SHARP
シャープ
Sharp Corporation (シャープ株式会社) is a Japanese electronics manufacturer founded on September 15, 1912, in Tokyo by Tokuji Hayakawa. The brand name comes from Hayakawa's first major product - the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil, invented in 1915. Headquarters moved to Sakai, Osaka, in 1949. … more
- Japanese name
- シャープ
- Catalogs in the Museum:
- 51
- Catalog years:
- 1968-1990
- Equipment types
- Cassette Decks, Receivers, Turntables, Speakers, CD Players, Tuners, Boomboxes, Portable Players, Headphones, Stereo Systems, Mini Systems, Full Line, AV / Video, Television
About the brand
Sharp Corporation (シャープ株式会社) is a Japanese electronics manufacturer founded on September 15, 1912, in Tokyo by Tokuji Hayakawa. The brand name comes from Hayakawa’s first major product - the Ever-Sharp mechanical pencil, invented in 1915. Headquarters moved to Sakai, Osaka, in 1949.
Throughout the Showa era (1970s-80s), SHARP built a strong position in consumer audio by combining bold visual design, new formats, and aggressive marketing aimed at younger audiences. The flagship line was The Searcher boomboxes, featuring SHARP’s proprietary APSS (Auto Program Search System) for gap-based track location: GF-505, GF-808, GF-828, and the flagship W-GF-999 (1981) with its detachable subwoofer. In parallel, SHARP launched one of the most unusual ideas of the era - the Auto Disc VZ series (1981-82): a vertical turntable with two tonearms that automatically flipped the record to play the B-side.
From 1984 to 1985 SHARP rolled out its Computer Audio ‘90 campaign: the QT boombox range and FEEL/TODAY/PePe mini systems fronted by idol Iyo Matsumoto (松本 伊代), who appeared on seven SHARP catalogs in a row. The Table Compo W line added a built-in TV Sound tuner for stereo audio from television broadcasts. By the late 1980s SHARP shifted to the New-Life People concept: CD-capable QT-CD boomboxes, LIVE 90/80 CD compo systems, and the SM-A75B digital AV amplifier with 16-bit delay. SHARP was among the first Japanese manufacturers to bring DAT decks to consumers (RX-X100 / RX-X5, 1987).
- Founded:
- 1912, Sakai, Osaka
- Founder:
- Tokuji Hayakawa (早川徳次)
- Full name:
- Sharp Corporation
- Links:
- Wikipedia Official site