Dokorder 7050 DESCRIPTION: Manufactured by Denki Onkyo (sic) of Japan, this is an absolutely massive recorder, even by open reel standards. Measuring an elephantine 20 1/2" wide by 14 1/2" tall, it's almost as big as a television set. Despite this, it only takes 7" reels. A fully loaded two speed transistorized machine, it features fully automatic reversing play and record, with three heads for each direction- for a total of six heads. I don't know the date, but it looks more like late '60s. The deck has built in amplifiers for external speakers, but does not have speakers of its own (there are two 1/4" phone sockets on the back for you to plug in your own speakers). There are many controls, including ones for auto reverse mode (shut off, auto, repeat), sound on sound recording, tone, etc. Transport controls are by large, manually operated keys near the bottom of the front of the machine. Styling is slightly unusual in that the deck is oriented in the wide dimension, that is, most of the knobs and meters are oriented vertically along the right side of the front panel, with the reels, etc, taking up the left side. The faceplate is black with a wooden case all the way around and a latching wooden cover. DESCRIPTION: This deck was found in Parkersburg, West Virginia, in the house of a radio engineer who passed away. His widow was getting rid of his old electronics material, and this ended up being a giveaway. It's definitely a quality piece, with nicely machined aluminum knobs, and a massive aluminum head cover embossed with the unique Dokorder logo. The most recent arrival, this one functions poorly, with apparently worn heads and a totally vexating problem with one channel which will go intermittent, only to start working right after I open it up to work on it! I will say that one of these in good condition would be quite a find. It's a good thing the Consumer Products Safety Commission wasn't around then, since this thing would never have made it to market: when the tape runs out, the tension switch will stop the capstan and reel motors electrically, but it WILL NOT CANCEL THE MECHANICAL BUTTONS, you see what I'm saying? If you rewind the tape, and forget to hit "Stop", when you thread the next tape into it , the deck will go into rewind mode and jerk the tape violently out of your hand, possibly hitting the reel spinning at full no-load rpm! Minus five points for that design. Ultimately, one worth buying but check it carefully and be careful when you use it!

DOKORDER 7050

The well equipped and somewhat dangerous Dokorder 7050. I've had the forward playback head on this one relapped by JRF Magnetics and it really improved the frequency response, it has a high end again!

Nagra III-P DESCRIPTION: This amazing little machine was built by the legendary swiss company Kudelski SA, builders of the highest level professional recording equipment available. The III-P is a machine which could be customized for almost any audio application, from music recording to news gathering to location recording for film. This particular machine is a full track monophonic model, which runs at 3.75, 7 1/2, and 15 in/sec, with two equalizations for each speed! It has many features which would be considered esoteric for home use, like a built in pilot tone generator for synchronization with film cameras. The build quality is not to be believed, with all knobs and controls machined from solid billets of aluminum and stainless steel. This machine was produced from the mid 1950's to the late 1960s, at which time it was replaced by the IV series (IV-S, 4.2 L, etc.) COMMENTS: Now THIS was a find. Once again, thanks West Virginia Public Broadcasting! This was used at the public television station in Huntington, West Virginia, and discarded in the spring of 2000. I found it at the surplus warehouse and paid a whopping $75.00. The batteries in it were still good! Legend has it that Nagras have been dropped out of buildings and they still worked. Rather than go into a lot of detail here, I would urge you to visit the Nagra USA site on the links page. They have an excellent page about Nagra history, with a lot of info on the III, along with a PDF file of the service manual for it! If you ever see a Nagra for sale, buy it, and hang it on a wall- they are works of art.

Otari MX5050 B2-HD DESCRIPTION: The 5050 series has been going since the mid '70s in various incarnations. The MX5050 B2-HD ran from 1979 to 1982, according to the people I talked to at Otari. This model was followed by the B2-II, and the B2-III, which is still listed on the Otari website, though I'm not sure if they're still available. Anyway...this particular machine ran at consumer speeds (the standard two) though most 5050s ran at the professional speeds of 7 1/2 and 15 in/sec. This machine had both the standard 1/2 track and an optional 1/4 track playback head. It has a full range of professional features, such as pitch control and a built in test tone oscillator. COMMENTS: This was purchased for $150.00 at the state surplus warehouse...which was a mistake. The power transformer was extremely noisy, and the unit was pretty beat up cosmetically. I thought all 5050s were high speed; I was wrong, and got stung on this one. I still figured it was worth fixing up and adding to the collection, though. I called Otari wanting to buy the manual for it, they said they didn't have any, they couldn't even make a copy of an old beat up one in the engineering deparment. Okay, I said, how about a copy of a B2-II manual, the next closest thing? They said sure and took my credit card number. That was the last I ever heard from them. Since it appears they aren't interested in serving people with older machines, I got fustrated and got rid of it. (This is in marked difference with Tascam or Studer, who can get you almost any part for 20 year old machines with no problems.) The moral of the story: buy recent Otari or don't buy it at all.

Pioneer RT-909 DESCRIPTION: This was, to the best of my knowledge, the last Pioneer open reel machine, along with the RT-707. This is a fully bidirectional, two speed, three motor machine, built like the 701 described elsewhere. The machine takes 10.5" reels, and has slots built into the faceplate so that it could be mounted in a standard 19" rack. It was available into the early '80s. COMMENTS: This machine was found through an ad in our local classifieds paper, the Ad Bulletin. Perfectly mint, with its original reel adaptors and take up reel, I paid the bargain price of $150.00. This is a fabulous machine from the waning days of the open reel era. The machine is beautifully laid out, with a straight-through tape path. There are lots of nice little touches, for example, the VU meter not only has a provision for dimming the display, but you can choose instant or ballistic (averaged) readouts as well. It's handsome, it works beautifully, and it sounds fantastic- I highly recommend this one along with its single-direction counterpart, the RT-901.

Pioneer RT-1011L DESCRIPTION: Another hit from the mid to late '70s, this is a typical mid range tape deck featuring three heads, three motors, two speeds, and solenoid transport controls with motion sensing. The deck can take 10.5" reels. The transport keys are latch down type with quite a firm detent. The control knobs are black plastic, and the styling is typical brushed aluminum/wood sides. COMMENTS: This unit was found on a shipping pallet at the state surplus warehouse in Dunbar, West Virginia. I paid the minimum bid of $25.00. It was dirty and somwhat dinged up, etc, but the only item which kept it from operating correctly was a loose pivot which keeps the pinch roller/tape lifter arm in place. After a good cleaning and lube, it works like a charm. Serviceablility is excellent, due to the fact that access to the internals can be gained by taking off the wood sides, which leaves everything else intact. A good machine, I would rate it above the Teacs and below the Akais of its day. The motion sensing works well, but there's an awfully long pause between the time the reels stop and play mode kicks in. Also, while this may be the result of rough treatment, the reel motors and spindles don't seem to be as nicely balanced as on other machines, the result being more vibration in fast winds, and more problems with the tape scraping noisily on the reel flanges. The sound quality is excellent. There are quite a few of these out there, so this would make a solid, low cost addition to any stereo. Pioneer RT-701 DESCRIPTION: This is a two speed, three motor deck available in the late '70s and early '80s, even I can remember seeing these when they were new. A striking looking machine, the deck is typical of the '80s aluminum faceplace era (after the wood sides were gone). The deck is oriented horizontally, with vertical VU meters between the reels. This one appeared to be aimed at the "semi-professional" market, as the faceplate is designed for standard 19" rack mounting. Not only that, but the head cover has access holes (with labels!) for adjusting the Play head and Record head azimuth without disrupting anything. Neat. All controls are small silver buttons with a firm detent. The deck is listed in the 1978 B-A catalog as weighing 43 pounds and cost a fairly reasonable $525.00. COMMENTS: This one was found at the state surplus warehouse, but in disguise! It was mounted in a piece of medical equipment, an Electromyograph, used for testing nerve impulses and muscle response, apparently. It was being used as a data recorder! The B-A catalog claims response up to 28 khz at 7 1/2 ips- I have a hard time believing it. The example I have has a bit of a problem dealing with high signal levels but otherwise has superb sound quality. The reel motors are as finely balanced as any there are, in fact, it can produce a tape pack almost as smooth in rewind as it does in play'! A fine machine with a very easy tape threading path, this one is highly recommended. Sony TC-105A DESCRIPTION: A late '60s deck, this is a three speed, one motor, two head monophonic deck. It has a speaker built into the main chassis, and has a latchable cover. There's nothing exceptional about the controls, except that is has the usual period-Sony "Instant Stop" lever which disengages the pinch roller and pressure pad without deactivating the playback electronics. COMMENTS: This one was found outside in the snow after one of the auctions at the state surplus warehouse, so, it was free. It's a very solid, basic little machine, but it has one big drawback: it doesn't play stereo tapes very well. It would play one channel very well, or get between tracks and do very little. (It has a switch labled "Track Exchange", with one side designated 1-4, the other 2-3. The effect it seemed to have was that of moving the head gap to a different position vertically, I presume to work with stereo tapes. I could never get it to work satisfactorily, though.) Mechanically, it's pretty basic, with the usual one motor idlers and belts, etc, The one thing to watch out for, though, is that Instant Stop lever. If its return spring is too tight, it'll put too much pressure on the pinch roller and pressure pad, making the playback run slow. Alas, this one gave its life to help its bigger brothers in the collection.

Sony TC-200 DESCRIPTION: The second of the late '60s trio, this was a lower level one motor, three speed, two head stereo deck with speakers which form part of the carrying case. It has the grey vinyl covering and the "Instant Stop" lever. COMMENTS: This deck was purchased through an ad in the local classifieds paper for $100.00. Cosmetically in excellent shape, this deck has had a very hard time with rubber idler wheel hardening, causing a slow runninng problem. I've taken in apart many times and used rubber rejuvenator on the idlers, but it won't hold permanently. Apart from this problem, though, this unit has typically good sound quality, and a relatively compact design.This would be ideal for listening to your old tapes on a casual basis. Sony TC-230 DESCRIPTION: The last of the older trio, this was the higher level stereo portable. It has the same one motor, two head, three speed design of the others. Unlike the 200, though, this deck uses much more metal in its construction, including nicely machined metal control knobs. It's bigger and more squared off looking than the 200. This one also has latchable speakers, but switching is provided so that a phonograph and tuner could be amplified through the decks electronics. Yes, it has the grey vinyl. COMMENTS: This one came from the estate of a friend of a friend, and was free. I was told it was accidentally left on all day one time, and it "burned out the motor". Upon inspection, I found that the motor wasn't dead, but it was very weak- running slow in play, and giving up altogether in fast winds. To make a long story short, I discovered that the run capacitor (1.5uf @ 250V) had opened up, making the motor run weak and get very hot. The replacement cap made the deck run like new. A nice machine, one of these could be an apartment stereo in itself (just add a CD player and tuner!).

Nagra III-P

This is the top view of this amazing little machine. Notice the industrial strength head stack. Even though it can't be seen in this picture, the name "Kudelski" is etched into the face plate in large letters between the reels. The hinged plastic cover is in the open position, you can see the bottom of it in the top of the picture.

Otari MX5050 B2-HD

Widely used in studios and radio stations, the MX5050 is a workhorse professional machine. Too bad Otari doesn't care about supporting marginally outdated products.

Pioneer RT-909

By using the latest technology of the time, Pioneer came up with an absolutely superb machine in the RT-909 (and the whole series- 701, 707, 901, and 909). This machine would be the pride of any home stereo.

PIONEER RT-701

Here's the amazing data-recording Pioneer. Note the black rectangle on the lower left corner- that was placed there by the medical equipment manufacturer (TECA Corp.), along with the non-original plastic knobs (the originals would have been aluminum).

SONY TC-200

Typical of Sony's '60s lineup, you can't go wrong with a basic machine like this- they can almost always be fixed with generic parts and they sound great.