Montgomery Ward GEN-3990

Here is the Airline GEN-3990A, one of the rarest Montgomery Ward boomboxes. It was made in Japan by Shin-Shirasuna. It has two sister models; the Silver ST-757 and the Harman Kardon ST-767.

I like how it's got both an analog meter for signal strength, as well as dual LED output meters. It also has 2 tuner needles, because AM and FM are on different sides of the dial. Inside, the tape deck has a very sturdy metal chassis, typical of the late 1970s. If it had been manufactured a few years later, it would have been made from cheap plastic or potmetal. The speakers include 12cm woofers (8 ohms, 9 watts) and 5cm tweeters (8 ohms, 5 watts). The power amplifier consists of a pair of Panasonic AN7145L chips. Maximum output is allegedly 2x6 watts. Frequency response is allegedly 60 to 15,000 Hz when using chrome tapes.

To play music from your MP3 player, you have two choices:
1) Lower the MP3 player output volume to only 1 or 2, connect it to the Mic jacks, and select "Cass" and "Mixing Mic".
2) Or, use the Aux In jacks, they are better quality, and they do not require you to lower your device volume. Select "Cass", "Mixing Mic", and the "Record" key.

Click HERE to return to the Montgomery Ward page, or HERE for the complete list of manufacturers.