TRANSISTOR RADIO DESIGN | Focusing on the design of pocket transistor radios manufactured during the 1950's & 1960's!

SONY TR-63

This Sony TR-63 was manufactured in Japan in 1957. It has earned its place amongst the greats of transistor radio design and is placed on a pedestal by many collectors worldwide. It is thought to be the first consumer product released by Sony onto the American market and it was also Sony’s first pocket size transistor radio. It was also touted as the world’s smallest transistor radio at the time of its release. It measures just 112mm x 71mm x 32mm.

Sony marketed this radio as ‘pocketable’ however it was just slightly larger than the standard mans shirt pocket. In order to overcome this problem Sony founder Akio Morita devised a clever ruse; he had special shirts made for his salesmen with pockets just big enough to slip the TR-63 into. Hey now that’s lateral thinking!

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Wow! Look at that old Sony logo on the speaker grill! The TR-63 was one of the last Sony radios to feature this logo. By 1958 Sony had stopped using this logo and moved onto the more familiar one we all recognize today.

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In 1957 the Sony TR-63 sold for 13’800 yen which was equivalent to the average Japanese workers monthly salary! Even so it was still a huge sales success. There was around 100,000 made. Michael Brian Schiffer author of ‘The Portable Radio in American Life’ wrote: "Sony was not first (with reference to the Regency TR-1) but its transistor radio was the most successful. The TR-63 of 1957 cracked open the U.S. market and launched the new industry of consumer microelectronics". Stirring stuff.

The TR-63 was offered in four different colors; red, green, yellow and black! Earliest versions say Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Ltd on the back and inside and later versions say Sony Corp. This example is one of the later versions.

At the time of its release ‘Sony’ was still a brand name of Tokyo Tsushin Kogyo Ltd however the TR-63 was so popular that the company changed its name to Sony. Astounding!

INSIDE!

On the inside of the back cover is a beautifully preserved gold foil label. It kind of reminds me of the gold ticket that Charlie discovered inside Willy Wonkas chocolate bar. I’m sure I was just as excited as Charlie when I unwrapped my TR-63!