Tape Machines/Reel to Reel dealers

[Tynan Agviðr]

Good evening. I am just getting settled in the USA and would like to acquire a nice 2 track machine that is of excellent quality and has a solid reputation(the brand/type machine, not a specific machine)This is a new area for me so any and alll suggestions are most welcome. It will be used primarily for acoustic music and some chamber ensembles.I would like information about brand/name with good history and of course ideas of merchants and any price ballpark that i may be looking at. Of course if anyone knows of a specific machine or are selling one, that is also welcome.
thank you very much, sorry for my grammar mistakes.

-Tynan

[videochas www.locoworks.com]

On Dec 16, 10:27�pm, Tynan Agvi�r <Tynan
> wrote:
> Good evening. I am just getting settled in the USA and would like to acquire a nice 2 track machine that is of excellent quality and has a solid reputation(the brand/type machine, not a specific machine)This is a new area for me so any and alll suggestions are most welcome. It will be used primarily for acoustic music and some chamber ensembles.I would like information about brand/name with good history and of course ideas of merchants and any price ballpark that i may be looking at. Of course if anyone knows of a specific machine or are selling one, that is also welcome.
> thank you very much, �sorry for my grammar mistakes.
>
> -Tynan

Tynan, you might ask on rec.arts.movies.production.sound
Lots of folks there have machines that they are looking to sell.

However, I would seriously consider abandoning your persuit of analog
and get a nice digital system instead. Lots fewer headaches and less
expense.

[Richard Crowley]

"Tynan Agviðr" wrote...
> Good evening. I am just getting settled in the USA and would like
> to acquire a nice 2 track machine that is of excellent quality and
> has a solid reputation...

Why? Can we assume that you are aware that these are antiques
and nobody makes or sells new ones anymore. It seems very likely
that this was the case where you moved away from, also. Have
you used reel-to-reel machines before? What models? Where did
you get tape for them?

There are some very solid Ampex models that Scott Dorsey mentions
here on occasion. You might even find one for free if you are in the
right place at the right time. OTOH, they tend to weigh 100s of
pounds and can hardly be considered "portable" for field recording.
It very frequently costs more to ship them than they are worth.

They also take regular maintenance by a knowledgable technician
to remain operating properly. Since we only know about you what
you wrote in your posting, it is possible that you may lack the
experience and expertiese to maintain and use one of these antiques.

I would love to have a European sports car from the 1950s-60s,
but, I'm too cheap to buy one, and too busy to rebuild and
maintain one myself. R2R tape machines are very similar
They are almost a job in themselves (acquiring and maintaining
them). Is whatever perceived benefit really worth the hassle?
For most of us, it is not and we have moved on to digital (some
of us enthusiastically, and some of us regretfully.)

[Peter Larsen[_2_]]

Tynan Agviðr wrote:

> Good evening. I am just getting settled in the USA and would like to
> acquire a nice 2 track machine that is of excellent quality and has a
> solid reputation(the brand/type machine, not a specific machine)

If you just want to use it, then look at the better compact flash recorders.
Audio tape is for those good sports who would rather drive from London to
Brighton in a pre 1906 car than take the train.

> -Tynan


Kind regards

Peter Larsen

[Scott Dorsey]

In article >,
Tynan Agviðr <Tynan > wrote:
>Good evening. I am just getting settled in the USA and would like to acquire a nice 2 track machine that is of excellent quality and has a solid reputation(the brand/type machine, not a specific machine)This is a new area for me so any and alll suggestions are most welcome. It will be used primarily for acoustic music and some chamber ensembles.I would like information about brand/name with good history and of course ideas of merchants and any price ballpark that i may be looking at. Of course if anyone knows of a specific machine or are selling one, that is also welcome.

Call Mike Spitz at ATR Magnetics. Order one of his rebuilt Ampex ATR-100
machines. I think the entry level machine is around $5K now, but it is
solid as a rock, comes with a guarantee (and he does indeed make good on
the guarantee), and performs better than it did when it left the Ampex
factory. Will bias GP-9 or the new ATR tape, and lower flutter than just
about anything made (well, maybe not lower than the 3-M isoloop machine,
but those are not easily maintained today).
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."