bubbasmith
My only experience with Tandberg was from a 1971 cassette deck that I used to own from them.....wait a minute.....I still have the boat anchor! Actually, when it worked, it sounded incredible and it was built like a tank. The only problem with it was that it had a short in it somewhere and it would heat and seize up and then send waves of pulsing and screaming hum through my stereo system back in the day. Then, I owned a Tandberg receiver which I still have and that actually still works but, only on one channel!
The problem I had with Tandberg was that there was nobody in town who could work on the stuff when it needed service! The parts inside were all very...European...weird markings, strange words....there made in Norway, you know!
The machine in your picture looks much older then the antiques I have so I would put that reel to reel at somewhere around 1965 for the look of it though, the metal ribbed knobs on it look a lot like the knobs on my receiver so who knows? It might be newer then that but, not by much!
If it still works, it probably sounds great but, let's get real here. It's at least 35 years old, the heads are probably flattened nubs, the rubber is probably rotted, the motors are probably filthy, the belts are cracking and ready to snap, if they haven't already!? The caps are dried up and even if it's mint, the electronics would be dirty at best, compared to even a $100.00 cassette deck of a more recent vintage.
What's it worth? To a modern musician trying to find a great analog mastering deck, probably about 25 bucks. To a collector of vintage gear....priceless!
As for using it as an Echo-plex, it doesn't appear to be a three head machine so that's out too.
As a pre-amp? I don't think it's worth the effort.
Look for
a TASCAM 32, 42, 52 or
a Revox B77 or Studer PR99 or something newer and serviceable for mastering applications.
Cheers!