Akai GX-635D info needed

[Rex Everything]

I'm coming to the experts again here as I'm a n00b to this r2r thang for the most part.

A buddy of mine gave me his uncles old Akai GX-635D and two boxes of mostly recorded tapes and maybe one or two actual released recordings.

I know very little about this unit and have not even attempted to use it for sometime. Last time I did have it threaded up one of the channels was out. Any ideas on what may be causing this problem?

What should be done to make sure it's set up correctly and in propper playing condition for best playback results?

T.I.A. again to all my new friends here at TapeHeads.

[Scorpion8]

The first step is a thorough cleaning of the heads. Use denatured alcohol and good Q-Tips if possible, or 99% isopropyl alcohol. Don't clean the rubber pinch rollers with alcohol as it dries them out. But scrub the heads until a wet Q-Tip comes up clean. Also clean the capstans, and tape guides where the tape travels in it's path. Do you have a demagnetizer? The heads and tape guides and capstans should be demagnetized periodically.

Do you have a OM or SM and know how to properly thread the tape? I can post a pic of the deck with a tapoe on it if needed.

Congrats. Those are superb decks. I'd like to have one myself.

[Rex Everything]

The first step is a thorough cleaning of the heads. Use denatured alcohol and good Q-Tips if possible, or 99% isopropyl alcohol. Don't clean the rubber pinch rollers with alcohol as it dries them out. But scrub the heads until a wet Q-Tip comes up clean. Also clean the capstans, and tape guides where the tape travels in it's path. Do you have a demagnetizer? The heads and tape guides and capstans should be demagnetized periodically.

Do you have a OM or SM and know how to properly thread the tape? I can post a pic of the deck with a tapoe on it if needed.

Congrats. Those are superb decks. I'd like to have one myself.

Thanks Scorpion*

I do not have a demagnetizer but I guess I should get one if I'm gonne be using this deck. Where is the best palce to get one? I don't have any of the manuals but I have treaded the machine up and played it a bit about a year ago. Please do post up the picture just to be sure.

I need to figure out why one of the channels is not working.

[Scorpion8]

Here's an Akai GX-636D, kin to the GX-635D. The tape goes around those rotating posts on each end, which are the tension guides, starting from the LHS which is the supply side usually. Then the tape makes a big U loop under the heads, which usually have guides to make sure it sits on there right. Then continuing up around the outside of the RHS round roller and loop behind the tensioner on that side, then up to the take-up reel.

http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p141/Scorpion008/AkaiGX-636Reel2Reel.jpg

The current rage in demangetizer is the Annis HandiMag, from here: http://www.maginst.com/Annis%20Products.html

[Scorpion8]

As to why one channel may not be working, the causes may be many. Akais suffer from a certain supply of transistors that go bad, 2SC498s. I just got done re-furbing my GX-267D from when amplifier transistors in one channel died. So I did both channels with new transistors, and it should be good for a long time. Other causes: bad caps in that channel that have dried out with age. A broken or cold solder joint somewhere. Dirt in the one channel head gap. A bad head.

Question: when you play the deck,try this trick: connect to your amp/receiver. Remove any tapes, and run a large rubber band between those tensioners to fool the deck into thinking a tape is installed. Now hit play, and listen very carefully to the noise coming from the deck. The good channel should be mostly silent until high gain. The bad channel may sound like wind blowing or rushing. Let us know the results.

Jim

[Scorpion8]

Here's a guy in the Chicago area who specializes in Akai's: http://www.4reelaudio.com/index.html

[Scorpion8]

ps - HiFiEngine has the OM if you need that in pdf.