Hello world

[jeffd]

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I just bought an Akai GX 4000d and a big box of reels. My first reel to reel. I've got tons of records and old audio gear, but this is my first foray into the world of tape. So far I like it. Last night I dubbed a bunch of songs from records and from my PC to my new reel to reel. Tonight I listened to it and I really liked it. I ran the it through my Fisher 400, excellent sound.
Any suggestions as to mods or maintenance I should perform on this? Recapping?

[Scorpion8]

Clean and lubricate. Get yourself the SM. And welcome to TH's!

[Squank]

Welcome to TH! I find it very enjoyable that you got dressed up before you joined the forum!*bigthumbup*

[Warped Bezel]

Bowtie? *flame*

[studeb]

Hi,

The manual is available at hifiengine.
I would recap the PS at a minimum with new electrolytics. There is easy access, and i did mine without pulling the board. Also the rec and playback circuits use the 2sc458 transistors which have a bad reputation in some circles. You can use 2sc2240 as a replacement for those. Replacing the other caps is up to you. I replaced the caps in the PB circuit en masse, but unless they are failing some people dont think its a good idea.

Its a nice solid deck, enjoy

[VintageSteve]

Welcome to Tapeheads. My first R2R was an Akai GX 4000d, too. Picked it up at a thrift about two years ago. I still have it but haven't used it for quite a while since the heads need re-lapping. It's in my "one of these days" stack of gear.

I have pdf files for the service manual and schematic if you want.

[jeffd]

Uhoh, my first technical difficulties with tape. I pressed play this morning and the right reel wouldn't turn correctly. It kind of sputters and turns just a little. I unscrewed the front and bent it forward just a little to peek in and I can see what's going wrong. There's a rubber wheel that should be pushing against a spinning spindle to drive the reel. However, it's not making firm enough contact with the spindle. Does this make sense? Is this familiar to anyone? What can I do to fix this?

[studeb]

It makes sense if you have been in there.

When you turn either of the control levers, the idler wheel engages the left or right reel table. Although there is not really an adjustment for this. It sounds like the cam that you turn may be bent or worn.
Or there is too much play in the clutch assembly. You see the same motor drive the capstan and the reel tables. To maintain motor and capstan speed constant, the reel table has a clutch so that it can slip, after all it has to do is take up the tape.

Do you have the manual? It can be found at hifiengine.com.
Download it, and have a look at the pics.

[jeffd]

Thanks, I'm beginning to get a clearer picture of this now. I've looked over the manual and now I think I see what's wrong.

The Idler wheel is not pressing hard enough against the Knurling pulley. Is the lever's spring too weak? How can I fix this? Must I replace a part or could I just gently bend something back into place?

[studeb]

is the wheel worn?
is there black rubber in there?
Take the fron off, and have a look at it, before you bend something.
You could try bending things, but it would be good to find out what the real issue is.

[jeffd]

The wheel is black rubber and it looks to be just fine. I think the clutch isn't pushing forcefully enough for some reason. I just tried slightly repositioning a spring on the clutch and now it plays well, for the moment at least. However reverse is now off kilter.
I'll have to swing by the hardware store before I take the front off, it has some of the tiniest hex bolts I've ever seen.

[Audiomayvin]

My dear VintageSteve!
If you have the GX4000d, then you don't have to relap your heads. Maybe your great-great grandchildren. The Glass-Crystal heads are good for a long-very long time.
All the best,
Leon(The Audiomayvin, Montreal(514)739-5403)

[stereorob]

a gx-400d is a great way to introduce yourself into the world of RTR! and something about tube fisher stuff.. it meshes REELy well with RTR, btw, have you found out how to change speeds yet? if you havent, just lemme know and ill walk you threw the process. its all downhill from here bud, and btw, welcome to TH!!