Otari MX70 on eBay - heads up

  • Thread starter Thread starter miroslav
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miroslav

miroslav

Cosmic Cowboy
It's local pick-up, and it listed as parts/not working...but for the price (and taking offers) someone here who has an MX70 and is looking for parts or willing to mess with it...they might be able to work something out.

If I wasn't so ensconced with 2" tape and pretty much locked into that format, and if I had the time to spend on a fix-up project...for that price, I would grab it and do what's needed to get it working again and then resell it.
Easton, PA is not that crazy far from me...
...but I'll leave it to the existing MX70 owners and interested parties. :)

Otari MX 70 One inch Tape Professional Vintage Studio Recorder | eBay
 
Damn, that was a good opportunity for someone. There was one in my area (fully functional) but the studio wanted more than 5 times that, more than I can afford...
 
I knew it wouldn't last long at that price.

If you just stripped some of the major parts off of it and sold them...you could have doubled your money without doing anything more.
 
Thanks for the heads-up Miroslav.
My girlfriend and I decided to get it. Our recent MS16 downtime kinda freaked us out. We already have the MX70-8 and we've wanted to get the 16 track version forever. I suspect it'll need all new relays, maybe a bunch of driver ICs, and definitely a new pinch roller (and hopefully not much more!) but the prospect of keeping two basically identical machines up and running seems more promising in the long run. So don't worry we're not parting it out or flipping it. Hopefully with the 7hr drive and the crap Canadian dollar it doesn't end up being too much of a project/money pit.
 
Hey...I'm glad someone here grabbed it. :)

Post back after you haul it back and check it out...I'm curious what you got for the money and the long ride.

So do you guys need a passport too...when crossing over into the US?
Oh...will they hit you for any customs fees when cross back into Canada with it?
You should probably get the seller to give you an invoice marked as non-working/salvage...not sure if it makes a difference or will they just base the fees off the price you paid...?
 
Indeed! I'm glad it went to a good home, then. Can't wait to see pics, and hear what you do with it! Hopefully, at the very least, that the machine gives you all the pieces to upgrade to 16 tracks.

BTW, I love the Sheer Agony LP, I know you had a hand in mixing it (and the music video; fantastic work). Oddly enough, it was in my local record store, which never happens to me :)

ethyrvalve said:
Thanks for the heads-up Miroslav.
My girlfriend and I decided to get it. Our recent MS16 downtime kinda freaked us out. We already have the MX70-8 and we've wanted to get the 16 track version forever. I suspect it'll need all new relays, maybe a bunch of driver ICs, and definitely a new pinch roller (and hopefully not much more!) but the prospect of keeping two basically identical machines up and running seems more promising in the long run. So don't worry we're not parting it out or flipping it. Hopefully with the 7hr drive and the crap Canadian dollar it doesn't end up being too much of a project/money pit.
Click to expand...
 
miroslav said:
So do you guys need a passport too...when crossing over into the US?
Oh...will they hit you for any customs fees when cross back into Canada with it?
You should probably get the seller to give you an invoice marked as non-working/salvage...not sure if it makes a difference or will they just base the fees off the price you paid...?
Click to expand...
Yup the border will be a real hassle. Very good idea about the non-working/salvage invoice. I'll almost surely need to pay Canadian taxes on the way back in.
The Otari has the first revision I-0050 driver ICs which are prone (practically guaranteed) to fail. I think I'm going to need to change 2 relays per card as well. Looks like I'll need to pay well over $1000 to get it up to snuff so I'm definitely going to need to sell some other stuff! Also means I'll be using the MS16 for a good while longer.
 
Hammerstone said:
BTW, I love the Sheer Agony LP, I know you had a hand in mixing it (and the music video; fantastic work). Oddly enough, it was in my local record store, which never happens to me :)
Click to expand...
Hey thanks! Actually they did the vast majority of the tracking and mixing at their own spot on an MS-16. They're also a great live band, highly recommend checking them out if you have a chance. They're also really nice people.
They share one band member with Lantern (from Philadelphia, where I hope to visit when picking up the Otari!) who I think you might like as well. Lantern recorded their new album at my place on the MX70 8-track using old 3M 206 for extra late 60s period-correctness. They just put out the first song: https://soundcloud.com/fixturerecords/lantern-we-are-here
 
ethyrvalve said:
The Otari has the first revision I-0050 driver ICs which are prone (practically guaranteed) to fail.
Click to expand...

There's a guy on eBay who every so often posts brand new remakes of those for like $60-70 each. He hasn't re-posted the listing recently, so I bet it pops up any day now...keep you eyes open...if I see it I'll post here.
You might try and work out a bulk purchase deal, as he doesn't sell a lot, since there's less and less guys looking for that stuff.

When I got my MX80, I checked, and it turned out all of my cards had the more current versions (WHEW!)...plus I've picked up a bunch of spare channel cards, also with more current versions...so it's one thing I'm not going to need to deal with.

ethyrvalve said:
Lantern recorded their new album at my place on the MX70 8-track using old 3M 206 for extra late 60s period-correctness. They just put out the first song: https://soundcloud.com/fixturerecords/lantern-we-are-here
Click to expand...

I liked it...it certainly nails that late 60's Psychedelic Pop sound.

So are you running a regular biz studio situation...or mostly doing your stuff and the occasional outside projects?
 
The IC driver issues are a real pain so glad to hear yours are all the newer ones. I had a couple channels with the I-0050s when I first got mine and they would generate this horrible crackling sound on occasion (and somehow IIRC, it was recorded on the tape). It was a lot like bad splices done with a very magnetized blade if know that sound. I saw the Brian Roth ones. It looks like he did a really nice job. Maybe he'd sell unpopulated cards so I could opt for a less deluxe chip than the the THAT1646.

Thanks for the kinda words about the Lantern thing. It was a pretty simple recording except for some basic 60s-style trickery (backwards tape etc). It was mostly just the sound of them playing and they were very well rehearsed IMO. And yep I've been recording more people at my place lately. The space is pretty small and not acoustically ideal so I have do the 70s 'dead-room' thing but I'm very (too) cheap.
 
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Wow, yeah I like the sound of that! Thanks for telling me, I just preordered it. :) Keep up the good work, I hope you'll keep us informed on anything else you're doing.

If I lived anywhere near Montreal, I'd hit up the Bottle Garden for recording.

ethyrvalve said:
Hey thanks! Actually they did the vast majority of the tracking and mixing at their own spot on an MS-16. They're also a great live band, highly recommend checking them out if you have a chance. They're also really nice people.
They share one band member with Lantern (from Philadelphia, where I hope to visit when picking up the Otari!) who I think you might like as well. Lantern recorded their new album at my place on the MX70 8-track using old 3M 206 for extra late 60s period-correctness. They just put out the first song: https://soundcloud.com/fixturerecords/lantern-we-are-here
Click to expand...
 
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