What's on your work bench?

[Jay]

Trying to resurrect this unit. Right now the forward movement doesn't work. It is purely mechanical but not sure what's going on. Very well made though.

Can you guess what it is?

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Reel to reel tape player?

Brand and Model please

[clubhouse]

Akai 4000DS

[Jay]

Akai 4000DS

You must be old It is a Mark II bought brand-new when I was a teenager.

And I just fixed the mechanical bit that drives the Forward wind. Yay

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[clubhouse]

Akai 4000DS

You must be old It is a Mark II bought brand-new when I was a teenager.

And I just fixed the mechanical bit that drives the Forward wind. Yay

20230911_155544.jpg

Nice work, man. That would've cost you a small fortune back in the day...you must have been (be?) a serious audiophile cat to dedicate yourself to the rituals of tape

I have a lot of respect for the old Akai R2Rs...and their glass head, cassette decks are pretty special too. Solid, stable mechanics and good sounding electronics. The wood veneer vibe is also very cool...in a sorta Hefner, low lights and harvey wallbanger kinda way

I have a couple of Akai M-8 Cross Field R2Rs...the ones with valve pres. As working decks, their best days are passed, but the pre amps still sound great and are just the ticket to massage acoustic guitar mics and smooth out drum overheads

[Jay]

Akai 4000DS

You must be old It is a Mark II bought brand-new when I was a teenager.

And I just fixed the mechanical bit that drives the Forward wind. Yay

20230911_155544.jpg

Nice work, man. That would've cost you a small fortune back in the day...you must have been (be?) a serious audiophile cat to dedicate yourself to the rituals of tape

I have a lot of respect for the old Akai R2Rs...and their glass head, cassette decks are pretty special too. Solid, stable mechanics and good sounding electronics. The wood veneer vibe is also very cool...in a sorta Hefner, low lights and harvey wallbanger kinda way

I have a couple of Akai M-8 Cross Field R2Rs...the ones with valve pres. As working decks, their best days are passed, but the pre amps still sound great and are just the ticket to massage acoustic guitar mics and smooth out drum overheads

Can't remember what I paid but found an old add which suggests it cost me about Fl 750 (guilders) and as a student I earned Fl35 every Friday night loading trucks. That is 20 odd weeks

Copying vinyl to tape and retain a good sound quality required a more upmarket 'investment'.

Just checked out the M8 Crossfield on reverb. Wonderful technology... would be nice to get a circuit diagram of the tube preamp.

[ChAoZ]

Made a router sled to thickness a couple of neck blanks

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[Bg]

you don't use that router bit for thicknessing though....

[jeremyb]

Made a router sled to thickness a couple of neck blanks

377911366_1322531525021800_7852460673234060771_n.jpg

Nice one, I have the same router! And a spare piece of acrylic lying about, hmmmm....

[ChAoZ]

you don't use that router bit for thicknessing though....

Swapped it out for a 1/2" bit and did 1/4' passes

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[dayl]

PVC Pipe for a sled.... thats a great idea. def upgrade from my wooden version. Will have to try it.

[ChAoZ]

PVC Pipe for a sled.... thats a great idea. def upgrade from my wooden version. Will have to try it.

One of the very few perks of working in a pipe manufacturing factory

[ChAoZ]

Made another little one to trial the process and thickness cavity covers

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[Jay]

Made another little one to trial the process and thickness cavity covers

377923824_3416838348567650_8120022324596516881_n.jpg

Double sided tape?

[dayl]

One of the very few perks of working in a pipe manufacturing factory

Haha, milk it for all its worth.

Start up a PVC bow TikTok

[jeremyb]

Trying to figure out what stays and what goes on the great pedalboard revamp of 2023….