each is a different animal...
from what i have gathered from old salts in broadcasting and recording engineers, the scully machines are all horses of very different colors... by and large only two models are worth the bother, so bargains abound on the remaining orphans... of course, the definition of bargain is relative to how much trouble it is to actually get the damn thing spinning tape...
the transports on all the machines -- especially the 1" and 2" models -- are funky and require a dedicated professional for support... someone with infinite patience and hopefully a storeroom of nos parts... (of course, all things being relative, one could easily argue that only studer really figured out how to make a good transport... but, like any pro deck, they still need to have a veteran veterinarian who makes housecalls...)
oodles of the finest 45s and albums from the 1960s were recorded on scully machines -- mostly the 280 model in 4, 8 and 12 track configurations... and, while the transports are not among any engineer's favorites, the electronics do have a distinctive (many would say, "delicious") color that makes them unique and desirable... perhaps this reputation is why the preamp electronics often go for ludicrous money on evilbay... not ampex 350 or 351 kinda insane, but for solid-state, kinda silly... one, two, three and four track models were in radio and television stations and can still be found here and there -- just like the ampex 440 series decks it was made to compete with...
building on the success of the 280, the 280b model was a really good deck that became the staple of broadcast production through the 1970s... a bulletproof machine with alot of improvements over the original 280, it built a damn good reputation among the engineers who had to keep them running... unfortunately, when the telex corporation took the reins, they didn't put the fantastic preamps on this model, so a good outboard front end is mandatory... it's a double shame because the 280b has arguably the only transport scully made that isn't a dog and it has widest range as well as the best signal to noise ratio in the bunch...
after two decades of cassette multi-track, i have a little project studio built around a practically brand new 280b 1/2" four-track -- completely rebuilt by a top pro with zero hours on the transport motors and the heads... i have assembled -- and continue to piece together -- a unique mostly tube front end... we will be tracking soon and i will definitely keep you posted on my progress... like any classic machine, there aint much by way of punchability, so i suppose we will have to rehearse... ah, practice... the biggest difference between analog and digital...
dave
