Revox PR99 MKII - A beginner's odyssey

[bloodface]

Hello all. New here and jumping right into the fray with a (likely) somewhat annoying request for any/all assistance one can give on this here machine. I've had it for about 13 years and never ran it before. It's remained in my basement under a plastic sheet since then. I'm starting to play live, again, and wanted to use it for my set up. Being that I'm a bit of a moron when it comes to this kind of stuff, I have a few questions to ask.

1) Is there any sort of manual beyond the one provided with the unit that explains basic functions and what you can and cannot do with it? I'm going through the manual right now (when I got in 2000, back before the INTERNET EVER EXISTED, one could not find this outside of, like, eBay, and the cost was ridiculous — first search term that came up today was the manual) but wondering if there's a document or site out there that explains things in a little less dry/technical tone. If not, totally understand, but I figure that some of you may know a thing more or two about this than I.

2) I'm going to run it in a bit here, and do a basic overall check of the machine. Are there things I should be doing/checking before powering on? Things that I might need to replace or clean? The machine cosmetically looks pristine. Should I take it to someone who knows these things to check instead of I?

3) How best can this machine be utilized for live performance? I'm guessing I can run things like a synth through it, but what kind of music performace/creation possibilities does it have? I'm just going to be making murky, weird noise with it, if that helps.

4) Are there accessories for it? This will likely sound completely novice, but is there a better way to house and transport the thing? Was their a case ever made for it, or is it, as it looks, made for being mounted? I saw that there was a remote control for it. I didn't see anything there, and wondering what the benefits of it could possibly be.

Sorry if this is just asking way too much as someone so new. I look forward to taking advantage of the forums, and while I won't be able to help much, I do appreciate the ability to learn more here. Thanks!

 

[jpmorris]

Check the rubber pinch roller, those tend to go bad. If it has cracked or turned to soup, you can get a replacement off ebay or get it rebuilt. Terry's Rubber Rollers is recommended if you're in the States. 13 years of being powered off may also have upset the capacitors, but replacing those is nowhere near as straightforward. See what happens, I guess.

For live performance, the immediate application that springs to mind is a tape delay. Set up right, you can make it do interesting delay feedback things. You can also get some good slap echo on these. With two machines, or if you can set up a digital processor to delay the signal by 1/15th of a second, you can get some nice flanging effects with the varispeed control.

In terms of a case, the PR99 was more of an industrial machine so it was usually put into a rack for broadcasters. The B77 (which is largely the same design) has a wooden case with a carry handle. If you can get a B77 case from a parted-out machine, you should be able to put it in that instead.