Sony MCI 16 Ebay?

  • Thread starter Thread starter poopchute
  • Start date Start date
I dunno, there are so many things that could be wrong with it, it could turn into a money pit. nearly impossible to tell from the photos and description. big gamble IMHO. I would only pull the trigger on something like this if it was dirt cheap.
 
As looks go, it doesn't look too bad!

Not a bad price, either!

If it was low or average use it would be okay, but there are no pics of the heads & you never really know whether it works or has issues. Local pickup only, so you might want to go check it out.:eek:;)
 

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Don't believe anything the seller says about 'head ware'. Get a DOCUMENTED head report. Otherwise, if the heads are shot, you'd be looking at several thousand to replace 'em. Not a good gamble.

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The seller also appears to the typical "agent" seller as he seems to have no direct experience actually using the machine and only makes statements about what other un-named people say about this wonderful machine.

The missing transport power supply is a HUGE question mark as far as ever being able to locate one and also makes me wonder what on earth happened to original one????? Was it blown, stolen, unrepairable, apprehended by a service center because of non-payment of a repair? It's kind of a critical item to be missing! :D Then even if you found one for it, who says the motor control board or the motors themselves still work? Without the PS, you'll never know! :rolleyes:

Best case scenario; buy this machine for 500 bucks for parts or even better, forget about it entirely! :)

Cheers! :)
 
auction says 6 offers already, I'm curious as to what they are. they can't be anywhere NEAR the $3400 the seller is asking...
 
I agree with Ghost, unless you completely understand that for a possible massively reduced price, you will be paying up your savings and then some in repairs. Now me, I don't mind doing that if it's the right deal and right piece of gear, I just like things like that, but I don't delude myself with the illusion of great savings...
 
I figured that you guys could set me strait. I also knew that that poser supply was gonna be a problem. Oh well. It was a close drive tho..
 
Nothing wrong with a drive to go look at it, you could check out the wear on the heads too. Just understand that there's a reason a machine like that doesn't have a power supply, not that I know what that is but you never know...
 
i heard that unit may be susceptible to the dreaded anal drift.
 
I spotted a 3M M56 2" 16-track in my local area, within driving distance,...

but I don't think I have the heart or capacity to take on any more large sized gear!:eek:;)

Honestly, if the right TASCAM ATR-80/24 crossed my path, I'd probably pop for it, but typically nothing else seems what I'm looking for.:eek:;)
 
If you buy it, let me know. I have an extra power supply for a 3M M-79 series just laying around and if the voltages and amp ratings match, it should work fine. I'd be glad to sell it, if it would be useful. Otherwise, I'd check with Randy Blevins about availability of another PSU.

BTW, if I were starting over and decided to buy analog machines, I'd probably buy MCI.

Cheers,

Otto
 
Running it through GIMP to brighten it up, they look in pretty good condition to me. There seems to be a faint flat spot running through them but it looks like it's evenly worn. The tape guides don't seem to have any visible wear at all, which is a very good sign.
 
So are you saying I should go check it out? I really would like to go thru 3-4 deals like this where I look at them even tho I probably wont buy unless he offers something rediculous like $500.00. Even if I dont buy it, it will get me some practice in the whole buying area...
 
If it's not too far away, go have a look. Heads and head wear didn't look too bad from what I could tell in that pic...
 
I agree, the heads look to have a low amount of hours and appear to have even ware. I can't see the tape lifters too well but these don't appear alarming as far as ware either. You must keep in mind the possibility that the heads might have been re-lapped / replaced and the tape lifters / guides rotated, in the machine's history. Ask the seller about this. If nothing was done then this looks like a very, very low use machine (very rare for a 'professional' recorder). Nevertheless, as was already mentioned, I'm still worried about the lack of the power supply and seemingly no way to test it, even for power up. THIS COULD BE YOUR BARGAINING CHIP. Tell the seller, you'll take it off of his hands for [insert what you can afford here] and explain to him the obvious risk that's totally on you (as the result of the lack of the PS - it's like buying a 'vintage' car with a missing proprietary car battery!). In fact, use the following argument (from The Ghost of FM) when speaking with the seller. Yeah, go out and see him and use the following:

The Ghost of FM said:
The missing transport power supply is a HUGE question mark as far as ever being able to locate one and also makes me wonder what on earth happened to original one????? Was it blown, stolen, unrepairable, apprehended by a service center because of non-payment of a repair? It's kind of a critical item to be missing! :D Then even if you found one for it, who says the motor control board or the motors themselves still work? Without the PS, you'll never know! :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

As you can see, all very good points, which should be touched upon when dealing with the seller.

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