I've gone for a Teac X-1000M - what's next?

[Mignun67]

OK, so a while back I posted that I was toying with the idea of getting a R2R deck so I could make some recordings of some local bands and instrumental recitals.

Well, having been really busy for some months, I've finally pulled the trigger on a Teac X-1000MBL. I haven't seen it in the flesh yet, but the pictures sent by the seller looked good, he confimed it's all working well, it was lightly used, still with it's original box, manual, NABs, take-up reel etc.. and the seller was the original owner. All plus points in my view. The price was not too bad, and (very important), it's in black.

So, I hope to make the (long) journey next week to pick it up, and can't wait.

So, to my question; what's next? Should I perform a clean and lube as a matter of course before going any further? Any pointers?

And what about choice of tape? I can get a number of different types new. Most expensive by far seems to be ATR Master tape. But there's BASF 900, LPR35, and PEM468, Quantegy 457, and Zonal 675. The last one seems to be available at a good price. Of course, I could brave eBay but then storage becomes a concern. So, which tape type would work well with this deck?

Thanks all.

[Skywavebe]

Hi Mignun67,
First it is a nice deck but you may find as I have that black meters are hard on the eyes when having to watch critical levels. The black models seem to have been produced for the consumer "wanted black face" idea with no consideration given to the utility of the unit.
Tape- the tape that is best for the machine would be the one that it is set up for. I would use one of the higher grade types due to the fact that you might be hitting the levels pretty hard as unexpected things occur. There is no problem with LPR35 tape except that it is for longer recordings and should fall withing range of the setting if you went for SM911 or SM900. ATR is a fine grade tape and I suspect as in my service history that it will be the most trouble free. The lower grade tapes would work fine if you were to use dBx on the recordings. Again, the dBx and all the other specs are best when the machine has been set up to that particular tape in the high bias position.
Mechanically, I would clean the Capstan shafts since they are out of sight, Oil the Capstan Shaft bearings at the same time I replace the belt. A check that the speed is on is also a need. I would check the tension arms for the right position and voltage level at the reference points. All rolling guides or tension arms should have lubrication on them. The Pinch Rollers need to be checked for a proper surface condition and maybe cleaned well. After all these things it should be ready for use.

[JaeTee]

Congrats... I'm eyeballing an X-1000R here in my neighborhood that popped up in local adds.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience and your impressions of the unit!

[Mignun67]

Thanks JaeTee, I'll let you know when it lands. May be a little while though as I'm starting from scratch...

Skywavebe,

thank you for your insights here. Am I correct that the M uses a pair of belts? Is the procedure the same as with the other models for changing the belt out?

Also, how does one adjust the bias on this model? Is it an internal pot?

[Mignun67]

Well, This weekend I met with the seller and left with a lovely bagged and boxed X-1000M. Taking it out of the box to check it over, it's in even better condition than I thought. Apart from a nick to the wooden cabinet at the top rear, it looks fresh and minty. Only problem was that I forgot the box with the Teac take-up reel so the seller will send this on. As a bonus he's also sending some blank tape spools as well. Great! Nice guy too!

So, I'll have to wait a little longer. Then I'll get some pics up...

p.s. Just been going through the manuals and have discoeverd that the unit can be switched between IEC and NAB EQ. Is there an advantage between one or other? I think there was something I read about The Tape Project, where they recommend IEC..?

[Warped Bezel]

Depends on whose tapes you play. My best guess is that if it's not listed and doesn't sound right one way, USE THE OTHER?

There are others I think but...

[Skywavebe]

Hi Mignun67,
The X1000M is not an Autoreverse type tape deck and as far as I remember it has two belts on it to help with the greater speed. This is a 1/2 track deck
that will not play correctly the regular 1/4 track tapes. I remember the speeds were 7.5 and 15 IPS. The Bias setting as well as all the calibration is mostly on the bottom and you will need an alignment tape and test equipment as well as some of the smaller type screw driver to deal with the small pots. Adjusting one thing without going through the rest of the deck or at least checking it is like shooting in the dark and most likely will make the performance worse rather than better. Are you looking for a 1/2 track mastering machine or a regular 1/4 track stereo deck. With 1/2 track there is NO side two or no possibility of reverse direction.
I say most of the calibration pots are on the bottom as sometimes meter PCB are mounted to the side or or near the rear as a after thought.

[Mignun67]

Hi Sam,

thanks. No, I wasn't after an auto-reverse unit and wanted one that would cover 7.5 and 15ips. However, this unit offers switchable 1/2 or 1/4 track playback - is this not correct? I hope so. I wanted a deck that could be used for The Tape Project (the X-1000M is on the approved list) - should I decide to drop some big bucks that way!

I also noticed in the manual that Teac give better specs to the M model over the regular X-1000 and X-1000R, even at only 7.5ips. Is this just the usual marketing guff, or are there other reasons for this?

[Skywavebe]

Hi Mignun67,
OK, as I read over previous posts, I then noticed that you were going after the right unit for the job. I have not seen too many X1000M units maybe 4 in my workings as they were very rare. The better specs at the same speed is the result of possibly better flux density (higher) being used and the fact as is always the case, that when you use up more tape track width wise the specs are usually a few dB better. Plus the people that buy the X1000M are more likely to take better care of it and use a better grade of tape because of it's head configuration. It usually lands in the hand of high tech persons who then might know more about what recordings about. A more robust machine would be the Tascam 42, 52 or 62 but they are not as portable as that one and they do not have dBx built into the deck.

[bob moore]

I have had one of these for many years (cost 625 GBP new), great machine. Works well with TDK SA, in the EE position. The 4-track playback is really useful for those old tapes, I assume you realise it only records half-track (best for quality, great for reversing sounds!). Also the pitch control is useful, saves retuning instruments.