Alrighty,...
You brought me outta the woodwork, cjacek...
I had a hard time voting (still didn't) cuz, I would vote for both.
But "I" am one of those few that does ask about the heads, and motor promptly. That is the first question I ask when thinking about a purchase.
I ask the seller to send me close up pictures of the units heads, along with
how many owners, how much usage, etc.
I totally agree the prices these days are outrageous!
What I think is,..being the fact that most of the sellers are Japanese,
and live close to the original Roland company,..They were able to hoard these machines, lock them away, and keep them in a near mint state..
They know these machines are very well sought after by people in other countries, and can command an over-ridiculous-price for a 20 somethin' year old out of production machine.
Well, when the other sellers see this,..even if their tape echo isn't close to being in mint condition,...they think they can command the same price tag as the Japanese...which in my opinion,...is OUTRAGEOUS!
I've purchased all my tape echos quite some time ago, before this little phenomenon started,..in which I am proud to announce.
I am an electronic artist, an acoustic drummer, and a lover all that is analog.
I love the flavor these machines add to my synths, drums, vocals, & samples...and when I have someone over for a jam session, such as a guitarist,..(especially one that plays blues) they always want to plug into one of my very well cared for tape echos.
Each one that I own has its "own" sound,..Even the ones that I have doubles of.
I am a tape echo coniseur. It is an expensive hobby / addiction that I have, I have to admit.
If the machines are used properly, and maintained properly...
They will work flawlessly, without severe maintenance.
I haven't had one problem with any of my echo units, for 20 + years that I've been collecting them,..until recently a couple months back, when some severe humidity struck, and I had taken my dehumidifier over to my practice spot for a a week to record on location,..and when I got home the one day, and fired up one of my units...the tape shed all over the unit. There was nothing wrong with the unit itself,...just the tape.
I refuse to pay the outrageous prices the people on ebay are expecting.
Most of the units I've purchased were originally bought by me new, back in the day,...and the others I've purchased, were "one owner" units that I was able to inspect upon arrival.
I am VERY analytic of the gear I purchase...
and the same way, when selling a piece to a fellow buyer.
But yeah,..You are correct about the outrageous price tags.
I would much rather build my own custom unit, if I didn't already own what I already have. Most, if not all my machines,..will definitely outlive me.
...and I donot have any children to pass 'em on to. Not even a nephew, or neice. So,..maybe I'll pass 'em on to a close friend, that I believe is worthy enough, to keep 'em in the state they are in now.
I'm not planning on croaking anytime soon though!
Excellent thread!
I'm sure I'll be back