Greetings from Upstate NY

[Manalog]

Hello all. As a kid, I always had one of those small cheap tape recorders to play with. The one I remember was actually designed to look like a book. I guess the idea was you could record people without them knowing. You could close the cover & stick it on a shelf. Parrot Book Corder was the name of it. When I was about 12 I got a GE Symphony, after drooling over it in the store window for months. My first 'big' tape recorder, it was actually a big plasticky piece of junk , but with 2 microphones & big detachable speakers, I was in heaven. This was 1967-68. In 1970, after the album 'McCartney' came out, I bought the songbook for it. There were little notes in it showing the tracks & each instrument or voice, up to 8 tracks, along with comments by Paul. Being a Beatles Psycho to begin with, this planted the multitracking seed. For those who might be too young to know, Paul plays all the instruments himself on this album. I then got an Ampex 'sound on sound' tape recorder. I don't remember the number, but have seen similar ones on ebay. Skip a couple of decades (please), & in 1989 I bought a Tascam Porta05 & recorded a bunch of stuff. Then later bought a Tascam 424mkIII, which is sort of great. Since 2003, I've been slowly acquiring vintage analog equipment to fulfill those lifelong reel to reel yearnings. (I mean I'm fucking 52. How long do I have? More important, what the fuck was I waiting for?!!? Oh I remember now......money!!!) Have the following reel to reel machines:
Tascam MS-16, Tascam TSR-8, Tascam 38, Teac 3440, Teac A-3340S, Teac 2340SX, Teac 4010S (2), A 60's Cypher & a 1950"s Crescent Model 907.
Also some DBX, Polk & Sansui speakers.
A bunch of stereo receivers mostly Pioneer & Sansui, also Kenwood. Only one deck was actually serviced. The rest are in the condition that the liars I bought them from lied about. Everything has to be serviced & I want to learn how to do just that. If I can get out of the financial situation I'm currently in, I intend to hit this hard. I'm
excited about this site & delighted that I stumbled onto it. I just joined Audio Asylum last week & saw the thread leading to this site & joined immediately.
Finally, a site where tape is the main thing instead of just a side forum. It's about time! Delighted to be here.

[Doug_Olitsky]

where upstate???

[Scorpion8]

Welcome! Jump right in.

[Manalog]

where upstate???

Hey, Doug.

Orange County.
About 8 miles up the mountains from Port Jervis. I'm like 15 minutes from the tri-state border of NY, NJ & PA.

[Manalog]

Welcome! Jump right in.

Hey, Scorpion8.

Thanks for the welcome!
I'll personally add a thank you for your service to our country!

I notice you're from Alaska. Is it possible to get a multitrack machine serviced up there or do you have to become the guy that does it? It seems like a lot of us here are being slowly educated into becoming that guy, no matter where we live.

[Doug_Olitsky]

Ah, got ya!

I have a farm in Walton (catskills) and have been going thru your neck of the woods for decades. Long before the mall, home depot, etc. However, Gander Mtn. aint' so bad! :)

[Manalog]

Ah, got ya!

I have a farm in Walton (catskills) and have been going thru your neck of the woods for decades. Long before the mall, home depot, etc. However, Gander Mtn. aint' so bad! :)

Yes. It's beautiful up here. Got my own 10 acre forest & pond. Looks like McCartney's Wildlife album cover. Moved here in '97. My first 42 years were spent in Brooklyn, when it was & then when it wasn't. But that's how it goes. Had to get out of there before my kid started kindergarten. It's been quite an upgrade, I must say.

And yes, the malls ruin everything. But I still have to drive at least 5 miles to get to one. And once you're in it, though, home depot is a form of fun.

[Scorpion8]

I notice you're from Alaska. Is it possible to get a multitrack machine serviced up there or do you have to become the guy that does it? It seems like a lot of us here are being slowly educated into becoming that guy, no matter where we live.

Thanks. No, Alaska is the ultimate in DIY. And the emphasis on the Y in DIY is absolute. I can't tell you of a single TH (or even AK'er if we can mention that) within 900 miles of me. I have a few resources, and I'm learning slowly, but mostly I maintain absolute good standings with techs outside (e.g. lower 48) and I honor their service so they'll answer questions if I need help. There are a few tech repair places up in Anchorage, but last time I tried to get someone to service something down here it didn't matter how much money I waved at them..... not interested. Of course when the tech is saying "scrap it and go to mp3's" as we discuss my beloved r2r, then I decided he wasn't going to be allowed to touch it anyway.

[Des-Lab]

Welcome aboard! Glad you found the site and took the time to join. Closest I've been to Upstate New York is....New York City. It's a place I wouldn't want to live, but I urge everyone to visit at least once. Staten Island, where I've always stayed is, for the most part, pretty nice. It has a few pockets of classic "New England" charm. Especially the areas around Todt Hills and the south end of the island near Wolfes Pond beach and Tottenville. I hear that upstate is very scenic and one of these years I'd like to get out there and see it.

[Mr. Lin]

Welcome aboard!

[Acoustic]

Hello and welcome! My story with audio mirrors yours... even down to the liars!!

[Manalog]

Hey Mr.Lin,

Thanks for the welcome! Glad to be aboard!

[NAD613]

Glad to have you aboard!

[Manalog]

Hello and welcome! My story with audio mirrors yours... even down to the liars!!

Hey Acoustic!

Thanks for the welcome!

And yeah those liars! Even when you talk to them on the phone first, it never is what it is. It always ends up like.......less! But I'm from Brooklyn so I should know this, right? It's like buying a used car. I assume I'm gonna have to put 3k into it no matter what they said. If I don't, then I'm pleasantly surprised. That'll be my policy next time I go R2R hunting. By the way, all my liars were on ebay. Big surprise, huh? Of course, there are some good sellers so I won't blanket them all, even though every one I dealt with had great feedback.

But, after all is said & done, the way I see it, it's all the Beatles' fault!

[Manalog]

Hey NAD,

Thanks & glad I found this place!

[Web Police]

Welcome. :)

[Manalog]

Welcome. :)

Hey Web Police,

Thank you!

[Rat44]

Welcome aboard. I'm originally from Marcy. Nice area, just no jobs left.

[Manalog]

Hey Rat44,

Thanks.

I hear you. We've been sold out for cheap foreign labor. And the worthless, corrupt (both parties) government allows, expands, & promotes it. It's definitely NOT the country I grew up in.