Ebay photo interpretation workshop?

[Chris Shaeffer]

I just saw this guy on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/TASCAM-MSR-16-M...ryZ41480QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I don't have enough experience to tell what condition the heads are in from the pics, but from the looks of the wear on the tape lifters it looks like its been used as a belt sander. My MSR16 also has some wear on the lifters, but not like that.

So I got to thinking that there are plenty of folks buying old machines these days. Maybe a thread on how to tell what that close-up shot of the heads means?

I would have expected the heads on that machine to look worse because of the funky lifter. Maybe the lifter is just dirty? Maybe the lighting is confusing on the heads.

I've seen a number of good sites on the net explaining head wear and what to look for, I just rarely see an Ebay shot that shows it to you as clearly.

Take care,
Chris

 

[The Ghost of FM]

The heads look very flat and worn down but at least they appear to have even wear from top to bottom so a re-lap might be able to eke some further life out of them. But without the opinion of a professional head lapping technician, this machine is a gamble and especially so because the seller in typical ebay fashion is pleading ignorance on all technical matters...big surprise.

The tape lifters though unevenly worn could be rotated to an unused side of the post and this could be accomplished with some minor disassembly of the head-block. I would attribute their uneven wear to the possibility that the lifter assembly on the MSR-16 is not as robust as some of their one inch machines and bent over the years from the fast wind tape tension pressure.

Continued use of the lifters in their present position and condition will lead to tape drop outs and excessive oxide shedding if left as is.

Buyer beware.

Cheers!

 

[FALKEN]

probably gunk.