Opinions on this ebay item

  • Thread starter Thread starter famous beagle
  • Start date Start date
I don't know anything about anything, but I would be careful posting deals you find on equipment, because somebody is liable to snap 'em up without even bothering to give you advice. Lol!
 
Those aren't scratches. They look more like caked on oxide...sticky shed that the owner never bothered to clean off properly with methanol. The pic of the sync/repro head on the right also appears to be coating in the same oxide binder crud so its hard to say just how worn the heads really are. The guide post and lifters do show definite wear but may be made of softer metal then the heads...I don't know for sure about that though.

Also, keep in mind the replacement heads if needed may be difficult to source and may end up costing as much or more then the price for the deck.

The seller claiming the deck is "VERY VERY CLEAN" is lol hilarious!

Caveat-emptor and all that jazz.

I also pledge not to snipe this one on you! :D



Cheers! :)
 
Buyer beware..."we cleaned the heads..." with what some 1992 ampex 456?

I think a real cleaning would go a long way on that machine.

Offer them 200 and see what they counter at.
 
Thanks for the info y'all. I've never dealt with sticky shed before. Would that require cleaning with something other than the typical isopropyl 99% alcohol and a cotton swab?

The fact that they offer a 14-day return is reassuring at least.
 
If was me, I'd hold out for a clean tascam 1/2 inch TSR 8.
 
famous beagle said:
Thanks for the info y'all. I've never dealt with sticky shed before. Would that require cleaning with something other than the typical isopropyl 99% alcohol and a cotton swab?

The fact that they offer a 14-day return is reassuring at least.
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Yeah, as I mentioned, Methanol is about the olny thing Ive found that will clean off sticky shed caked on residue.

Caution though, that stuff is extremely flammable!

The 14 day return policy is cool though I'm still wondering about the seller's claim that they tested it and everything worked. It's usually next to impossible to record on caked over heads. Playback maybe if you really boost the levels.

Maybe use his "make us an offer" option and keep you offer just a hair above insulting. $125 to 150 maybe. Or, check out that model under a "sold" search on ebay to see what others sold for in the recent past and base your bid accordingly to that vs the condition of this one.

Otherwise, I'd suggest to look for a more gently used one with less wear on the tape path components.

Luck!



Cheers! :)
 
RFR said:
If was me, I'd hold out for a clean tascam 1/2 inch TSR 8.
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Yeah I'd love one. However, they're usually a good bit over my budget. :(

---------- Update ----------

The Ghost of FM said:
Yeah, as I mentioned, Methanol is about the olny thing Ive found that will clean off sticky shed caked on residue.

Caution though, that stuff is extremely flammable!

The 14 day return policy is cool though I'm still wondering about the seller's claim that they tested it and everything worked. It's usually next to impossible to record on caked over heads. Playback maybe if you really boost the levels.

Maybe use his "make us an offer" option and keep you offer just a hair above insulting. $125 to 150 maybe.

Otherwise, I'd suggest to look for a more gently used one with less wear on the tape path components.

Luck!



Cheers! :)
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Thanks again for the tips!
 
Well, I pulled the trigger on it. He emailed me and told me that everything was guaranteed to work perfectly. That makes me feel better because, if it turns out to be a dud, he'll have to refund my money and pay for return shipping.
 
The Ghost of FM said:
Yeah, as I mentioned, Methanol is about the olny thing Ive found that will clean off sticky shed caked on residue.

Caution though, that stuff is extremely flammable!

The 14 day return policy is cool though I'm still wondering about the seller's claim that they tested it and everything worked. It's usually next to impossible to record on caked over heads. Playback maybe if you really boost the levels.

Maybe use his "make us an offer" option and keep you offer just a hair above insulting. $125 to 150 maybe. Or, check out that model under a "sold" search on ebay to see what others sold for in the recent past and base your bid accordingly to that vs the condition of this one.

Otherwise, I'd suggest to look for a more gently used one with less wear on the tape path components.

Luck!



Cheers! :)
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Where do you suggest getting some methanol from? I did a search on line, and it's kind of hard to tell what's meant as a cleaning agent.

Thanks!
 
The Ghost of FM said:
Hardware stores sell it. Home depot etc...



Cheers! :)
Click to expand...

Sorry to go on about this, but I searched "methanol" at Home Depot, and this was really the only thing that showed up:

Klean-Strip 1 qt. Green Denatured Alcohol-QKGA75003 - The Home Depot

I couldn't find anything in the specs or label that mentioned methanol, but one of the reviewers said the MSDS states that it contains 90% ethanol and 10% methanol. I'm guessing this isn't what you're talking about? Could you maybe please link to a product? I'd really appreciate it, as I'm having trouble determining what would be suitable.

Thanks
 
This would be the correct stuff to look for.

950 ml of Pure Methanol 99 85 Pure Biodiesel | eBay

It's used a lot in the camping world as a fuel for cooking with, oddly enough.

But, please do rigidly adhere to all the safety precautions which are primarily to use only in a well ventilated area and to keep any and all sources of flame or spark well away will using it. But the aplication is the same, Q-tip dipped into the bottle and applied to the heads as you would regular head cleaner.

Also, before you buy it, try to clean the heads with the normal isopropyl alcohol first and apply a bit more scrubbing pressure then you normally would and if after that the heads still don't come clean, then go for the methanol.



Cheers! :)
 
Last edited:
Well, it's a return. I powered it up and ran some signal through it, and immediately I saw that most of the LEDs on the meter display are out. I knew that was a common issue with this machine, so I decided to proceed for the time being. I cleaned up the heads, and everything came clean with isopropyl. But the record /playback head is in bad shape. Track 1 barely recorded at all. Track 4 was better but still not great. At that point, I didn't bother testing any further.

Why the f*ck don't people test their shit before selling it? This machine was apparently "in excellent condition, pulled from a working studio, and everything is guaranteed to be working."

Stop wasting people's time! Geez
 
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