An audio wish,from the past,to confess to...

[retrokeeper]

Ok...it's that time of the year again,the tree is decorated,the presents are wrapped,the stockings hung,etc.etc.You are setting in front of the tree,soaking in the holiday spirit around you,and your mind wonders back to a time,a simpler time,when you wished,dreamed,wanted sooo bad,for Santa/parent/relative/etc.to bring you a certain present.Not just any present,this present was of audio/stereo origin.You had seen it in the stores/audio shops/catalogs/advertised on TV...wherever,and you wanted it really bad.Possibly someone you knew got it instead,and as fate would have it,you DIDN'T get it,even after hoping/wishing a bunch/leaving hints,etc.....So what was it?? I wanted some type of stereo system...any system I could call my own,set-up in my room,when I was 13 or 14 years old.My dad had an audio system set up,but I was limited to its access.I dreamed about it so bad,let my parent know it over and over,but alas,it never appeared under the tree.Just a little am-fm stereo with phono would have been so great,or a cassette tape recorder,mono or stereo would have delighted me to no end.It wasn't until I was in 16 that I got a job after school and finally bought my very first audio system.

So here's your time to confess what your past audio-wish was,and tell us if you ever got it,eventually. Rob

[Scorpion8]

So here's your time to confess what your past audio-wish was,and tell us if you ever got it,eventually. Rob

I hear ya Rob. I was 16, had just bought my first (used) car, and every penny I made at my after school job went to gas and upkeep on that. But a young man's life at 16 on the far revolved around cars, girls, and rock n' roll and we did our best to combine them together. So I asked for a new 8-track unit for my car. Sparkomatic was the big seller in those days, and their ads were everywhere. The radio in my car was one of those stock AM/FM units with the 5 pushbuttons that you tuned in your station, pulled out a pushbutton and then pushed it back in. Not very suave for a guy to impress his high school date. And since I drove the car to high school so I could work after school (yes, we lived 2-1/2 miles from the school bus stop as we lived on a farm. Those days were different: the school bus didn't pick up at every corner -- you walked!) So I asked, begged, hinted, re-hinted, left out ads, marked the newspapers .....

Didn't get it. Can't remember what I got, but presents in those days involved a new pair of gloves for chores on the farm, a box of .22LR shells for some after-work rabbit and squirrel chasing, and school clothes. My dad was very big on "you work for what you want"....

So the next summer I got it myself. Saved my pennies (gas was $0.50/gal in those days!) and had that rig in there until college began.....

Speaking of which: Rob, if you ever find old Sparkomatic car stereo ads from the mid-late-70's...... call me. Jim

[stuwee]

Mine is more of a confession, I really wanted this http://cgi.ebay.com/VINTAGE-BIG-JIM-AND-CAMPER_W0QQitemZ200290164819QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_ DefaultDomain_0?hash=item200290164819&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50 and I got it, though not his companion Big Josh or Big Jeff (dad thought that was just a bit too much!) *grin*

[braxus]

The best year of my life which also happened to be the best Christmas I've ever had- 1981. Grandma bought me the AT AT from the Empire Strikes Back, plus some action figures and a land speeder with it all. The AT AT was probably the biggest present I ever got. All Christmas's since then pale in comparison. She even used to give us a card full of money with all that, as if the presents weren't enough. My grandmother spoiled us rotten.

[no1maestro]

I can remember our parents taking us to visit some of their friends at Christmas time. He was an audio engineer at one of the local radio stations and had real audio equipment. This was an eye opener for me. He had a Hammond organ and asked me if I would let him tape some of my favorites. I quickly agreed and was just blown away at the sound that resulted.

That was the day I really became entranced by trying to replicate that recording session. He was kind enough to give me an old CBS Columbia TT with an old cartridge and that started me on the way. Over the years I began to find and upgrade gear that I could find cheaply, mostly used. One year the big gift from Mom and Dad was a Garrard changer with a Shure M7D cartridge and that was a big step forward for me.

I can't completely remember all of the stages that I went through to get to where I am today but I certainly remember the kindness of the adults in my life to try to help me. I always tried to give both of my children audio gear that was appropriate to their age and they both have nice systems and appreciate music in general!!