AKAI 4000DS mk-II: who can help me?

Hi_Flyer

New member
It looks like a 1/4" two-tracker. I guess I could use it for mastering, or is it a consumer reel-to-reel? It runs at 7 1/2 & 3 3/4 IPS. what can/should I do with it?

It was my buddy's, and he doesn't know what the hell to do with it... Any ideas where I can find some basic info, like the kind of info that would be in a user's maual?... I'm not even sure how to wind the tape. what kind of tape can I use on it?

any help would be appreciated.
thanks
 
http://slbender.exactpages.com/ddt4.html

It took 30 seconds to lift this information from the Net. Another 5 minutes of your own time on the Net and you'll have everything you need to know about a 4000DS.
 
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I'm almost certain that it's a quarter-track reel to reel.........a consumer-type machine. It works like a cassette on steiroids -- it records 2 tracks on one "side" of tape, and 2 more tracks on the other "side" of the tape. that way, you can play in one direction to hear one recording, and reverse the direction to hear the other "side". if you catch my drift.

As far as recording quality goes, you can get some pretty impressive stereo recordings done with it. It's not really your BEST BET for 2-track mastering or mixing down, though. But they're sure fun to play with if you're bored.

They're also what you'll need to use if you ever stumble across an old 4 track reel to reel album.

Use Quantegy/Ampex 406 or equivalent tape. A new reel of that is about 12 bucks nowadays.

g'luck
-callie-
 
The 4000DS is a consumer deck

Single motor, belt driven, 4 track 2 channel stereo deck. My dad had the next versoin - the 4000DB which added Dolby B.

Suitable tape would be Maxell UD, XLI or Ampex/Quantegy 407.

Not a bad deck, will probably need the switches cleaned. If it hasn't had a huge amount of use it would work well.

For mastering etc I'd look more towards a 2 track machine like the Tascam 32.
 
hmm thanks guys... it looks like a roller (or capstan, I'm not sure which) is missing too. Overall, it doesn't look like the machine has been abused, but it hasn't been babied either. The looks look worn, but I would imagine that they still have some life in them.

There are a bunch of these decks on ebay, and they are cheap, too, maybe I should buy another one and between the two I'll have enough parts to have a single working machine. It will be something to play with anyway, I've never used a real reel-to-reel before, so it might be useful to familiarize myself with the parts and how to wind the tape...
 
Hi_Flyer said:
hmm thanks guys... it looks like a roller (or capstan, I'm not sure which) is missing too. Overall, it doesn't look like the machine has been abused, but it hasn't been babied either. The looks look worn, but I would imagine that they still have some life in them.
Which roller? If its the small one above the large rubber roller then this is the capstan. These machines used a sleeve to change speeds - no sleeve and they ran at 3 3/4 ips, with a sleeve (which can easily go missing) they ran at 7 1/2 ips. If you look at the site that Robin gave you to Steven Bender's Akai site then I think from memory there is a link to more info about this.

I have read conflicting stories about replacements - some sites say that the sleeve can't be replaced; that no-one has made a suitable replacement, other sites offer replacements!

Hi_Flyer said:
There are a bunch of these decks on ebay, and they are cheap, too, maybe I should buy another one and between the two I'll have enough parts to have a single working machine. It will be something to play with anyway, I've never used a real reel-to-reel before, so it might be useful to familiarize myself with the parts and how to wind the tape...
You've got to start somewhere! If the heads and mechanism are in good condition then you'll get some reasonable results out of them - I've recently played recordings made on a 4000DB in the late 70's on my Akai GX265D and they sound remarkably good!

If you can pick up a spare machine on eBay (especially one with the capstan sleeve, if that's missing) then you'll have a good source of parts and a backup if anything does go wrong. Other 4000 series machines use the same sleeve, and from what I read the 4000DS is almost identical to the 4000DB other than the latter having Dolby.

Have fun!
 
Hi Flyer, which part is missing, the black rubber-wheel or the speed-sleeve ?
Check the storage post located on the faceplate near headcover.
Unscrew the nut and pull the sleeve off, install both on the capstan-axel (the axel that spins when you turn the power on, that create speed: 7-1/2 with sleeve mounted.
If you are missing the pinch-roller I probably have a used on here. :)
I have restored many 4000 models so if you need advice, parts, etc, I can help you.
It's a consumer deck with 4-track, 2-channel stereo or mono.
Using 7-1/2 speed and high-bias tape the quality is pretty good.
These are hard to kill so if it looks rough, don't worry, it can fixed pretty easy without buying a second deck.


Best regards

Vintage TX :cool:
 
hey whadya know!! its right there, nothing is missing after all... thats a rather odd design, isn't it? how does that sleeve change the tape speed?
 
See, you owe me a beer. :D
Good thing it was there, now mount the sleeve on the capstan-shaft and lock down with the nut snug-fit.
A good thing is to clean the axel first with head-cleaner as old tape-residue get stuck.
Sleeve should slide on easy, otherwise clean again.
Many Akai models has this sleeve, early M-series from the 60's and up to 80's
Last one was Akai GX-4000 D. ;)
Here is a picture when the sleeve is mounted.
Photo:
 
Forgot to explain the sleeve function.
When the capstan-axel spin the diameter is smaller making the tape passes by in a certain speed between pinch-roller and axel.
If you mount the sleeve and diameter is bigger that makes the speed to raise up to 7-1/2 twice as fast. :)
 
MY BAD- Did I say 406?

I meant 407. Use Quantegy/Ampex 407. (406 is 1.5 mil tape, and 407 is the thinner, 1 mil tape, better suited for such decks.) Have fun w/ that repair job. It's something else to see one of those puppies working after all the hours put into it.

-callie-
 
just out of curiosity, is this the same tape you would use on a tascam 388? how recently did this tape go out of production (or is it still being manufactured?)?

Thanks again vintage TX, the sleeve didn't wanna easily go on the capstan, and I didn't want to force it, so I guess more cleaning is in order.

now I need to figure out how to wind the tape onto one of this bad boy. I saw a manual on ebay for like $15 or something. kinda ridiculous because the decks were only like $30 (on average)...
 
You welcome for the help. :)
If the axel has alot of residue preventing the sleeve to slide on, you can use very fine sandpaper like # 400 or # 600 wet and sligthly sand the axel when it spinning, but be careful.
After that, clean it with head-cleaner before loading the tape.
If you visit my website there is several pictures of this model with tape loaded.
Here is a PHOTO
You can buy new fresh Quantegy tape from US-Recording Media for this machine, both "normal" or "high-bias" tape works fine, don't forget to adjust the settings on the facepanel before recording.
Low Noise is for "normal" High is for "high bias" tape.

Good Luck :)
 
OK... threaded the tape, no problem, easier than it looked actually!

I think something is wrong with the record button though, its stuck "in". It doesn't pop out like the pause/start buttons, and the I can't get the record light to come on... maybe I just can't figure out how to record and I'm doing something wrong?

man, I'm a pain in the ass, I know.
 
It's easily been 10 years since I used dad's 4000DB, but what happens if you push the record button (I can't remember if it has a positive feel or not - been to long - but just try for any movement you can get) and turn the left lever to the "REC" position - all the way to the right. The actual record button is just an interlock so you can turn the lever over to the Record position.

Worth a try - Vintage TX will give better info but with timezones he could be a few hours away :)
 
Arjoll is right on the money how to engage the record function. :rolleyes:
Press button and turn the Play-lever at the same time to far right side.

Good Luck now. :)
 
Yes, you are right I am a night owl. :)
Get more stuff done at night when everybody else is sleeping.
No phone calls, no knocks on the door, even the cat is napping. :cool:
Working on a stubborn Teac at the moment, he don't want to leave the shop. :p
 
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