When purchasing a Reel 2 Reel Recorder...

[Francis 7]

..this is both for me, and anyone in the future----

I ask: What are the main things to look for, gauge, and judge when looking at a reel 2 reel (within limits) to purchase.

ie - wear, stress, decay, etc.

Thanks.

F7

 

[acorec]

..this is both for me, and anyone in the future----

I ask: What are the main things to look for, gauge, and judge when looking at a reel 2 reel (within limits) to purchase.

ie - wear, stress, decay, etc.

Thanks.

F7

The HEAD WEAR is your world. Heads will cost more that any machine you will see. You have to know what to look for. Search the internet for articles and read up. All the other components can be tested and evaluated through demonstration and overall condition. Rubber components should look good and be crack free. Cleanliness of the tape path is the biggest tip-off as to the owner's maitenance mentality. An alignment tape and manual also shows the owner's attention to the tape deck. Any deck needs maintenance and these things are a must have. Tape head wear is very hard to evaluate unless you know what is involved and how the heads become worn. The basic thing to know is that the tape should only contact the center of each head and the wear pattern should be straight up and down. An hourglass shape means that the heads are worn out of spec and need to be either re-lapped or replaced. JRF are the head specialists and can give you a head report if you send them the headblock. They will tell you the remaining life and if they can be re-lapped.

 

[Francis 7]

THank you sir! You are a scholar and a gentleman. I Have been doing some reading on headwear, and your points are well noted.

Course, I just bought 3 34B's.....the band members all wanted one. Curious...could these be hooked up in tandem to record many tracks from one mixer....all on various tracks...and then played simultaneously for the mixdown? Or to elminiate the sync problem, could the tracks nbe thrown down to a computer??

That should'a b een a seperate thread.

thanks holmes.