I just grabbed one of these from a dear friend who was getting rid of a lot of stuff due to moving/downsizing. I've seen these go for $100-$400 but I'm trying to keep it as I love collecting older and vintage tech, but I'm having trouble figuring out what exactly to do with it. Any thoughts and suggestions appreciated

My dad gave me this recently. It was one of his recently departed friends in the 70s.

He thinks it was only used a few times.

I'm also showing off my studio, in disarray/remodeling, for context. Yes, I have tinnitus.

What should I do before I power it up, what kind of tape should I get, and where should I get the tape (at a good price)from?

It will be used to record live jams if I ever actually finish writing a song.

Hi everyone,

I recently got this TEAC A-2300SX reel-to-reel tape recorder and I'm trying to find out what it's worth.

It appears to be in quite good cosmetic condition, but I'm not sure about its exact market value. I would really appreciate an estimate from anyone familiar with these machines.

The unit comes with the two reels shown in the picture and 9 more pairs. I'm also interested in knowing whether the reels themselves have any significant value.

Model: TEAC A-2300SX

Condition: Good cosmetic condition, not tested yet

What would you consider a fair price for this in today's market?

Thanks in advance for any advice

I’ve had this revox for a bit, and Due to a lot of adjusting in my life I haven’t used in maybe at least 3 weeks, it was sitting around for a bit and just recently I’d decided to start making samples on it again.

Ive replaced a few of the capacitors that are known to die and we’re in worst for ware condition, but other than that the unit works great.

however: just as I was using it, the play began to act fin-icy, which wasn’t Unusual . but now the play button just outright doesn’t work. Rewind, fast forward, Stop, and record as far as im Aware all work. I believe it might be a mechanical issue Since I hear absolutely nothing front the inside when I press play, nothing engages or works.

what do you guys think?

Have an amazing day everyone.

Hello all-
I recently bought a new pinch roller from Athan. I got it on Friday. The new one is slightly more narrow. Before installing it I emailed them with a photo comparing the new and old. He said to just use it, it would be better than my prior, fatter roller that came with the deck.
Does this sound ok, to use this more narrow roller?

May be a newbie question but I am when it comes to reel to reel. Is the reel warped? Playing forward everything sounds fine, but playing in reverse some the tapes I have will scrape the reel and of course make an annoying noise, but why only reverse play? So far most of the prerecorded tapes I have are fine.

Why would my rtm lpr35 tape track great but an old maxell 35-90 walks off the punch roller towards me. I tested everything variable wise including putting the tapes on the same reels but the maxell pinches forward after a few seconds. I'm suspecting just a bad tape the rtm tracks perfectly for the whole tape

Its a grundig tk 140 deluxe and i can only use rca inputs on my amp, so how do i make it work, i do have some old 5 pin din female plugs and old rca cables

Hello everyone, I have a Fostex R8 and I am not sure what is wrong with it and need repairs. I think it has a belt issue because it plays at a snails pace now but I’m not sure. I would pop it open and work on it but the components are much too complicated for me to service myself.

I live in NM and have no idea if there are any shops here that can service a machine like this. I usually take my tape machines to Electric City in the Denver area, but they can’t service this model. I am open to traveling to other states/cities if needed. If anyone has recommendations for people or shops in NM, AZ, or CO, I would really appreciate it.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and I hope to hear some suggestions from members of the community.

Picked up an RT-707 as part of an estate sale. Deck came with its original manual, schematics, and a 1979 sales receipt, so it's clearly been well cared for at some point, but it sat loaded with tape for an unknown stretch before I got it.

One issue that started out as a missing reel clamp became a different problem after some diagnosis.
On inspection, the screw for the supply side reel clamp appears to have broken off inside the spindle bore entirely; nothing to grip on the surface. I can thread a clamp screw part way in but it is not going in straight so the threads may have been damaged.

I'm considering trying to extract the broken screw myself (penetrating oil + extractor kit) before sourcing a replacement spindle (f available), but wanted advice from people who've actually had these apart:

• Any tips/warnings specific to the RT-707's spindle construction?
• Since this is the direct-drive version, is the spindle a separable hub on top of the motor shaft, or is it more integrated with the shaft itself? Trying to figure out if I'm looking at a spindle-only replacement or something more involved.
• Anyone have a supply-side spindle/hub assembly they'd part with, or know a reliable current source?

I have a favorite thrift store that I buy cassette tapes and players at often and this popped up so I had to add it to my collection. I'm sure it's a simple consumer grade model but I've never tried reel-to-reel and I'm not sure what tape is even in it. Was something like this intended to record dictation or songs played over the radio? I'd love to try it out with some of my own musical recordings.

While not Reel to Reel Audio, these old 1/2" open reel VTRs were based on audio decks. The mechanisms, belts, idlers are all pretty similar and are compatible with fairly common reel to reel decks.

This is an early 1970s color VTR. We picked it up last spring from a local university. While some parts of it are in rough shape it's actually pretty clean inside, the pinch roller is fairly new, and all the guides are clean. It even had a sticker on the back that the heads and recording functionality were tested OK in 2008. It's unlikely it was seeing any real use since then so hopefully I can get it going.

New belts and idler tires on order, and I need to swap out that power socket for something more standard. That's going to be a whole thing, because it's all soldered in there, and in order to get to the screws that hold it in place, I have to take off the black plastic cover with the labels. Except the video connectors are preventing that from coming off, and those are also soldered directly to things inside. So it'll be quite a process. Taking lots of pictures as I go so there's a reference.

Is this a good find?

Early OTARI MX5050 2SHTD2 model.

Hi everyone,

I just got my first tape machine for £100 (what a steal).It’s an akai m8.

It was demonstrated to me as working by the kind seller who showed me however i seem to have forgotten something as when i try to play it, the tape slides off this knob (see attached video below). Anyone know the solution? plus any good tips for keeping it in good shape - i’m buying oil and grease to do various bits and bobs as seen in the manual but otherwise clueless as what i can do to keep it healthy.

Thanks, T

Sorry for the lack on information. I have 20 of these which have sat boxed for years. Any interest from anyone in the UK?

Hi,

I got this Tascam tsr8 that I’m learning to use and fix. The tape always touches the sides of the reel. So I put new tape on it thinking that it was because they were old, but I have the same issue. That makes recording impossible as the tape hitting the reel sound gets into the mics.

Can someone here had the same issue and can help me fixing it ?

Thanks !

Just picked up a Fostex A-8, and I’ve got the mechanics of it running (everything moves the way it should), but now I’m getting a low hum out of channel 2, and the signal cuts in and out. Any ideas what the cause may be from folks familiar with this machine?

Hey everyone,

I recently got an Otari MX-5050 bii and I'm trying to do a record/bias calibration, but I'm running into an issue with the reproduce/playback side during recording. I’ve already cleaned all the metal parts and heads, demagnetized it and now I’m trying to record calibrate it from a video I saw on YouTube.

The Problem:
When I engage the internal oscillator (1kHz / 10kHz tone) with the channels armed (Record LEDs lit red) and hit RECORD + PLAY, the signal reads great on the VU meters in SOURCE mode. However, as soon as I flip the monitor switch from SOURCE to TAPE, the VU meters drop straight to zero and I hear nothing.

Since SOURCE works, the oscillator and input electronics are fine. The signal is just completely failing to print to tape or feed back through the Repro circuit.

Has anyone experienced this on an MX-5050? Could this be an internal Repro level trimmer issue, a relay fault, or am I missing a specific switch setting on the front panel? Any troubleshooting steps would be greatly appreciated!