlled modern sony one, I'd swap it for this any day though!

[mig189189189]

Nice machine. Sony made those masterpices to last!. I remember those days!. With a pair of new headphones those machines sounded beter than IPod's and Mp3 players!.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Yes they did. I used the Walkman as my portable stereo. I had it driving a Nad amp and Dahlquist car speaker. It sounded great! Thanks.

[ilove360s]

hi does anyone have a walkman that i can have for free or cheap cause i cant get anymore players mum said and iv only got two!

[inachu]

my megabase broke..... so sad.

Sony made the best walkmans

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Yes they did! Thanks.

[sarabella2000]

Great video.... please see my collection...

...old radio from tag sales...

[eng3d]

Happy b-day walkman

[mytube0906]

u din mention the fx of the orange button.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

If two people are listening you push the orange button so you can talk over the music.

[pewmanfustudios]

I had something similar to this in the 80's. The last Walkman I bought was sometime in the 1990's. A really sturdy "sports" styled one with reflectors on it.  I still have it today.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

I remember that one. They are sturdy and sounded very good too.

[RedPortiaOne]

I remember getting one of these in the early 80s. Everyone had one just as most have a media player today. I loved that old walkman and love your reviews. They are always so elegantly insightful. You can tell that your heart is in this :)

[irwintorres727]

man, id give anything to go back in time to show off my ipod just to hear someone ask, "where do you put the tape in?"

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

lol, that would be fun.

[RedPortiaOne]

lol ya or tell them how many gigs of video space you have? I love these old sonys so much though :)

[ForgetfulCollector]

The Sony Walkman is considered to be the first portable music player as we know it now. I have a 1983 WM-F1 Walkman that still works good as new, including auto reverse, though the entire case is made of plastic. It sounds great though!

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Sony does make good quality equipment and it is durable too.

[trekohio]

The earliest TPS-L2's imported to the United States (the first 30,000) had the word 'STEREO' embossed on the cassette compartment door along with the tape direction arrow. Sony's marketing department later came up with the term 'Walkman' and they changed the embossed markings on the door to what you see on this unit. Six years ago, I saw one sell for $400 on eBay. The following week, I put mine on eBay. I wasn't as lucky, it sold for $100.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

The CassetteMaster has this one. It could not be in better hands. Thanks for the info.

[danocean111213]

i came across a wm f70 in good condition/100%working.

i paid $1.00 (u.s.)

only uses a 1.5 batt

remarkable quality.

[shiftael]

Thanks for showing this.

I didn't get mine till later in the game.

I can still remembwr when Auto Reverse was considered a 'hot new feature'.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

I can too, thanks.

[boykin300]

Where can i fine one? I can't fine one like that on ebay it looks really nice

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

eBay is about the best place. You might set up a search on eBay to email you if someone puts up a TPS-L2. This one I gave to the cassettemaster about a year ago. It is a very collectable and hard to find item. Good luck on your search.

[stpworld]

hey does anyone know what to do about a walkman that plays to fast? I have a really cool sony sports walkman but it plays fast is there anything i can do if anyone knows anything please tell me thanks. Cool video by the way i so want one of the orignals. I only have modern day slim ones and 2 sport ones

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Thanks. There maybe a speed setting inside. I would try and contact Sony Technical Support to see if they could help. Also you might try asking the YouTuber CassetteMaster for some ideas.

[hobocamp]

I remember when I always used to buy the latest walkman models, they always seemed to play a little too fast. Apparantly there's an internal setting that adjusts speed, and a Sony tech at the local repair shop went in and adjusted mine for me. That slight too-fast speed always drove me crazy.

[stpworld]

do you know how they opened it up that would be great if i could fix mine i hate to throw it out cause i still play cassettes every day of the week

[stpworld]

hey thanks for the post about that the walkman plays excellent now i opened it and found that adjustment thing and it works wonderfull and plays very loudly better then ipods i think

[stpworld]

oh and scratch my last commenst i thought i fixed it but i did nothing its still playing fast

[coondogtheman1234]

yeah there should be a speed adjustment but youll have to open the case and look for a variable resistor near the motor or on the motor that adjusts the motor speed and use a prerecorded tape and ff to the middle of it and adjust the speed to your liking

[KingSamLopez]

i think ppl sude go back to walkman with the ipod you cant play it wiff out computer

walkman only needs a tape and battories

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

The sound quality of the walkman was excellent too, thanks.

[agrrero]

my grandma bought one for $22

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

She bought at the right time.

[margenko]

i have the exact sony in my press

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

It is a terrific player to have, I really used and enjoyed mine.

[stpworld]

hey would anyone be willing to give me a free one or trade for one with dolby that has a big display to show you the tape would be awsome to own an 80s sony walkman if so let me know thanks i have one model i am willing to trade for an older one doesnt have to look nice but does have to work

[stpworld]

oh if any is wondering how to contact me just email me here on youtube and then we'll go from there i'll be willing to take the old stuff off your hands

[fsufan266]

Oh, cool My mom used to have one... Not as old as yours though. You said it cost you $200 dollars though?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Yep, $200 in 1979 plus I bought the leather case for it. I'm glad I did because that real preserved the Walkman. It was amazing then and it's amazing now. What can I say I'm an audio nut. But I'm not sorry at all, I got many superb hours of listening from that original Sony TPS-L2 Walkman. Rick

[herbiephils]

I owned one like that a long time ago. :-)

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

This was so amazing!! I know you enjoyed the walkman as much as I did. It was back then and still is, a wonderful audio device.

[SuperMatch2007]

Is this the one you gave to Ricky?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Yes, this is the TPS-L2 that I gave to Ricky. I know he will take good care of it and appreciate it. It was still in a moving box from the Seattle area and I've been in NC for over twenty years, so amazing that it worked at all. I thought/knew that Ricky would do a video on un-boxing it. So that's why I boxed it the way I did. It went perfectly.

[o1985o]

wow!!! i wasn't even born!!! that's an amazing piece of history you got there... what was your favorite tape? off the wall?

How long of music play do u have with this thing??

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Well, I gave it to the CassetteMaster. It's in very good hands. I made my own tapes and used mostly hour tapes. You could get 90 minute tapes but the tape is very thin. I recorded all kind of music, but prefer small groups and Jazz bands. My favorite back then and now, is Steely Dan.

[mymusik00]

I have one too! with a red button to activate a mic to hear without removing the earphones.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

How cool! Never knew that they made them with a red button. A friend bought one about the same time I did and his has a yellow button also. He is the only other person I know who has one. Mine is in very good hands. I shipped it to the YouTuber cassettemaster, he did a video when he unboxed it, its entertaining and funny.

[93BH]

My dad used to have this. He bought it in 1980.

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

I'm sure your dad enjoyed the Walkman as much as I did. And it was not a spur of the moment decision to buy one either, because it cost $200. Even at this cost, I got my moneys worth. I traveled a lot for my various jobs, so I put together a small sound system that could go with me. A set of small Dahlquist Car Speakers, a small NAD Pre-amp + amplifier, and I drove this system with the SONY Walkman, IT ROCKED!!

[ls1phsyco]

Damn, I bet the sound quality is good right??

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Oh yes, no compression and very good dynamic range. On all the cassettes I recorded back then I sweetened them by using a Carver Sonic Hologram Generator. It gave a true 3D sound depth to the recordings, and small groups sounded very very REAL. Playing these recordings back on the Walkman was AWESOME!! And still is.

[CassetteMaster]

Classic!! What is that "Hot Line" button for?

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

This was the first portable personal cassette player, and SONY thought that it might be too antisocial. So they added the Hot Line button, a microphone, and two stereo headphone jacks. When the Hot Line button is pushed, it lowers the cassette music by about 20-30db and turns on the microphone. If you are listening with a friend and push the Hot Line button you can talk over the music or sing along with it. Problem solved, less antisocial.

[speedyc395]

Very nice Walkman! High quality :)

[AllAmericanFiveRadio]

Sony did it right for their first WALKMAN, the quality is superb. A new belt, pinch-roller and it will play like new. I think that the audio amps use zero compression, I believe Class A or minimum AB biasing. I was amazed that it played at all, I can not remember the last time I even touched it before the video. Thanks