Vintage ’80s tech: See 1987’s hottest TVs, VCRs, stereos, cellular phones & more at The Good Guys

See 1987's hottest TVs, VCRs, stereos, cellular phones from The Good Guys store

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What was vintage ’80s tech really like? The Good Guys were a big consumer electronics specialty retailer selling brand-name audio and video gear. See the hottest retro TVs, stereos and more from 1987!

Vintage '80s tech and fashions

The Good Guys! Grand Opening Celebration (1987)

Join us for the fun and the savings, as we celebrate the Grand Opening of our new Stereo Video Showplace in Sacramento on Friday, April 24th [1987].

THE GOOD GUYS!, Northern California’s largest consumer electronics specialty retailer, is dedicated to bringing you a huge, top name brand selection, outstanding savings, expert sales staff, and the finest customer service… both before and after you buy!

So visit THE GOOD GUYS! nearest you, enjoy the VIP attention, the expert assistance, the celebration and the savings. You’ve got it all, at THE GOOD GUYS!

The Good Guys! Grand Opening Celebration (1987)


Vintage ’80s tech: Color TV sets and TV/monitors

Sharp 13″ color TV with Auto Fine Tuning, Goldstar Remote 19″ Cable-Ready Color TV, Sony 13″ Mirrorblack Cable-Ready Color TV, Panasonic Remote 19″  Cable-Ready Color TV… also Zenith, Sony, Fisher, Mitsubishi

GO MORE RETRO: Vintage Zenith ‘Space Command’ TV remote controls from the ’50s & ’60s

Vintage 80s color TV sets and TV monitors (2)

Vintage 80s color TV sets and TV monitors (1)


Sony Remote-Controlled SuperBeta Hi-Fi Theater (1987)

Sony Remote-Controlled SuperBeta Hi-Fi Theater (1987)


VCR Values – A huge selection

VHS or Beta — take home your favorite format! 

NEC, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo

Vintage 1980s VCRs from NEC, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo (1)

Vintage 1980s VCRs from NEC, Hitachi, Mitsubishi, Sharp, Panasonic, Sony, Sanyo (2)

ALSO SEE: VHS or Beta? A look back at Betamax, and how Sony lost the VCR format war to VHS recorders


Vintage tech: Camcorders at unbeatable savings

Sharp, Panasonic, Magnavox, Zenith video cameras

Vintage 80s Sharp, Panasonic, Magnavox, Zenith video cameras and camcorders


Retro video & audio accessories

VHS video tapes from BASF, Sony, Maxell. Sony & Koss headphones. Record player needle cartridges from Shure & Audio-Technica…

Retro video & audio accessories from the eighties

MORE: Get blown away by these iconic vintage Maxell tape ads – plus see some real retro cassettes (1980s)


Retro bookshelf stereo systems & mid-size AM/FM Compact Disc system

Fisher & Kenwood turntables and speakers

Retro Bookshelf stereo systems and mid-size AMFM Compact Disc system


Status & O’Sullivan oak entertainment centers/audio component cabinets

Plus equalizers & turntables from Technics, JVC, Kenwood and Sony

ALSO SEE: Vintage ’80s home stereo systems, personal stereos, TV sets and more

Status and O'Sullivan oak entertainment centers audio component cabinets


Vintage AM/FM receivers: Technics, Kenwood, Sony, Denon

Vintage AM-FM receivers Technics, Kenwood, Sony, Denon


Cool retro ’80s audio systems & stereo components

Sanyo 50-watt dubbing system, Technics 100-watt system with dubbing deck & EQ, Fisher remote-controlled 120-watt Compact Disc (CD) auto-changer system

See vintage '80s audio systems - stereo components (2)

See vintage '80s audio systems - stereo components (1)

 


Fabulous phones at THE best prices

Panasonic MemoryPhone System with Speakerphone, Telemax Euro-Italian Designer Phone, Telequest Stylish Phone with Supersoft Earpiece, Motorola Cellular Telephone, Panasonic Transportable Car Telephone — Plus a Clifford remote-controlled car alarm system

MORE: These vintage cordless phones from the ’80s completely changed how we talked to each other

Fabulous phones at THE best prices 1987 vintage catalog ad

The Cellular One story

Cellular One recently implemented the most sophisticated, state-of-the-art mobile telecommunications service available.

Originally designed by Ericsson, the recognized worldwide leader in mobile communications, the Cellular One system lets users enjoy hi-tech telephone communication from their cars throughout 4000 miles surrounding the Bay Area.

The refinement of mobile communications opens limitless vistas of opportunity for the businessperson who spends time on the road. It lets anyone arrange business appointments on the way to work, make plane or restaurant reservations while travelling… the possibilities are positively endless.

Cellular One makes it easy to stay in touch… wherever you are!


Retro ’80s phones, answerers (answering machines) & portables

Northwestern Bell, Panasonic, Code-a-Phone, Phonemate, Record-a-Call,  Sony

Retro 80s phones, answerers and portables


Vintage Walkmans, boomboxes, mini-recorders, cassette recorders

…and the (then new) Sony Portable AM/FM Compact Disc Player

Vintage Walkmans, boomboxes, mini-recorders, cassette recorders 1987


Old-school portable cassette tape players from 1987

Toshiba AM/FM headset receiver, Panasonic mini AM/FM stereo cassette player, Toshiba mini AM/FM cassette player, Aiwa autoreverse cassette player… also Panasonic, Sony, JVC

MORE: See 20 Walkmans & other portable tape players that made headphones the ultimate fashion accessory

Old-school portable cassette tape players from 1987


Retro boomboxes: ‘Portable entertainers’ from the ’80s

Sony, Sanyo, JVC, Panasonic, Aiwa, Fisher

Retro boomboxes Portable entertainers from the 80s


Vintage 80s tech equipment & entertainment electronics from the Good Guys (1987)

Vintage 80s tech equipment and entertainment electronics from the Good Guys 1987

ALSO SEE: 25 things most people under 25 have never seen in real life (and probably can’t name)


MORE FROM 1988: Vintage Magnavox boomboxes, TVs, CD players & more tech from the ’80s 

From November 1988

(sigh!) It does get monotonous having to tell people it’s really a Magnavox every time they see a Magnavox. Like with our innovative Video Camera and Stereo VCR Deck.

The Video Camera, a mere 2.4 lbs., fits into your hand. All you do to shoot is push a button. The camera is so sensitive you can shoot from the light of a birthday candle. The automatic focus guarantees crisp, clear pictures.

The portable Stereo VCR recorder, just 7 lbs. with battery, slips out of the docking tuner, connects to the camera and you’re ready to shoot with stereo sound. For TV use with total remote control, the recorder slips back into the docking tuner.

Incidentally, the Magnavox Stereo VCR allows the unattended recording of as many as 8 events during a 14-day period. Having read this much, you might think you’re reasonably equipped to recognize your next Magnavox. Sure.

Magnavox video camera ad 1984


Magnavox CD player with the Smothers Brothers (1987)

… no other CD player has come even close to equalling the overall performance of the Magnavox CDB650. Isn’t that just what you’d expect from the people who invented compact disc technology? 

Magnavox CD player 1987 - Smothers Brothers


Smart: Magnavox 3″ LCD color TV (1988)

“It’s the finest pocket color TV we’ve ever tested… the set will give you a clear, sharp picture with remarkably good color.”

Magnavox tiny LCD color TV (1988)


Very smart: Vintage Portable CD player boombox

What could be smarter than inventing digital CD technology? Making it this portable. The Magnavox D8890 Portable CD Player. So compact that high-quality CD sounds goes wherever you do.

Magnavox portable CD player boombox


Very, very smart: Videowriter word processor

Who else but Magnavox could design Videowriter, a word processor so smart it’s simple!

Magnavox 1988 Videowriter word processor


Brilliant: Vintage Magnavox big screen TV

Pure theater, large as life. It’s the new generation of Magnavox Big Screen Televisions. A major Magnavox breakthrough is the brightness — three times brighter than Ordinary TVs. (Ad features The Smothers Brothers.)

Magnavox big screen TV (with Smothers Brothers)

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Comments on this story

2 Responses

  1. If you’re an 80s kid/adult, you remember all this stuff. If you didn’t own it, you at least wanted it. I remember what a big deal it was getting our first VCR, camcorder, phone answering machine, and my getting my first Walkman that I used for years before finally wearing it out. Today, nearly all this functionality can be achieved with a typical smartphone. What struck me with these ads were how high the prices were for these items; consider that a relatively modest $250 TV in 1987 would be worth the equivalent of over $600 today!

  2. Absolutely gold mine. Enjoyed so much this article, as it was taking me back to my childhood. Although I was living in Europe, most brands were available here too. I grew up as a big nostalgic of the ’70s ’80s and early ’90s. Those were absolutely stunning electronic devices, obviously not being affordable by everyone. Once becoming an adult I was going literally back to buy things I didn’t own while I was a child. Having a very modern smart home it doesn’t help so much, even having all the technology and AI things. But now having a HiFi Onkyo line and a Demon one, listening to music on a Akai GX 747 dbx, it’s marvelous. Wishing now for a Sony Walkman a CRT TV from the mid ’60s, a turntable and a waking alarm clock from the ’70s.

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