Quad Reel to Reel machines?

[neil wilkes]

A question for someone who knows:

I am about to be given an old 4-track open reel machine, free gratis and for nothing.
Will it be capable of playing Quad reels - or is the fact that it is a 4track not sufficient?
I do know it can play back and record on all 4 tracks simultaneously, so presumably if it works - is all I need to do is hook it up to a set of preamps?

I will be posting the make and model soon - although I believe it to be a Teac machine of some description.....

Any advice very gratefully recieved here.

 

[spenceo]

There is 4 Channel/4 Track (Quad) and 2 Channel/4 track (Stereo). If it plays all four track simultaneously, it should be 4 Channel.

Spence

 

[Malcolm2010]

Neil,
A model number would give the answer, it could be one of 3340 2340 3440 34 34B. All of them are true 4 channel quad capable decks. The 3440 is better than the earlier 3340 series, the 34 and 34B are the best of the bunch, but watch out for head wear.

Malcolm

 

[neil wilkes]

Teac A-3340S
still uncertain about head condition but will be looking for a reputable service agent to look at it for me.

So - all I need to do is plumb it into the Analogue Console, and feed the outputs from that direct into my digits then??

 

[JonUrban]

Teac A-3340S
still uncertain about head condition but will be looking for a reputable service agent to look at it for me.

So - all I need to do is plumb it into the Analogue Console, and feed the outputs from that direct into my digits then??

Yup! 3340S is a nice machine. It will play 15 ips and 7 1/2 ips, but not 3 3/4 ips. However, all quad reels are 7 1/2 ips, save for some very rare 15 ips reels.

Welcome to "Legacy" quad! :banana:

 

[mtgc]

I own a 3340S which I bought on EBay and had totally gone through by my local hifi repair shop (probably one of the few still left in Georgia). This unit will take the large reels if you have the hub adaptors. These units are heavy, mine seemingly weighing about as much as a '47 Buick with a full tank of gas!! The sound is great, and if yours works, you have a true treasure.

Enjoy!!

MTGC (Michael)

 

[Quadwreck]

Yup! 3340S is a nice machine. It will play 15 ips and 7 1/2 ips, but not 3 3/4 ips. However, all quad reels are 7 1/2 ips, save for some very rare 15 ips reels.

Welcome to "Legacy" quad! :banana:

Vanguard put out some quad reels at 3.75 ips.

 

[neil wilkes]

I got Nab adapters on my Stereo Revox B77HS unit.
The tape machine arrives today. Not been used for over 10 years except as a small table!!
I am going to go put it through a specialist to check out the heads and give it a full service.

Then - hunt me down some reels.
Oh - BTW - got a great tip on a way to help preserve the tapes.
See http://www.tangible-technology.com/tape/baking1.html for a great, and cheap way to bake those old tapes and stop the oxide shedding from happening.

 

[bizmopeen]

Thanks for the link to the tape-baking tips, Neil. I've got a bunch of 1/2" Ampex 858 tapes from the early-mid 90's that are sticky and need this done. These and other tape maintenance/transferring tips are always appreciated...

 

[dr8track]

Thanks for the link to the tape-baking tips, Neil. I've got a bunch of 1/2" Ampex 858 tapes from the early-mid 90's that are sticky and need this done. These and other tape maintenance/transferring tips are always appreciated...

I just ordered one of the American Harvest dehydrator through Amazon where it's on sale for $50, I've got a few original quad reels that need baking. I wonder if it would work for tape cartridges? My quad 8's seem fine, but I have some old vintage stereo 4-track carts that have a real problem with flaking oxide. Might give it a try w/ both carts and reels when I get it and see what happens.

By the way Neil, I sent you a private message about a possible source of some quad reels for your DVD-A authoring. Check out the message and let me know if interested.
George

 

[neil wilkes]

The baking trick will not work with carts - the plastic will warp.
There might be an answer though if you can unscrew the cart, and wind the tape onto an old catch reel, perhaps?

What is the best way of telling when a tape needs to be baked though?
And how do we know how long to bake it for?

 

[winopener]

There might be an answer though if you can unscrew the cart, and wind the tape onto an old catch reel, perhaps?
What is the best way of telling when a tape needs to be baked though?
And how do we know how long to bake it for?

i've read thru the site and have myself a little doubt: acetate tapes should not be baked. Ok. But.. how do i know what kind of tape is on a cart?
Seems risky. After all, it's easy to guess when you have a reel with brand and model, date too; for factory duplicated tape there's no way to guess *what* kind of tape you have inside.

 

[dr8track]

i've read thru the site and have myself a little doubt: acetate tapes should not be baked. Ok. But.. how do i know what kind of tape is on a cart?
Seems risky. After all, it's easy to guess when you have a reel with brand and model, date too; for factory duplicated tape there's no way to guess *what* kind of tape you have inside.

From what I could tell from reading the site it sounds like the acetate tape was used during the pre-quad era. Sounds like it was prevelant in the mid to late 60's. I think you'd be safe w/ any quad era reel.

 

[dr8track]

The baking trick will not work with carts - the plastic will warp.
There might be an answer though if you can unscrew the cart, and wind the tape onto an old catch reel, perhaps?

What is the best way of telling when a tape needs to be baked though?
And how do we know how long to bake it for?

Opening the cart and taking the tape off the reel sounds like more work than I'd want to go through for old stereo carts. Are you certain plastic will warp at 130 degrees? Might have to do a little research on that. Maybe I'll experiment w/ a cart I don't care about and find out.

 

[trusso]

I just purchased 3340s at a garage sale with the remote control. The seller didnt have a power cord so I took a chance since I worked out of an electronics repair shop for years and the owner would fix any minor problems for free.

I connected it to my old Tascam 1604 mixer. The problem I have is that the tape plays faster than the chipmunks. It flys. If I move the tension arm a bit, it will slow down, sometimes it crawls to a halt, even if I let the arm go. I have the deck set to small reel and slow speed.

I am wondering if the tension can be adjusted or why it comes to a complete stop while playing. The belt still turns. Thanks.

Tony

Does anyone have a slight idea what causes t

 

[Quadwreck]

I just purchased 3340s at a garage sale with the remote control. The seller didnt have a power cord so I took a chance since I worked out of an electronics repair shop for years and the owner would fix any minor problems for free.

I connected it to my old Tascam 1604 mixer. The problem I have is that the tape plays faster than the chipmunks. It flys. If I move the tension arm a bit, it will slow down, sometimes it crawls to a halt, even if I let the arm go. I have the deck set to small reel and slow speed.

I am wondering if the tension can be adjusted or why it comes to a complete stop while playing. The belt still turns. Thanks.

Tony

Does anyone have a slight idea what causes t

Is the capstan roller coming up into position? Very likely the mechanical parts that move it back and forth are gummed up and need to be disassembled, cleaned, and re-lubed.

 

[trusso]

I think you hit the nail on the head. I called my friend that owned the electronics repair shop and he said the same thing. That's when I noticed that the capstan roller was frozen in place, not touching the tape. I moved it back and forth to free it up and then placed it against the tape. It played great. It just doesnt move back and forth freely. My friend said that he had to replace a fuse in a similar machine recently. Do you think it just needs to be cleaned and re-lubed?

 

[Quadwreck]

I think you hit the nail on the head. I called my friend that owned the electronics repair shop and he said the same thing. That's when I noticed that the capstan roller was frozen in place, not touching the tape. I moved it back and forth to free it up and then placed it against the tape. It played great. It just doesnt move back and forth freely. My friend said that he had to replace a fuse in a similar machine recently. Do you think it just needs to be cleaned and re-lubed?

Maybe a new belt would be in order while you have it opened up. It's best to take care of your problem now, or the dried-out grease will become hardened glue, and getting those pieces apart will be a bitch.

 

[mtgc]

Amen to the new belt. I just finished cleaning an old turntable wherein the belt had become glued to the turntable. What a mess! Had to use some serious chemicals to get all the crud off of the platter. Replace the belt now and save yourself a lot of potential troubles later.

MTGC (Michael)

 

[westgate]

hello,
i've got a 30- year old akai 630dss 4 channel/4 track direct drive reel to reel recorder. back in the '80s it twice fell a 4 or 5 foot drop. it got banged up but still recorded and played ok. it's been stored in a barn for the last ~17 years, exposed to temps ranging from -10f to 90f. i just pulled it out 3 months ago. it played fine before i stored it.

now, when i try to play a tape at either speed, 3.75/7.5 ips, there is a slight bit of flutter. otherwise it sounds great! i checked the pinch roller, i think it's fine. i also cleaned head, tape path, and demagged.

there is a very faint vibrato like sound coming from the capstan motor, maybe ~5 times/sec at 3.75 and ~10 times/sec @ 7.5 ips. seems to correspond with the flutter.
i took off some small panels on back of unplugged machine, stuck my hand in to turn motor by hand, but i couldnt really make it go fast enough to make the sound. i was gonna open machine up but it's way too much for my experience level.

from what i've written here, anyone got any ideas on a cheap, easy fix?

otherwise, it's off to ct for repairs.

thanks!