Sneakerheads: My Collection has Grown and Changed. Adidas, Puma, Geox, Sketchers and More!

April 26, 2018

#249

Gentle reader,

I first brought your attention to my unintentional collection (I've had a few of those!) of sneakers and driving shoes in this blog post: I was an elementary school trendsetter! ADIDAS and driving shoes collection.

Then, my wife surprised me by buying me a REAL shoe stand as opposed to the Chinese P.O.S. that I first had here:  My wife shows once again how awesome she is: Sneaker collection rack! 

That first article shows what shoes I then had in great detail and from many angles. I will not subject you to that this time. Frank Quitely, (that would be my name if ever interviewed for TV news. Or, Dick Hertz, Ben Dover, Pat McGroin, etc.) the only reason I decided to write about the collection again is that I have stopped some of the shoes from sliding off the rack. I will show you how at the bottom of the article.

Above and below, are just the sneakers portion of the collection. Since I had to clear them all off the rack, I decided to line them up and take photos of them.

Starting above, top row, left is an all-white pair of GOODYEAR Adidas Driving Sneakers. OK, there IS some color to them you will see below. Next a pair of PORSCHE DESIGN Adidas Driving Sneakers with silver stripes. Next are a pair of Adidas BOUNCE running sneakers my wife bought for me. Then a pair of my favorites: Adidas ROM white with grey stripes. Bottom row has, left to right another pair of ROM with red stripes. Next to them are a pair of Adidas SAMBA sneakers which are similar to ROMs but with different soles. Then a canvas pair (what I think of as KED sneakers) which are Adidas KIEL and were the first pair of white with blue stripes. Lastly, another pair my wife bought me for Christmas, Adidas GAZELLE which are close enough to ROMs to satisfy my itch to have white with blue stripes ROMs. She paid over $100.00 for them! What can I say, she really loves me!

Above, top row, left: Adidas SAMOA (I think) in red leather and suede with white stripes. Then a pair of red suede Adidas GREEN STAR sneakers with black stripes. My most colorful pair next are Ralph Lauren POLO driving sneakers. Last on top are what were listed as olive green, but are not with white stripes. Bottom row, left are the other pair of Adidas GOODYEAR driving sneakers, brown suede and leather with white stripes. Next, my second pair of GEOX, these in khaki! They too are driving sneakers. Then a pair of PUMA driving sneakers in khaki, orange and olive green. Lastly is a truly olive green Adidas, sadly with no stripes.

Above, top row, left are my other pair of PUMA driving sneakers in black suede with white stripes and cats. To the right of those are a pair of Adidas CLIMACOOL running sneakers. They are SO light and SO comfortable! Next, another pair of Adidas ROM in blue leather with red stripes. To the right and looking well worn are a pair in navy blue suede with lighter blue stripes. Bottom row, left is another pair my wife bought for me, blue with white stripes. Next another pair she bought for me that are also Adidas running sneakers (is she trying to tell me something?) that are also very light and comfortable. Then my only pair of REBOK sneakers. In blue suede (Elvis would be so proud of me!) and they qualify as having the thickest laces in the collection. Lastly another pair of Adidas running shoes, yes, my wife bought them for me. in grey with white stripes and funky dayglo green interiors.

Last of the floor show are two pairs of Sketchers. The black with dark brown accents on the left are leather and are driving sneakers with tiny bumps for soles. The ones on the right are fairly recent additions. I love the looks of them.

If you click on any photo, they will all open up in a window above this one. This is all the shoes from the rear. Can you tell what I did to the rack? Second row from the bottom has, from the left, a pair of brown leather loafers with tassels. Next to them, with shoe stretchers in them are a pair of Thom Mcan brown leather driving loafers. Next to them are another pair of Sketchers, also in brown leather that have become my yard-work shoes. You saw the blue Sketchers already, on the right end. Bottom row, left and my last (and first purchased) pair of Sketchers. They are driving deck (AKA: boat) shoes in several shades of brown. The color wears off easily. Then the black Sketchers, you can now see the nubby soles. My latest are next an all-black pair of leather driving loafers, also with stretchers inside. Lastly are plain black funeral shoes in leather. I literally bought them for my brother-in-law's funeral.

Closer looks at the back of them. I won't name them again.

One thing, below, top right are the GOODYEAR ones. 

See, with rounded heels and the only color on them.

OK, this, really quickly: Driving shoes have ROUNDED heels (like our feet) so that doing "heel-and-toe" braking while racing is more easily achieved. Look that up, there are videos, if you want to know that that's all about.

So that is it, for the back of the shoes and the rack. When I looked back at my first article and that rickety rack I bought, sheesh!

LOOK at how white these sneakers are! I take good care when wearing them to avoid getting them scuffed or dirty.

Again, individual rows for your entertainment and edification.

See how scuffed the Sketchers deck shoes (bottom right) are? Really interesting design which I show you in the original article, but that dark brown wore off too easily.

The top two rows, contain my non-sneakers. Top row are boots. When I was the Battalion Adjutant with the Young Marines, I needed combat-style boots for the uniforms. The RUGGED boots on the right I've had for decades. Really. They are my snow boots. Next row down are from the left, Christmas present suede moccasin-style slippers. Then a pair I've had for along time, and it shows, and lastly a new pair of river shoes. Great for walking in creeks and rivers and excellent for washing the cars.

As promised, what I did to make the shoes stay in place. We have some really good double-sided sticky tape. I don't remember the brand. It is 1/2" wide, the tape if black, the covering is white. Do you know the scientific name for "sticky"? Pressure Sensitive. No joke. 

Above is shown the process in progress. I cut rug anti-slip backing into strips abut 3/4" wide. I cut the tape into eight pieces per rod. And stuck them on as shown.

Peeling off the white backing is much easier using a utility knife. That pointy razor blade slips right beneath it to peel it off. Then, I pressed the rug backing onto the tape and cut the second pieces to length.

It took a while, but the results were worth it. And I enjoyed interfacing with my shoes and boots. It made me appreciate them all over again. Now that Spring is FINALLY here, I can start wearing sneakers again!

And here it is, in all it's glory. The entire collection. Oops! I forgot, there is one other pair a couple feet from me (pun unintended), the original pair of GEOX red and black driving sneakers. They have replaced the pair of PILOTI red driving shoes my wife bought for me. I actually wore a hole in the sole of the left one, by left-foot-braking, while racing! 

I almost bought another pair of Adidas off of eBay yesterday, they are South African flag colors and I really liked the way they looked. But editing these photos and the symmetry I have achieved changed my mind. I have the exact number of shoes to fill this rack.

Thanks for looking!

Scott

April 26, 2018  

   

Comparing YASHICA GT and GTN 35mm Rangefinder Cameras

April 11, 2018

#248

Gentle reader,

By now you know about many of the collections that have been acquired by Nancy and I. You also may have detected a "slight" tendency of mine towards OCD. As some wise person once said, "Admitting you have a problem is the first step towards healing." In my case, maintaining neatness and doing things to the best of my abilities is an asset, not a liability.

YASHICA was one of the more prolific makers of rangefinder (and later SLR) cameras. In fact, a YASHICA J was the very camera I found at a church bazaar that started me collecting cameras more than twenty years ago. YASHICA formed a partnership with Germany's CONTAX camera company helping them to produce SLR cameras under both names. They both used the same mount so lenses from either would work on both. I have not had any of those cameras.

YASHICA came out with the Electro series starting in 1966. The name referring to their being electrically metered and having electrical shutters, rather than mechanical ones. They made them in various sizes with both chromed metal and all-black finishes. Their "G" series are large bodied with big and fast f1.7 lenses. The last of the line are GSN in chrome and GTN in all-black which appeared around 1974.

The previous models labeled GS and GT came out fifty years ago in 1968.

There is an excellent website that I read prior to initiating this article. I quickly saw that he has an excellent grasp on all things YASHICA. So I will limit this article to the visible differences and improvements from GS/GT to GSN/GTN. Since the all-black models are better looking to me, I have chosen these to show you.

The GT, I bought via eBay, it is in excellent condition. It was the second one that I have had. I sold off the vast majority of my camera collection a few years ago after my camera mentor, retired US Army Colonel Bill Arps passed. That is not why, one factor was that eBay was killing off camera shows which are great fun for one used to seeing only photos of desired cameras on line. The other was I realized this, "OK, you have shown you can amass and display a large camera collection. Now what?" 
Below are photos of the collection at it's peak. Not shown are the large format cameras.

This is the first reduced state. I built this cabinet originally to house Nancy's Beanie Babies collection. My first GT can be seen third row down on the right.

The final size, actually, there are several additions since my joining three camera collector/user groups on FaceBook has reignited my interest in shooting film. Thus, this small area is more crowded than I like.

Back to the subject at hand. These Yashica cameras are robust and well made. They were unique in using a large (for a camera) 5.6 volt Mercury battery. Here is a photo of the GT with the aforementioned battery as I showed it on eBay. (It sold within hours!)

The battery is about the same height as a AA but thicker. What looks like the positive terminal (and is on most dry cell batteries, center post on top) is in fact negative on these with positive being flat and slightly indented. 

I focused on the lenses for these shots. So, starting with the lenses, see any difference? Yes, COLOR was added to the front ring on the GTN. Actually, YASHICA did that many years earlier to assure buyers that their lenses were "color corrected". Why they did so for these final models, I do not know. Also, 45mm is actually closer to what our eyes see as far as width of what we see. Yet 50mm was universally used for "normal" lenses by most makers.

Those leather loops were designed to keep the strap's metal bits from rubbing on the body and fouling the finish. They came with the GTN which I found last Saturday at a thrift store for $14.99. Best camera find for me in years! It was in the case with the strap attached (incorrectly) and that Mercury battery inside the camera.

GT above, GTN below. Obvious difference is the LED is no longer there on the GTN. There is a light in a window to the right of the winding lever on the top. I'm not sure what it's for, but both have it. In the case of the GTN, it doubles as the battery check light.

Next, lets look at the bottom plates.      

Three things stand out. Battery cover is chrome on the GT and black on the GTN. Second is the baseplate on the GT (left) has a cutout where the film loads. Also, note the little silver piece on the very right side of the GT? That is pulled down to release the back cover to access the film chamber. BONUS: GT has "COPAL ELECTRIC" on the lens and GTN only has "COPAL" in a different place. Both have the same shutter to my knowledge.

The top plates have several differences: The font is different on the GTN. Next, the rewind knob has a silver handle as does the edges of the now-HOT shoe and the shutter button is also chrome on the GTN. Lastly, the meter can now handle up to ASA 1000 speed film while the GT only can handle up to ASA 500.

Finally is the left side of the camera. Despite the GTN now having a hot shoe, they retained the PC connection on the side. The little chrome lever is seen (above) on the GT. One hooks a fingernail on that and pulls down to release the back cover. On the GTN, one pulls the rewind knob upward to release the back. The other difference is the shape of the piece of metal that comprises the left edge of the camera. The GTN (below) us much plainer.

Here is the link that I mentioned at the top of the article in case you wish to learn more about YASHICA Electro 35 G series cameras:  

Yashica Electro 35 G Series specifications

Thanks once again for taking the time to read my humble blog.

Scott

April 11, 2018 

  

How does one determine if their stereo sounds good? Test Records!

April 10, 2018

#247

Gentle reader,

Way back in June of 2010, I wrote about downloading the test CDs created by the French speaker manufacturer, FOCAL. That was the ONLY time I ever downloaded music. No MP3s for this guy. Here is the link to that article:

Adventures in music downloading. OR: It all started with a CD given to me.  

Long before there was digital anything, yes, there were computers, but they were huge things that took up whole rooms and used vacuum tubes. And I'm not even sure IF they were digital. Anyway, before CDs, there were of course, records. 

If one wanted to dazzle their buddies when they came over to hear tunes, one put on a test record, one created by someone who gathered the best sounding music and put them all on one LP and sold them as such. Later on, manufacturers, most often speaker makers, got into the act by putting out LPs for salesmen to play to best demonstrate how wonderful THEIR speakers sounded compared to all the rest, less superior, speakers. Over the years, I have come across several and collected them.

Another type of test record is for properly setting up one's turntable cartridge and making sure it works properly. Several of the LPs you will see below are for that purpose.

ALTEC-LANSING is a company known worldwide and is famous for it’s professional loudspeakers that are to this day, used in sports arenas and theaters around the globe. They branched into home speakers as well, many years ago. The smallest of their commercial speakers were named “Voice-of-the-Theater” and they are shown in the colorful drawing on the back cover. I helped my buddy build a pair of them. The woofer is in a large horn-loaded enclosure and the rear bass waves come out of the port at the bottom-front of the speaker box. Mounted on top is their famous horn-loaded tweeter.

ALTEC speakers, like Klipsch and other brands that came out in the 1950's and early 1960's were extremely efficient. Just a few watts could drive them very loudly with little distortion. There are several models shown inside the gatefold cover. The back cover shows the LP covers and information for each artist’s music that comprises the record’s music.

AUDIOTEX Audiotester LP is next. I believe this is my oldest one. It has monophonic on one side and stereophonic on the other. No date is found, but it must be late 1950's. The various tests on each side are listed on the back and what they test for.

That $4.98 cost for this tester would run you around $43.98 today. So, one would have to commit a big amount of money to buy this one.

 "NOT FOR SALE" (above)

BOSE, a speaker company famous for their home and auto speakers, (my 2002 Subaru WRX had BOSE speakers in it) is best known for their unconventional 901 model speakers as shown on the front cover of the LP above. They invented “Direct-Reflected” sound which premiered in their model 901s. As you can see, they have a small grille on the front and the backs are angled. There are nine 4" full-range drivers (speakers) in each cabinet. One on the front (behind that grille) and four in a square pattern on each rear panel. To achieve the best sound, one needs their equalizer which boosts the treble and bass to compensate for the small (for bass) and large (for treble) speakers. Properly set-up, though, they produce an amazing sound. They made many iterations of the 901s over several decades. Out of production for some years now, they are sought after by music lovers and have been "dream" speakers for many. The model 301, of which my wife bought me a pair, replaced the 901 as their top-of-the-line. The same method is achieved with a front-facing 8" woofer, and a tweeter that is angled towards the center of the room. On the back at the opposite corner is a second tweeter and the bass ports for the woofer. These point to the corners of the room. “Direct-Reflected” music is achieved as a result, since the rear firing tweeter and bass port's sound bounces off the wall behind and to the sides of each speaker. I set mine up as instructed and they sound AMAZING! Some poo-poo BOSE speakers as cheap or gimmicky, but they have probably never heard them set-up properly.

MERCURY RECORDS produced this test LP and dealers used it to demonstrate the 901 speakers. Like Promotional records and CDs that are not supposed to be sold, this was also not to have been sold. Apparently there was also a popular music one too. There is a long article on the back cover explaining the virtues of BOSE 901speakers.

DECCA RECORDS is a British record label. They are sold in the USA with either LONDON RECORDS or RICHMOND RECORDS as their label. The latter selling for less money than the former. This one is from 1967. Many different test grooves on each side with only one piece of music at the end of side two.

The record below is what started all this business with test records. I'd seen other Dynaco lovers proudly showing off this or another earlier Dynaco test record.

My impressions of this LP listened to with the QD-2 and my Dynaco A25XLs speakers now providing for the rear channels can be read in the previous article:

Quadraphonic Adventures: 1990's Dynaco QD-2 Passive Surround Sound Device Tested.

AUDIO FIDELITY RECORDS put out this FIRST COMPONENT SERIES STEREO TEST RECORD in 1959. They claim to have created the first stereo test record ever made in 1957. They claim frequencies from 16 Hertz (sub-sonic) to 25,000 Hertz (ultra-sonic) are recorded on this LP. The cover explains what can be found in each test. Without an oscilloscope to see the waves, one must take their word for it.

 Dig that crazy 'cat' on the cover?

The FISHER RADIO COMPANY was once known for high quality electronics. “FISHER STUDIO STANDARD” could be found on the front of many of their components. Avery Fisher was the founder of the company and he produced this record in 1972. Popular music is on side one and classical on side two. It really does sound wonderful. Both sides are also encoded with the SQ matrix, so I will be trying this one to see how the Panor-era Dynaco QD-2 sounds with it. 

JBL stands for the name of the inventor of their loudspeakers: James B. Lansing. This 1973 demonstration LP was produced by his company in 1973 to showcase the sounds of their speakers to potential buyers. The music on the two LP records was written, played and recorded specifically for this double LP set. There are eight pages of liner notes that show the musicians, instruments, studio equipment, cutting lathe and other things associated with making the records. SESSIONS is the title of the album.

KLH, a vaunted name in loudspeakers back in the last Century. My dad had KLH model 17s. To me speakers had to be that size and have off-white grille cloth. This record produced by KLH, but mastered by Everest Records is my most recent find (July, 2018). Cover, sleeve and LP are in amazing shape. No date that I could find, but I suspect 1960's.

RADIO SHACK, a name and a company that stood for more than half a century in the US, sadly is now no more. In it’s heyday, there was one or more in most towns and cities of America. This STEREO TEST RECORD is actually the one STEREO REVIEW magazine created and produced. The back cover shows what the various passages do to test your equipment. It is from 1963. 

SHURE, is a name made famous by their microphones and record cartridges. I’ve had some of each over the years. AN AUDIO OBSTACLE COURSE is a  "trackability" test record came out in 1967. The liner notes are featured in the second and third photos after the cover photo.  I have used this LP repeatedly setting up new cartridges over many years.

Lastly, (above) in a “FOR PROMOTION ONLY” cover is THE record put out by STEREO REVIEW magazine. I do not recall what happened to it’s original cover. Copyright 1973 Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, which makes it ten years later than the Radio Shack version. It IS the same LP, however. I compared them.

I admit I have not listened to all of these. But perhaps will in the future. 

Thanks for looking!

Scott

April 10, 2018