Sharp GF-777

This is the GF-777Z ghettoblaster. It's hard not to like the looks and features packed into this monster. 6 speakers and enough knobs and switches to satisfy anyone's needs. Weighted tuner knob, dual needle VU's, removable grills......This box is just so classy, what's not to love?! It has very good build quality, especially the tape decks. According to Sharp, their frequency response is 30 to 18,000 Hz when using Metal tape, and wow and flutter is only 0.055% WRMS.

I believe the GF-777 was introduced in 1981. There are several other versions with different model numbers, like the GF-767, GF-909, GF-919, GF-999, and GF-1000. Each of them has different colors and features, but they all share the same chassis.

All 4 woofers are 6.5 inches each. The outer ones are full-range speakers that deliver a full range of sound. They are 4 ohms, part number 16PB524A. The inner ones are tuned for bass and mid-bass only. They are 4 ohms, part number 16WB704A. There is also a pair of tweeters located above the outer woofers.

The power amplifier consists of two Hitachi HA1392 chips. Some GF-777's had a label saying 90 watts, but that's just Peak Music Power, which is nonsense. The true output, according to the service manual, is only 2x12 watts RMS. But that still makes it one of the strongest 80s boomboxes. The sound output is LOUD, but it's not what I would call hi-fi. The bass from the "super woofers" becomes muddy at higher volumes. There is a pair of small adjustment knobs near those woofers, and I would recommend lowering them to 50% or less.

Several collectors have installed modern car speakers for better sound. For example, you can use Alpine SXE-1750S for the inner subwoofers and Alpine SXE-1725S for the outer speakers. You can cut out the coaxial tweeters in the SXE-1725S and mount them where the original Sharp tweeters were.