Geno
Seasoned Member
Without music, life would be a mistake.
Posts: 2113
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That is a beautiful machine, that looks to be in wonderful shape. But in my opinion, overpriced. What is your budget?
I got a Teac several years ago, and have done hours of research on the subject. I have units split into 3 groups depending on how much you want to spend:
1) Buy new - there are some really awesome units currently in production. But they have a pretty hefty price tag - starting about $7000. If you can afford it, this is the way to go, because the heads (3) would be new and probably properly aligned and calibrated. You want one that is 15 ips. This, as Steve says, is the holy grail of music playback.
2) Buy vintage, FULLY RESTORED - there are quite a few companies now that sell nice vintage machines that have been restored to like new condition. Oak Tree Vintage is an example of this. You can get a nice player like this starting around $1500. Otari, Revox, Technics, Tascam, etc are machines in this category. Once again, 15 ips capable. Just make sure the heads are new or like new. There should be a long list of things done as part of the restoration process.
3) Buy Vintage, unrestored - This is what I did. I got a Teac in great shape. Got it on the Reverb site for $500. But what I didn’t understand was that it would need to be restored. I spent $800 to get it back to spec. Mine is not 15 ips capable, just 3 3/4 and 7 1/2, but I love it. I buy new reels of tape ($70) and record on it. I love the results. Also, sometime in the near future, I’ll need to get new heads ($800-$1000)
So you see, you can save money upfront if you by vintage, but ultimately you will probably spend more in the long run than if you had just bought one fully restored to start with.
Good luck,
Geno
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