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Roberts 770X R2R recorder/player
My neighbor is moving out of state for retirement (to AZ), and cleaning out the garage. He knows I like music, so he ran across this old Roberts 770X recorder/player. It’s from a time in his life where he was living in SF and playing/listening to a lot of jazz. He has stories of sitting next to Stan Kenton at Chuck Mangione concerts shooting the bull. It’s in rough shape, and has been in his garage for years. He looked it up and said it was not worth much, so planned to throw it out. He gave it to me, as he was headed to the curb with it, and told me if I did not find a use for it to throw it away. Well, I don’t know much about these things. But, I know a group of people who possibly could tell me more. Is it worth trying to clean up and refurbish? Is there anything to do with it? I wouldn’t even know where to get reels and tapes, or where to begin. Any advice is welcome.
Photos are attached. Best, Shrinky
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"Roberts" is the brand name of Akai R2R tape recorders that were distributed to the U.S. in the '60s and '70s. A number of my Turner Joy shipmates brought PX-purchased "Roberts" decks home--along with a slew of Sony 500s--from our 1964 WestPac deployment.
Depending on condition, cleanup and restoration (and assuming you can find appropriate tape heads if your Roberts needs them) by someone knowledgeable is likely to be costly. If you're into the routine of maintaining an R2R deck (regular head cleaning at a minimum) and can find tapes of music you like, it might be worthwhile. Note, however, that you may have to deal with "sticky shed syndrome", or the deterioration of tape binders and/or back coatings on vintage-era tapes that leaves yucky deposits on the tape heads.
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Jim Bedroom: Aurender N150-->Bryston BDA-3-->EMIA Elmaformer Cu passive line stage-->conrad-johnson MF2500-->Paradigm Studio 20 v.5 Wireworld Eclipse IC and SC Shunyata Delta D6, Alpha XC, Delta NR v.2, Alpha USB; Altaira CG Hub Stillpoints Aperture II; Ultra SS; Ultra Mini GIK Monster; 242 Butcher Block Acoustics Maple Platforms Last edited by jimtranr; 08-19-2018 at 05:10 PM. |
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Jim,
Thank you for your reply. Interesting history. As I thought, it’s likely a bigger, more involved, and costlier, project than I am up to. I appreciate you sharing your knowledge. It would be best in the hands of someone with a specific interest, and knowledge. I hate to see it on the curb headed to the landfill. Though, I guess this is where they often end up, unfortunately. Since it came into my hands for free, it does not seem right to sell it. I am not looking to make any money off it. If there is someone in my neck of the woods that would be willing to pick it up, it’s yours. If you are patient with my packing/shipping (it’s bulky and heavy), I may be willing to consider shipping it to an interested party simply for the cost of packing and shipping. This thing is pretty heavy, so shipping may be prohibitive for what it is worth. Best, Shrinky
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(Dedicated 20A line (X2) / PSAudio outlets) > (Bryston BIT15) > WW Aurora 7 PCs > ((SilenZio 3.5 > Bryston BDA-3) / (VPI Prime Walnut > EAT E Glo Petit)) > (DH Labs & WW ICs) > Bryston BP17 cubed > ((Bryston 4B cubed > Ascend Acoustics Sierra 2 & REL Acoustics T-zero) / (Schiit Mjolnir 2 > (Focal Elex / MrSpeakers Ether CX / Fostex TR-X00 Ebony / Sennheiser HD650 / AKG K712 Pro))) |
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Shrinky.......The Roberts tape machines from the 60's were decent performers. I have seen and heard quite a few brought home from Japan during the Vietnam war era.
The Crossfield heads were unique to Akai and Roberts. This machine may not need as much attention as one would think beyond a good cleaning, fresh lubricant, and perhaps a belt. Might be fun to play with if you're so inclined, but if any service exceeds a couple hundred dollars it would not be worth the cost.
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Dan STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113 VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A |
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What happened?
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