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Wanted: mint Sony wm-f20 (I need a miracle)

eclipsedave - 2011-02-16 19:17

Isn't that what the ticketless Deadheads used to say as they wandered the grounds outside the venue where the Grateful Dead were playing?



Well I need a miracle! LOL



I'm still on the lookout for a real sweet wm-f20 and the color simply doesn't matter. I'm already asking enough!



Any help on leads is genuinely appreciated...

-eclipsedave

stereo2go - 2011-02-16 19:39

Here's one on Germany eBay but it is not working...

http://cgi.ebay.de/SONY-WM-F20...;hash=item2eb342e3a9

eclipsedave - 2011-02-16 21:08

I'll take a look, thanks. I only wish I had been collecting long enough to have something cool to offer as a trade...

eclipsedave - 2011-02-16 23:26

I'm afraid that I'd be lost when it came to attempting to repair the little guy.

There was someone on this forum that posted on my previous inquiry stating that they might have one for me, but I failed to note their username and deleted that particular post...I know-Duh!

*wanders off into the stadium parking lot...shirtless...stumbles over parking block*
"I need a miracle..."

ao - 2011-02-16 23:40

I recall that I mentioned that you need to look for both WM-F10 & WM-F20 as they are the same unit just with diffent US/Europe ref numbers, I dunno, might enhance your chances.

Despite their size, these are nice units to work on.

eclipsedave - 2011-02-17 00:00

I appreciate that. Yeah, I'm even searching for wm-10 and wm-20, just in case they've been listed wrong. Also using Ebay International, Search All of Craigslist, and Fat Fingers.com for items listed on eBay with spelling mistakes...

eclipsedave - 2011-02-18 18:46

A friend of mine recently moved to Japan and is kind enough to keep an eye out for me. I sent a message stating that I'm willing to pay top dollar for a unit that's in great cosmetic and working condition. Fingers are crossed...

johnedward - 2011-02-18 21:33

Good Day Dave,,, your in luck I have several.  Been awhile since used them need to check each one out see what level of function they are will let you know in couple days.
One of them was my unfortunate run in with the infamous Mediterano which worked poorly for one day then died so one I know is dead in water.  I have a fourth F10 also in burgundy not in photo have to find and check out.  I am curious why you have such a yearning for this one model?  And yes I have been absent from forum for few months.

eclipsedave - 2011-02-19 06:13

: O   Wow, that's a lot of wm-f20's! Hi John. The reason I'm on a quest for the elusive wm-f20 is because back around 1984, I had worked incredibly hard on my paper route and finally saved the $80 necessary to buy a Sony Walkman. I needed something portable to listen to a Kraftwerk: Computerworld cassette that my older brother gave to me. It was my very first introduction to electronic music. My family didn't have much money and once my mom found out how much I paid, she swiftly made me return it. I had never experienced stereo sound before. Prior to that I only had a tiny crystal radio with a single cream-colored plastic earphone. I would attach the clip to large metal objects in order to pick up stations. Poorly. After that, all I could get was one of those GE-style handheld cassette recorders with the small slide out handle. Rather bulky, but I toted that thing all over town...paper route, bicycling, walking. I was too small to carry papers and the news tribune had to drop off half of the stack of papers mid way through my route, because they were so incredibly heavy. My spine was disconnected the whole time. Found out in 2000 that I had spondylolisthesis and had 2 spinal surgeries since then. Now I have a lot of down time, due in part to those damn papers. I want another try. I just want redemption, as selfish and crazy as it might sound...

ao - 2011-02-19 06:17

Here's one in France.

http://cgi.ebay.fr/Sony-WM-F20...;hash=item2a0e3f85b8

eclipsedave - 2011-02-19 07:01

Originally Posted by agentorange:
Thanks for the info. I'm not sure if the seller would open up the auction to U.S. bidders or not though.

eclipsedave - 2011-02-19 07:06

To be clear, I'm looking for a wm-f20, because that's the very same model I once owned and Walkman Central states that there was improvements made to the hinges and slides to make them stronger and that the FM mode/Dolby switch was changed to select between mono or stereo instead of local or DX radio sensitivity.

johnedward - 2011-02-20 18:35

Dave, I have checked all my WM-F10 players all of them the tape player does not function.  Usually a belt which I believe I have possibly one from Sony stored, hard to find as my filing system for items other than the walkman probably not the best. Only one player has a radio that works excellent good reception and sound.  Others either do not get reception or its static mixed with music.   I am afraid at moment none of mine are what you are looking for.  I will try to find belt.
Personally I have found with experience that too often these collapsable Sony players have problems much more often than most of all their players.  But I totally understand the special desire for this model from you first experience with one and good reason to want same model.  They can sound good but only the later WM-30/40 seem to have noticeable greater reliability.  Might want to contact DocP as he is the Walkman God of this series of players.  He has all models and nearly all colors for each.
   BTW where in Florida do you live, I am in SE Florida.
Regards JOHN

eclipsedave - 2011-02-22 08:51

Hey John,

Thanks for taking time to assess your units. Shame the lil boogers are such delicate creatures. I'm in Gainesville, btw...Well, so perhaps DocP will know of a source...

johnedward - 2011-03-01 16:30

HERE IS YOUR MIRACLE DAVE.  I found an ORIGINAL SONY BELT NEW in bag for the WM-F10 !!   Here are pictures of player.  Radio works VERY well.  Cosmetically would give this a strong 9 out of 10.  A very small SLIGHT in depth dent is on top near end of REW button, hardly shows in photo and most angles you dont see it.  Also at bottom of FM tuning window a few marks on very edge and lastly on left front very edge upper half of door few marks that as you see looking at photos only one angle shot did these show up.  Overall they dont get much nicer and almost ALWAYS on these players the battery terminal near end of player is corroded on into the player usually needing new wiring added to pcb board and make a metal terminal .  THIS ONE IS CLEAN no corrosion !!
You can have Doc P look at photos give his opinion he is THE GURU of the expanding Sony Walkman !!!
  I will have a go in next 2 days putting the belt on to verify it works perfect as it should.
Let me know if your interested in purchase I will give you FIRST right of refusal.  This one wont be a bargain with an orig. Sony new belt and no corrosion in battery area.  But its a VERY EXCELLENT example of this model.
JohnEdward

PS I have a few of the white plastic belt clip, have to dig out and may have orig. Headphones. Let me know if you also want belt clip and also if want HP.

johnedward - 2011-03-01 19:02

Gosh guess I am not to observant these days.. .your looking for the slightly upgraded WM-F20 and mine are the F10 first series.  My mistake.   Afraid I dont have a F20 only a WM-F10 or WM-30 (3) or Wm-40 (2)

elite1502323 - 2011-03-01 19:21

That was nice of you anyway, John.
Maybe someone else here will show an interest.

eclipsedave - 2011-03-01 20:06

Originally Posted by eclipsedave:


       


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        To be clear, I'm looking for a wm-f20, because that's the very same model I once owned and Walkman Central states that there was improvements made to the hinges and slides to make them stronger and that the FM mode/Dolby switch was changed to select between mono or stereo instead of local or DX radio sensitivity.





Just finished a day of troubleshooting a Linksys e3000 router, so i just now found out about John's recent developments. Thanks for making such an effort on my behalf. Even though I am looking for an f20 because of it's features and improvements, perhaps it would be prudent to look at this unit. I can think of no better online resource than right here and I 'd like to read DocP's take on the pros and cons of f10's and f20's. By all means, if you can make a significant sale, then I would never want to stand in the way.

eclipsedave - 2011-03-01 20:17

I must reply in parts, in case this Archos 5 decides to freeze and reboot in mid post. I am curious to hear from experts here regarding the feature differences and improvements to the unit from one version to the next. I'd like to know about failure issues, but that might already be discussed in the f10, etc. repair thread. As far as wants, I'm also looking for an original belt clip. I'm not looking for original headphones, unless there's some weird proprietary plug situation that I'm not aware of. I recently got some Sleek Audio earbuds that sound terrific. I don't know if it's too early to discuss your asking price, but I'm curious. Ok, hopefully you cats will spill some knowledge or else I fixed my router issues for nothing! LOL (Today was NUTS!)

docp - 2011-03-01 22:47

Hi Dave,
Fellow S2G member has a blue wm20 that he might be willing to sell...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCXLXlJScFo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...&feature=related

If you are okay with a wmF10, John's wmF10 looks pretty clean and neat from the pics.

In my opinion near mint walkmans are getting scarce on ebay, but you can always use components from two walkmans to 'reassemble' a mint version for yourself and still have spare arts remaining.

Belt for the wm10/20/30 F10/20/30, wm F15, wmF65, wm w800 available new in sealed pack:
http://www.partstore.com/Part/...y/331540500/New.aspx

(when they run out you can always ask me if I have some left )

best wishes
P

eclipsedave - 2011-03-02 13:05

DocP,
Thanks very much. I'm looking right now.

eclipsedave - 2011-03-02 13:45

Originally Posted by JohnEdward:
HERE IS YOUR MIRACLE DAVE.  I found an ORIGINAL SONY BELT NEW in bag for the WM-F10 !!   Here are pictures of player.  Radio works VERY well.  Cosmetically would give this a strong 9 out of 10.  A very small SLIGHT in depth dent is on top near end of REW button, hardly shows in photo and most angles you dont see it.  Also at bottom of FM tuning window a few marks on very edge and lastly on left front very edge upper half of door few marks that as you see looking at photos only one angle shot did these show up.  Overall they dont get much nicer and almost ALWAYS on these players the battery terminal near end of player is corroded on into the player usually needing new wiring added to pcb board and make a metal terminal .  THIS ONE IS CLEAN no corrosion !!
You can have Doc P look at photos give his opinion he is THE GURU of the expanding Sony Walkman !!!
  I will have a go in next 2 days putting the belt on to verify it works perfect as it should.
Let me know if your interested in purchase I will give you FIRST right of refusal.  This one wont be a bargain with an orig. Sony new belt and no corrosion in battery area.  But its a VERY EXCELLENT example of this model.
JohnEdward

PS I have a few of the white plastic belt clip, have to dig out and may have orig. Headphones. Let me know if you also want belt clip and also if want HP.
I'm interested. I just can't figure out what's in the battery terminal that looks like there was corrosion and also across the serial number. (brown in both pics) Perhaps you can shed some light on this. Other than that, I would be willing to forego the elusive f20 for this clean f10, depending on tape and radio functionality, and price, of course. Thanks very much for posting so may detailed pics. Your efforts are genuinely appreciated...

eclipsedave - 2011-03-02 13:47

Originally Posted by DocP:
Hi Dave,
Fellow S2G member has a blue wm20 that he might be willing to sell...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCXLXlJScFo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...&feature=related

If you are okay with a wmF10, John's wmF10 looks pretty clean and neat from the pics.

In my opinion near mint walkmans are getting scarce on ebay, but you can always use components from two walkmans to 'reassemble' a mint version for yourself and still have spare arts remaining.

Belt for the wm10/20/30 F10/20/30, wm F15, wmF65, wm w800 available new in sealed pack:
http://www.partstore.com/Part/...y/331540500/New.aspx

(when they run out you can always ask me if I have some left )

best wishes
Has this unit been sold? I noticed the video dates are from about a week ago. Thanks for the help...

docp - 2011-03-04 07:42

have Pmed his contact info and links to some cheap wmF10 deals if you want to try your luck, happy collecting Dave!

sktn77a - 2011-03-13 11:03

The brown "grunge" in photo 13 isn't corrosion, it's a felt pad that's disintegrated over the years.  Mine looks exactly the same.  You could replace it with some thin sticky-backed felt (it make the battery feel a little tighter in the compartment) or just leave it as-is.

dmata10 - 2011-03-14 19:06

Kraftwerk rules!  MUSIC Nonstop.  Music Nonstop.

eclipsedave - 2011-07-05 13:51

Miracle answered!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA...geName=STRK:MEWAX:IT

eclipsedave - 2011-07-13 14:42

Miracle fail Dead unit. The seller just plain lied. They actually shipped it via U.S. Postal service inside a mashed "Reggan Pasta Entree linguine" box with very few crumpled newspapers as "padding" O.o Holy crap!

The battery compartment lid tabs were snapped off, as well as the main unit battery door tab(toward the outside), which had previously been superglued, but had since slid/wedged itself between the battery and the compartment wall.

Lo and behold behold, there was also a severely corroded Duracell battery with a 2004 date stamp on it!

http://tinyurl.com/5t3qr4b

Perhaps I am simply not meant to own this walkman ever again.

eclipsedave - 2011-07-13 15:21

Amazing.

stereo2go - 2011-07-13 16:23

Ugh, what a bummer...man, you've got bad luck with WM-F20s and eBay.  Seller said it's in great condition but needs an adapter cord? 

 

While that linguine looks delicious, the box is not a good choice for a shipping box...the seller apparently needs a lesson in mailing stuff via Priority Mail.  Did he/she realize that the US Mail offers nice, durable shipping boxes for free?

 

Hope you can a refund or at least a deep discount...

 

eclipsedave - 2011-08-21 13:40

It required a fight with an Ebay buyer protection case filed, but I did get a partial refund of $40 and then, sweet baby jesus, I fixed it!

nak.d - 2011-08-21 19:40

Glad you got it fixed. How is it now? How is the sound and overall condition? Most importantly are you happy with it? Personally, I think your reason/motivation for wanting this WM is quite understandable.

eclipsedave - 2011-08-22 18:13

It's great! The radio is crisp, loud, and robust. Tapes sound fine, too. The amplitude is even from left to right. Per DocP's suggestion, I glued the tiny speck of plastic back on the battery compartment, so the lid remains in place now. It's just as I remember, except for it being a WM-F10 and not a WM-F20, but I've since scored a blue WM-F20 from Germany.

teamrocketreviews - 2012-08-06 13:47

I need to fix my AF59/BF59 Walkman Sports model, so this would be perfect for me right now. I mostly used my Walkman for radio, to listen to sports and music on the go, and I think I really want an F10 or an F20. Anyone got one to sell? Don't care about the appearance, as long as the cassette player and radio work and sound good, and there's no structural damage.

aerialmike - 2013-08-30 07:03

new to this site, seems overly complicated to send a reply, not sure if this is to the message about a Sony WM-F20,

 

I have one I bought in Hong Kong in 1983 or 83, solid color, not two colors like all the others I see on ebay, seems to be a metallic slim case, label is on English and Japanese, serial # 1288. Color is reddish - purple. No white anywhere.

 

AAnyone tell me what I have?  Looking for someone to refurbish or Buy.

 

Mike