4 Track Cassette recorder (minor issue or major?)

zts24

New member
Hey everyone,

After wanting one a long time and finding one cheaper than I've ever seen before I hastily bought a Yamaha MT4X for 70$. The seller said it had been just been sitting around for a long time, and the only issue with it was that when he tried to play a tape on it recently the sound was deeply muffled.

Now I only have minor experience with tapes but from my experience it sounds like it just has dirty/magnetized heads or a slight alignment issue. My question is though does anyone think there could potentially be a more major/unfixable problem at hand?

I'd hate to think i'm really ending up with something that can't be fixed, but even if that turns out to be the case it won't be a total loss. Anyway I'd really appreciate any insight and reply.
 
And...?

What happened when YOU played a tape on it?

And when you tried to record a tape on it, and play that back - the tape the seller tried to play may have been at fault?

Have you cleaned the heads? I'd suggest you do NOT try any 'adjustment' until you know what's what.

There could be other things, but let's get the basics out of the way first.

Geoff
 
Hey Geoff thanks for the reply. I guess you could say i posted kinda early since I'm waiting for it's arrival now, but i was really wanting to know what to expect when I do receive it and what type of things i should do/check based off what i was told. I planned to give a update after i receive and spend my own time with it.
 
Really hard to say if it's major or minor. What Geoff said...clean the heads when you get it and try it out.

Magnetized heads typically don't result in a "muffled" sound, but rather a loss of HF detail, and in extreme cases random clicking/popping during record or playback.

Sit tight and check it out when you get it.
 
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Appreciate that info sweetbeats. I wasn't aware of how exactly magnetized heads negatively affected the sound. I'll just focus on trying to properly clean the heads when i get it and see how it goes.
 
Honestly, I'd expect there to something majorly wrong with it. In my experience if the seller says something like that, then it's just the tip of the iceberg. Who knows though? You may clean the heads and and it plays perfectly.
 
Yeah I'm honestly taking a risk on this item but it looks to be in excellent condition, and the seller has amazing feedback as well. It even comes with original manual which is rare. I figure As long as he is accurately describing the item I shouldn't have a issue. If i receive it and immediately notice major issues he didn't describe properly I might be able to get a refund. If nothing else I'll have a project on my hands or parts to use/sell later.
 
Nice. I bought one of these new for $450 back in 1998. Borrowed $300 from my high school girlfriend (which she hounded me for when we broke up a month later, even called my house to tell my mom about it) and got some really shitty speakers thrown in. I loved it. I have an MT8X, which I bought this past Jan but haven't found much use for yet.

They're really well built machines, and they sound great when used right. Hope it works out. Keep us updated.
 
Did you buy it on eBay? If so, what did the seller have for the item description? Was it "used" or "for parts/repair"?
 
Well I received the item... The bad news is it doesn't seem to play tapes right at all. The heads will engage, play sound, and move the tape along for a few seconds before the heads disengage. Though the actual cassette reels never even start to turn unless i'm fast forwarding or rewinding, which is very strange to me.

The good news is I can send it back for a refund, but before i do I'm curious if it's worth trying to keep and fix at all? If it's a belt I could buy a MT8X belt (basically just the 8 track version) for rather cheap. I don't have any experience changing belts though, and the thought of it actually being the motor or something else is very off putting. I'd love some advise or maybe some insight to what someone thinks the problem could be
 
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1. Does the capstan shaft even spin? No point in even talking about replacing a belt if there's not even a problem with the capstan spinning already.

2. Does the unit even *use* a belt? Some are direct-drive and there's no belt.

3. If the capstan isn't spinning and you can deduce it uses a belt, and you decide you want to try and replace the belt, do yourself a favor and don't buy a replacement belt for a different model. They're all different. Get the right part. "Measure twice, cut once."

4. I think you should process the above questions and depending on your answers you might have the direction you need...if it was me and I felt like I got sold a bill of goods I didn't get, could get out whole and start fresh I'd do that...and maybe get something that records/plays double speed and uses dbx noise reduction for better quality. A Tascam 414 might fit your needs very well...simple interface, relatively small and portable, but has a double-speed transport and dbx. Look local so you can try it before you buy it.
 
The pinch roller gets the capstan to spin, and from what info i've found It appears to use two belts. I'm thinking i might just go for that fresh start though and look into a Tascam. Tascam's seem much more reliable and easier to repair than the Yamaha
 
The pinch roller is just that, a passive roller. It does not drive the capstan or otherwise "get it to spin". It's the other way around. Bottom line is it sounds like your capstan is spinning. Now whether or not the belt is loose and once the heads engage it is able to keep driving the capstan, well that's another issue.

Sounds like you are leaning toward a fresh start and I don't blame you.

I don't necessarily consider the Yamaha units to be any less reliable or harder to work on. The Tascam units are more common and therefore easier to find, and helps are more readily available. That doesn't necessarily make them "better", but may make them a better choice in that regard.
 
My mistake. Well to be more clear on the situation the capstan definitely does spin. As far as trying different things out I can get the machine to fast forward a tape no problem. When it comes to rewinding one though it will only do it for a few seconds at a time. Each reel will turn when I try both respective things out, whenever I go to play a tape though the reels never even try to turn.

Appreciate the info about Tascam and Yamaha. I do seem to see a lot more working Tascam's and individual parts for sale so i kind of blindly made an assumption there.
 
Mine did that, but after about a dozen times it started playing perfectly.... Have you tried it over and over?
 
Unfortunately I've tried it a bunch and repeatedly at various times to no avail. I even tried cleaning the heads and capstan just to see if it'd do anything different.
 
Damn, I was hoping I was wrong on that. Don't put any more work into it dude. You'll end up spending another $15 on a belt and either make it worse or maybe not being able to return it. If you had some prior experience with repairs then maybe it'd be something to try, but you don't want to dig yrself deeper here. Like someone said earlier, wait until something pops up on Criagslist (or whatever local classifieds you have) and go check it out first. You'll not only save money (hopefully), but you'll be sure the thing is working and not have to cross yr fingers and hope it doesn't get hurled with great abandon during the shipping. Good luck man.
 
Really appreciate all the replies from everyone, It all helped out. I've already packed it up to ship back. Thinking about it now 70 dollars + potential repair costs is a lot to spend on something i received broken, especially considering I've seen many similar machines sell for far less in broken condition. I'd rather not have to repair something unless i got it for cheap or at least got some extended use out of it first.

I'm definitely gonna be on the lookout for another machine. As far as craiglist goes, i live in a small town so i doubt i'll stumble upon one there but i'll keep an eye out. If i choose to get another one on ebay or online i'll make sure it's in working condition and try to choose one that doesn't have to be shipped from super far away.
 
Well if anyone is interested I just ordered a Fostex X-18 in excellent working condition. It comes with a nice carrying case and the power adapter too. I gotta say I love the fact that it can be portable and run off batteries and it has all the features i've been wanting out of tape deck. I'll definitely make a thread about it when i receive it.
 
That Fostex machine looks interesting..... What does the two level switches do?.... Is it for the stereo output?
 
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