can anyone comment on these tape heads?

C

cactuseskimo

New member
I would like to thank everyone on this board for my numerous questions on RTR's the last couple days. My knowledge of them has increase exponentially as a result. I would however like to know if anyone can tell me if I should worry about these tape heads on this Tascam 22-2.

22-2-8.jpg


22-2-9.jpg


22-2-11.jpg
 
They look worn, and lots of sticky shed on the tape lifters,...

but they should still be functional, (after cleanup), and it's not something I'd particularly worry about. They're worn but appear to still have useful service life left. The wear pattern is even. You can't really pinpoint headwear from a picture, but I'd say about 50% headlife left, or more. ;)
 
When I bought my 22-2, the heads looked worse. After cleaning off all the sticky shed, they looked immaculate. That crap makes heads look more worn then they really are. I'd say you should be fine after a cleanup.
 
Erase head looks good, Record-head has 30 % wear but the playback head has 50-60 % wear, look at the groove on the bottom. :confused:
 
Thanks for Assesment TX. However, I'm only going to be using this deck for throwing my digital recordings to, so it should only see minimal use. Should I be worried about the playback head, so much as I should send it off to be reconditioned???
 
cactuseskimo said:
Should I be worried about the playback head, so much as I should send it off to be reconditioned???
Click to expand...

New heads from Tascam are only about $40.00 each (last time I checked), so buying new can be more cost effective.

In any case, this much wear means performance will be substantially off spec. It would be easier and with better results for a tech to align new heads.

Tascam part numbers:
Playback 5378301000
Record 5378300900
 
It’s very involved, and time consuming for the uninitiated. You don't want to experiment on a production machine. It’s even a lot of work for the hobbyist who knows what he’s doing. Considering the cost of the necessary alignment tapes and time involved you wouldn’t save much if anything by doing it yourself.

It’s routine for someone who does it regularly. It’s best left to an experienced tech.

In addition to relapping, JFR also replaces heads. It’s worth a call or email to find out what costs would be with labor. I don’t know how close they come to Tascam’s direct price for parts.

You only have to send the headstack, not the entire machine.

http://www.jrfmagnetics.com/index.html?JRF_mainframe=/JRF_replacement_heads.html

Someone like Vintage TX is also a good resource for this kind of service.
 
Level of Difficulty: Moderate. Expense: High.

[I was gonna say,...]

A head replacement/alignment is moderately difficult for an experienced tech, and could be very difficult for a novice, but the investment in the signal generator, MRL tape, oscilloscope & DVM that you need to do it is more substantial. Even if the heads are $40, which is reasonable, the whole alignment package deal is costly.

I'd say for a one-off repair of something you want to have done once, hire a tech service. If you're considering doing this type of tech work a lot in the future, then get the tools. Equipment repair is a big commitment of time and resources. Once you have the tools it's not too bad, and can be fun sometimes,... if you have the time!')

[Beck beat me to the post, but I'll just have to post this and be redundant!]

Anwyay,... good luck!
 
Replacing the head yourself is not easy, like Benck mentioned JRF does a excellent job re-lap and align for around $ 80-100.00.
But on this 22 to send the whole headstack assembly you need to re-solder all wires attached to the heads, there is no plug connections so little time consuming.
 
cactuseskimo said:
I would like to thank everyone on this board for my numerous questions on RTR's the last couple days. My knowledge of them has increase exponentially as a result. I would however like to know if anyone can tell me if I should worry about these tape heads on this Tascam 22-2.

22-2-8.jpg


22-2-9.jpg


22-2-11.jpg
Click to expand...
You really can't be sure by looking, but one giveaway is that in the center, the wear is too wide. I would say that they are really worn.
 
The 22-2 heads do not have a sharp peak in the center to begin with. Here is a brand-new Playback head for comparison.
 

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cactuseskimo said:
Are you saying then, they are not perhaps as worn as one might think . . ?
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I would say so, yes.

They don't appear any where near unusable and in fact look pretty salvageable to me.

If it were my machine, I would have it re-calibrated so as to get everything as close to factory spec as is possible for the current head conditions and so as to eliminate any possibility of a previous owner mucking about with the internal setting. Two track decks can be calibrated pretty quickly compared to a 16 track recorder because there is less to adjust and once done, with fresh new tape on the deck, I think you'll find the recorder is capable of some incredible sound quality.

Cheers! :)
 
Beck said:
The 22-2 heads do not have a sharp peak in the center to begin with. Here is a brand-new Playback head for comparison.
Click to expand...

Yes they DO have a sharp,well defined peak. You just can't tell easily by looking at them. ALL tape heads have a sharp peak IN RELATION to the worn peak.

That is called "headwear"
 
MCI2424 said:
Yes they DO have a sharp,well defined peak. You just can't tell easily by looking at them. ALL tape heads have a sharp peak IN RELATION to the worn peak.

That is called "headwear"
Click to expand...

Oh really?

Sorry ace, no cigar. I was looking at brand-new in-box 22-2 heads from Tascam that I was holding in my hand, and not a picture. But if you can’t tell by the picture of the new head that I posted you wouldn't be able to tell from the real thing either.

The above photo is an accurate representation of a new 22-2 head. It’s a very good likeness as compared to the heads in my possession.

Both the record and playback heads for the 22-2 are most certainly of a gradual "soft peak" design with a relatively broad center area over the gap.

And NO, all heads do not have a sharp peak. I wouldn't even waste my time responding to such a statement if it wasn't for beginners here that would otherwise be misguided.

For the benefit of others who would actually like to become proficient in these matters and not just fudge through, there are many head designs... some resemble a half-circle, and others are manufactured with an absolutely flat "peak." In between those two extremes are many variations.


EDITED: Gratuitous flaming on my part (not that he doesn’t deserve it).
 

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