Rare decks

[HockeyDad]

The post of the Technics RS 777 got me looking for other odd/rare decks that are out there but in short supply. A quick check on Google reveals other rare decks from this era as RtR had its last gasp. But what are the rarest and what have you come across in your travels that you picked up or wish you had.
Here's one I saw on eBay recently and just had to ask how much to ship from England: The Gramdeck - could turn ANY turntable into an open reel recorder!
whoa! whoa! whoa! click on this while the link still works.*eyepop*
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260288798241&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

[TheReeler]

For me, possible the rarest is this one:

http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=1015

[DaveInVA]

ts an Amplicorp from the early 50s. Its wind up for the mechinism but uses 2 batteries for the tube electronics. the flywheel is for smoothing the speed of the wind up capstan motor,

Dave

[kevinkr]

I was given an early transistorized stereo Oki Denki single motor r2r deck around 1975. It was a two head machine and used germanium transistors.

The transport was in the top and the record/replay electronics were in the bottom.. Had two meters, one atop the other, little red incandescent lamps for record indicators and recording level controls. Connections between the two sections were carried by at least one cable with B9A style connector and socket. (9 pin tube socket.)

It was relatively compact - not much over 12" wide if that, and probably 16" or so tall. It was not a cheap machine, it came with manuals and the original ~1966 purchase invoice which was somewhere around the $200 mark IIRC..

The front was thick polished aluminum, and the case was wood with a black vinyl covering. Beyond this details are sketchy as I no longer even have the manuals.

It sounded nice when it worked, which was hardly ever. The motor was really marginal torque wise on 50Hz and ran really hot. The deck was originally intended for 60Hz operation in the USA and had been adapted to 50Hz.

This was the only stereo R2R I owned until the mid 1980s..

It is so rare I cannot even find a picture of it online or indeed any mention of it on google.

Found something very similar here, except that mine had two amplifier modules, identical I think to the one shown here, no speakers, same transport, and was full stereo play and record - this one looks like a mono deck with a stereo head.. Mine might have been a later 222 infact: http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=815154&image=165111106&images=165111101,165111094,165111128,165111106,165 111112,165111120,165111141,165111151&formats=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0&format=0 (http://www.auctiva.com/hostedimages/showimage.aspx?gid=815154&image=165111106&images=165111101,165111094,165111128,165111106,165 111112,165111120,165111141,165111151&formats=0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0&format=0)
Not sure how long this link will be active for as it is associated with a now ended eBay auction.. Looks pretty cheesy now.. :)

[dreekeNL]

I am the lucky owner of a Technics RS 715 US .
Don't know how rare this really is, but I can't find much info of it on the internet.
This one came from Panasonic in the Netherlands where it had been stored on a shelf for about 25 years.
The guy who sold it to me said that there were sold just a few (about 15 registred) in the Netherlands, but it was more populair in the US.
It works almost perfectly and it sounds really good.

The picture shows my deck playing Agfa PEM369 tape at a so called "tapedeck meeting" that we organise every march and september on a Dutch forum.

http://lh3.ggpht.com/celicav8/SN-hlsmhqGI/AAAAAAAAAB4/nTomK6jfwa4/s640/PICT0815.JPG


This one came with a sort of a soft dust cover, which unfortunatly has some yellow spots on it (should be white) and a remote control. When I plug it in all the electricity in my house goes out. *flame*

[niklasthedolphin]

Here's a rare one.

It's a Toni from DDR.

"dolph"

[niklasthedolphin]

Or the ML STM 210B from DDR

"dolph"

[Naknut]

*WTF* Is that driven by the spindal shaft of a direct drive turntable??

[close652]

Or the ML STM 210B from DDR

"dolph"

It is a Hungarian Mechlabor reel to reel.
They made in Pécs, where I live. My uncle worked there, unfortunately he died around 1981.
They made some good machines. Rumour is that producing R2Rs was just a cover to produce electronics for Sowiet tanks.
There is alittle company still in the city which repairs old decks and produces some new: http://www.freeweb.hu/stm/
I found spec in English for a later machine: link. (http://www.freeweb.hu/stm/termekek/termekek_stm700_angol.htm)
From their website:
Mechanikai Laboratórium supplied 1112 heavy duty, fully professional mono
or stereo studio tape recorders, 42 syncronized tape recorders and 160
casette-type reporter's portable tape recorders to the Moscow Olympic Games.

[Jay Pemberton]

*WTF* Is that driven by the spindle shaft of a direct drive turntable??

I don't know what turntable speed translates into which tape speed though. Presto briefly marketed a playback unit in the early 1950s that worked on much the same principle. There were two sizes of capstan puck that could be used on it, to yield either 7 1⁄2 or 15 ips speeds, on a turntable running at 78 rpm. This unit was intended for the broadcast market, and its head was designed to feed a microphone input on a mixer.

[close652]

Another turntable R2R from the Sowiet-Union.

http://www.magnomuzeum.hu/images/foto52_n.jpg

[Rat44]

Amazing that ingenuity that went into those table driven reels.
I have never heard of those.Learn something new everyday.
Thanks for sharing Dolph.