In article writes:

Interesting. If you wanted to see a pic. Check this out:
http://www.nicenelly.com/images/otarimk4.jpg

That's it. According to him, it's connected via a proprietary wiring bundle.
He seems to think it's stock, but judging by your comments, and the fact
that the preamps are literally sideways, it's some odd mod.

Those aren't preamps, they're two sets of Otari 5050 record/playback
electronics. They made these machines in several different mechanical
configurations and it appears this one has the transport and
electronics in two separate cases. It might have originally been on a
floor or table mounted stand with a "bridge" that attached the
electronics assembly to the transport. The only odd thing is that he
has the rack containing the electronics standing on end on top of the
transport. You could make it look normal just by picking it up and
turning it 90 degrees. You'd want to leave a little air space for the
transport to radiate heat, since its motors are right up there at the
top.

I'm not sure they ever got to Mark IV, but it might be a Mark II-4. One
configuration was in two portable cases, so that's what you might be
looking at. Generally when it's used as a portable, the electronics are
placed next to the transport rather than above it (since they're not
tied together by anything other than the wiring harness) and I suspect
that the seller just didn't have room on his table to put the electronics
anywhere other than on top of the deck.

There was also an "integrated" four track model, the 5050-BQ, which
had all four channels of electronics on a single panel. The one you're
looking at is a typical broadcast studio machine of the 1980's.

I'm sure it's all standard Otari parts, 4 tracks on quarter-inch tape.
It's probably worth $400, but it's heavy. Since it's close enough
to pick it up, that's a good thing. It's certainly worth the trip to
look it over. In order to check it out thoroughly, though, you really
need a standard alignment tape, or at least a secondary reference tape
so you can check it for excessive head wear and gross problems. If it
needs new heads, that will cost you more than the machine. It it can
get away with a head refurbishment, that will probably be around $250,
and if it's good enough as is, that's a good deal. But you really
won't know until you run some tape through it. It would be a good idea
to have someone go along with you who knows about analog recorders and
can take some test equipment.





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