Fostex R8

[avieth]

Norway? Oh my ....... As far as I know this is a "Made in Japan" model. That guy you talked to is mis-informed in more ways that one.

Ampex 457 (if dated prior to '95) is bad, whether sealed or not, suffers from sticky shed.

That R8 better be in absolutely flawless condition with low ware, otherwise you'll have a $400 door stopper. You'll also need to change the belt and pinch roller (that's not optional). You're very lucky 'cause both are available cheap from here:
http://www.openreel.net/parts_1.html
http://www.openreel.net/parts_3.html

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I picked it up last night, and I'm more than happy with it. It's in absolutely perfect condition and comes with the MTC-1, as well. The owner only used it to track drums every once in a while. One of the pinch rollers was squeaking on fast forward or rewind, so i put a little WD-40 on it and now it's just fine. All I have to do is clean the heads and I'll be ready to go.

As long as it can serve me for 4 to 5 years I'll be happy with it.