portastudio Tape heads

[ksounds]

Just wanted to get your opinions on these tape heads. I bought a Tascam 246 off ebay a couple of weeks ago, and it sounds wonderful. But, I have no idea if the heads have ever been replaced, if it's a low use unit, or if these heads are getting worn. They look fine to me, but I thought I would get the opinion of some professionals. Not sure if I need to go ahead and order some backups from Tascam parts. Already got some new belts for backup. Also, you are supposed to clean the erase head with head cleaner, right? It looks a little different than the tape head, and I don't have a manual yet. Thanks for any comments!

I'll post pictures in a reply.

 

[ksounds]

here are the pics...

 

[cjacek]

Great photos. Heads looks clean and in new condition. Good news is that it's pretty rare for cassette portastudios to have significant wear on heads due to the slow speed and comparatively lower usage of such gear.

Get at least 90% isopropyl alcohol (I use 99%) and q-tips and clean both heads after each extended recording session. (Squeeze excess alcohol out from q-tip). For the rubber pinch roller just use a lint free microfiber cloth, my favorite, and dampen it slightly in warm water (squeeze excess) and clean the roller until it's nice and black, minus residue. Take a photo of the rubber pinch roller and post it. I'd like to see it.

 

[A Reel Person]

They look fine.

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[ksounds]

Here you go cjacek. I think it looks o.k.

 

[cjacek]

Man, that's a clean unit! Pinch roller looks great as does the capstan shaft. No signs of use. Great score!

 

[ksounds]

yeah, i'm pretty excited about it. I think the previous owner bypassed the tape recorder completely and just used the mixer for video production. Do the heads on cassette recorders come out of alignment easily? If they do how are they realigned? Just out of curiosity.

 

[Tim Gillett]

The heads in your Tascam probably wont go much out of physical alignment unless someone's tampered with them or has tried to force a tape in or out.

Head wear is more a problem. The photos you posted are clear but not close enough to the head face to determine the condition. Head faces are normally examined under magnification such as with a lupe.
But if the tape section hasnt been used you're ahead.

Tim