GE 3-5259A Blockbuster

This is a very popular boombox from General Electric with a timeless, classic look. It is affectionately known as the "Blockbuster." It has huge VU meters and chrome center-caps on the speakers. GE claims the woofers are 6.5 inches, but I took them out and measured them, and that is incorrect. They are actually 6 inches. The tweeters are 2 inches. The claimed power output is 2x5 watts, which seems honest or even understated, because this box blows away several others that claim to put out twice as much power. The sound quality is very assertive and dynamic, with excellent bass and decent highs. Separate Bass and Treble controls, along with "Stereo Accent" and "Loudness" buttons, provide for flexible tailoring of the sound quality. The tape deck is pretty good too, assuming it's working correctly. Its frequency response is 50 to 15,000 Hz when using CrO2 tape, and its wow & flutter is 0.09%.

Common problems:
1) The fake chrome paint around the controls is soft and fragile, so it's easily scratched and chipped.
2) The VU meters sometimes go bad and stop working.
3) It's not easy to spray contact cleaner into the controls. You will need to pull out the entire inner chassis to reach the correct lubrication points.
4) The tape deck is problematic. It's difficult to find one in working condition. Even if the buttons respond, the heads usually fail to rise high enough to contact the tape. Usually this is because the plastic bracket behind the heads is cracked and can't handle the spring tension anymore. If so, you will need to replace it with a 3D-printed one sold by hobbyists on the Boomboxery forum.
5) There is also a small idler gear in the tape mechanism that shrinks and cracks. You can replace it with one found HERE.

Also check out the Realistic SCR-8, it's a very similar model with a different front case.