Ethan Winer wrote:

Guys,

Thanks for all the replies. I'm forwarding them to my friend.

Mike: I'm not sure how many tapes there are, but it's probably a few dozen
or more 10" reels. He has been looking on eBay, and so far has lost several
bids at up to $450 which is about all he's willing to spend. I agree with
those that say he should hire someone to do it, and I've told him that. Even
if he finds a machine for $450, he's still looking at *many* hours of his
own time to do the work.

--Ethan

I'd maybe suggest hiring a known working machine for a while rather than
buying something of an unknown machine. You also need to hire/buy the
same make of machine that the tape was recorded on as I believe Fostex
used Dolby C while Tascam used Dbx. In my experience with these machines
you are likely to have problems with worn heads causing uneven bass
response and dirty phono connectors.

Be prepared to bake the tapes if they're Ampex and they've been stored
in the merest hint of dampness.

Cheers.

James.