Teac needs some love

[hermitcrab]

Just like all electronics of the day, the Teac is showing signs of drying caps... thankfully the amp chassis easily separates from the rest of the deck... should be a quick job... I hope

[William]

Is the Teac a 3 motor unit? My Sony has 3 motors, and it needs a major overhaul as well. What is your Teac sitting on? It looks like a Silvertone?

Bill

[danrclem]

I have a Pioneer Rt-909 that probably needs some new caps but it still works. I might get around to it some day but then again I might not.

[electra225]

I have an AKAI M-9 that blows fuses when you start it up in cold weather. I'm blaming either starting caps or a stiff motor for the trouble. It doesn't blow fuses in warm weather. Keep us apprised of how you get along and what issues you find. Sounds like an interesting project. Good luck.

[TC Chris]

Some years ago I found a web site called "Tweak Your TEAC." The guy sold kits, including belts for the transport. I've got a couple old TEACs waiting for their day, and my much-used Sony 350 that surely needs caps and idlers. When last tried, one channel was way down.

OK, I just searched . "T your T" is a manual offered by DAE, who also sells drive belts:

http://www.daeinconline.com/

Quoting:
DAE is a 45 year old electronics company specializing in the sales of Teac capstan drive belts for many models of vintage Teac reel-to-reel recorders. Our Teac drive belts are OEM quality, yet are moderatly priced. Most Teac drive belts come with maintenance and installation instructions.

In addition to Teac drive belts, we also offer high quality digital reproductions of Teac service and operating/owner's manuals. We also offer syringe oilers for the hard to reach motor bearings of early Teac decks. We are no longer able to offer repair parts.

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

Is the Teac a 3 motor unit? My Sony has 3 motors, and it needs a major overhaul as well. What is your Teac sitting on? It looks like a Silvertone?

Bill

Hey Bill it is a A4010SL 3 motor with auto-reverse and yes that is my curb find silvertone that I have had for years ... my first console that started my collecting actually ...

I have a Pioneer Rt-909 that probably needs some new caps but it still works. I might get around to it some day but then again I might not.

I have a RT 707 that is my go to for recording... to my old ears the 707 has more range, but I would love to find a 10" deck , but they are cost prohibited still today.... heck my 707 only cost me $24.95....

[Firedome]

I've always been a bit intimidated by working on R to Rs. Have a '69-ish Sony-Superscope 250 just rescued from my late hoarder Uncle's basement that's a basic stripped-down 1 motor all-mechanical model, so am hoping it's simple enough for me to get it working. A friend had one that he bought in late '68, and for a lower line model it actually was capable of functioning quite well and sounding excellent. He used it to record our wedding service in Aug. 1971. I've never owned a r to r before so it'd be fun to hear that tape played back for the first time in 50 years on the very same machine that recorded it!

[TC Chris]

My Sony 350 is the three-head model of your 250, and it's highly likely that the mechanical transport is identical. I bought mine around 1968. Took it to a tape-deck clinic, like the old Mac amplifier clinics, and it tested better-than-specs for wow & flutter. The simple transport should not be sneered at.

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

I've always been a bit intimidated by working on R to Rs. Have a '69-ish Sony-Superscope 250 just rescued from my late hoarder Uncle's basement that's a basic stripped-down 1 motor all-mechanical model, so am hoping it's simple enough for me to get it working. A friend had one that he bought in late '68, and for a lower line model it actually was capable of functioning quite well and sounding excellent. He used it to record our wedding service in Aug. 1971. I've never owned a r to r before so it'd be fun to hear that tape played back for the first time in 50 years on the very same machine that recorded it!

I recd a bunch of pre-recorded tapes from E-bay , one of them had kids celebrating Christmas in 1963 that grandpa recorded . I would love to find the people and send it to them their ages at that time were 9, 7, an 4... which puts them about our age now... I have searched on FB and white pages looking for anyone that might know them but no luck...I know their names but not sure of the last names spelling.... Tegen? Tigin? how many different ways can that name be spelled ?... I determined that they were from the Chicago land area or maybe Milwaukee.... but back to your story ....if you get to listen to your wedding all over again... I think would be enough justification to restore the machine...

[Firedome]

Yes, hope to do just that!
I'm in Denver for a month visiting family but will be home in 2 weeks. I've been missing having projects to work on, already have a list for when we return, and the Sony R to R will be one of them for sure!

[TC Chris]

I recd a bunch of pre-recorded tapes from E-bay , one of them had kids celebrating Christmas in 1963 that grandpa recorded . I would love to find the people and send it to them their ages at that time were 9, 7, an 4... which puts them about our age now... I have searched on FB and white pages looking for anyone that might know them but no luck...I know their names but not sure of the last names spelling.... Tegen? Tigin? how many different ways can that name be spelled ?... I determined that they were from the Chicago land area or maybe Milwaukee....

Keep trying... Once upon a time I was trying to make contact with the company that built my sailboat in the Netherlands in 1961. I sent letters in English; I had somebody's mother translate them into Dutch. One day I came home and there was a message on my answering machine with a heavy accent. It was a V-P of the company. It still existed,but not in the fiberglass-sailboat field any more. They had always built big steel vessels, naval and commercial, and that that time they were specializing in floating oil-storage vessels for loading onto tankers. He had gone into their archives, found microfilm plans for my boat, and shipped me prints. I was so grateful. But it took quite a few letters to Europe until one of them found the right eyes.

One thing you could do is compose a letter-to-the-editor and send it to area newspapers. Old folks like me we read newspapers.... All you need is one informed set of eyes to read it.

Chris Campbell

[danrclem]

I have a RT 707 that is my go to for recording... to my old ears the 707 has more range, but I would love to find a 10" deck , but they are cost prohibited still today.... heck my 707 only cost me $24.95....
[/quote]

I got my RT-909 for free. It was on a Craigslist roadside pickup add. It was about 15 miles away so I rushed there as quick as possible. Some of the other things in the picture were gone but luckily the RT-909 was still there. I saved a picture of it sitting by the roadside but I haven't been able to attach it here. I did have to put a new belt and pinch roller rubber on it though.

[hermitcrab]

Wow!.... my 707 was sitting on the shelf at goodwill... I couldn't believe no one grabbed it unless it just came out before I got there...but your story takes the cake ... a RT-909 sitting on the curb?... crazy ...

[electra225]

Danny, if you or anyone else needs some pointers on how to post a picture on the forum, please feel free to send me a PM and I'll help what I can. It's actually pretty easy and straight forward. It's also different from the procedures on the old forum, so it causes confusion.

[danrclem]

Wow!.... my 707 was sitting on the shelf at goodwill... I couldn't believe no one grabbed it unless it just came out before I got there...but your story takes the cake ... a RT-909 sitting on the curb?... crazy ...

Sounds like we both got very lucky. I think the belt and tires cost me about $45.00. The old rubber was literally goo and had to be cleaned off rather than removed.

I've bought a few things at my local goodwill but I haven't ever found anything that's worth very much.

[hermitcrab]

For a while I was finding some good electronic items sitting on the shelves at Goodwill... my son has the collecting bug already and collects boom boxes of the 70's and 80's ... I mainly look on his behalf ...

[TC Chris]

Wow!.... my 707 was sitting on the shelf at goodwill... I couldn't believe no one grabbed it unless it just came out before I got there...but your story takes the cake ... a RT-909 sitting on the curb?... crazy ...

Sounds like we both got very lucky. I think the belt and tires cost me about $45.00. The old rubber was literally goo and had to be cleaned off rather than removed.

I've bought a few things at my local goodwill but I haven't ever found anything that's worth very much.

Many Goodwill stores cull the good stuff and offer it on their auction site, Shopgoodwill.

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

I normally don't like to shop goodwill for the reason they hide behind the charitable organization law where they are exempt from paying real wages to their employees while the owner soak in millions....my sister in law worked at one for 6 months , but they only paid her 5.50 hr...

[danrclem]

Here's a picture of the RT-909 that I was referring to in an earlier post. I didn't get the reels with it and found those and the hubs later on. It wasn't very clean when this picture was taken and it's in very good shape.

I'm still trying to attach a picture of it from the Craigslist ad but haven't been able to do that so far.

Pioneer RT-909.JPG (35.43 KiB) Viewed 8334 times

[TC Chris]

Whoa, that was FREE???? As in, no money exchanged hands?? Bargain of the decade!!

Chris Campbell