In the early 70's I composed my own music on an Akai 4000DS, sound on sound deck. Then around 75 I bought a Teac 3340S. Also mixed down to a Tascam32. I am now transferring all those tapes, 7 1/2 and 10 inch reels to DAW. Since all my decks have been in storage all these decades I'm sure they will need a good going over. I am hoping I can get them all to work for the transfers. Your video brought back a flood of memories using these decks. Enormous fun back in the day, and not to mention, they all sounded fantastic. Great video!
This helped me immensely with bringing an A-2340R back into better shape. I already had some 100% synthetic oil with a needle applicator and your mentioning of the tubes made me realize that's how you get the motors lubricated easily. Your details also helped me unstick the roller, it wasn't popping up and down with start/stop. Now it is! If anyone is finding their roller is stuck, just remove the left screw on the bracket, and loosen the right one. Don't even remove the wire harnesses. Stick a tissue or two below the shaft to catch any drips, and drip oil very slowly into the gap - I mean small amounts super easy - it'll pull the oil in. Move the roller up and down to work the new oil in. Repeat until it feels looser, then tighten your screws and enjoy a roller that operates like it should.
1970, I purchased a TEAC reel to reel player, not deck, it was WONDERFUL, I did pipe it through a small amp that I picked up over in Nam from another soldier, and a set of speakers, I could make the dust fly from the sandbags of my bunker quarters!
Thank you for your service. My father was in Vietnam. He brought back a monster pioneer Receiver and an akai to reel in Sansui speakers. He had that stuff forever. He tossed it all when he built a new house in 2000. He passed in October. I got a pioneer 5590 and 4 400w sansui speakers In his honor. Trying to chase that sound he was so proud of. CCR sounds amazing on my setup. He’d be proud. I hope you are alive and well sir 🍻🫡🇺🇸
Another area that these machines were used in during the mid 70's was the presentation market for sales conferences / product launches where 2 tracks were used for stereo sound and a track was used as a control track for synchronizing multiple slide projectors, track 3 was used as a guard track to avoid crosstalk between the stereo track. The dropping down of the reel tables was fairly common due to this machine not being a full logic control deck (later versions were) These machines would get up quite a speed in ffwd / rewind with 10" NAB reels and slamming into stop could cause the reel table problem, a useful dodge is to hit the opposite wind button to slow machine down prior to hitting stop. Once I had the reel table drop on a live show the workaround was to remove the reel tables 3 screws and place cardboard underneath until chance to service properly. Great video as always.
Didn’t have the table drop issue but the fast wind to stop or fast wind to play has on occasion broken my tapes. I haven’t used it since but have been reading up on using the opposite function to slow it down
I have a pair of Teac A-1500 decks and I need to remove the face to get to the belt for the capstan, it has a rubber cover on the reel decks that hides the 3 screws, thanks for showing me where to look for them. You earned a sub for that bit of info! Thank you very much!
Thanks a lot! My father passed away recently and now I'm sitting here with a mountain of tapes (his own original recordings) and a 3340 with about the same issues as yours. Thanks to you, at least I know where to start now.
I'm jealous! LOL! When I was in the Marine Corps back in the early 70's I had an AKAI 4 track Quadraphonic reel-to-reel. Unfortunately, while I was out on maneuvers a fellow "Marine" who was just given a hardship discharge & was mustering out broke into my wall locker & packed up all my electronics along with all the tapes & albums that went with them. By the time I got back, it was too late, he was long gone. They told me I could try and press charges but that seeing as he was technically a civilian when he stole my gear that I'd have to take him to a civilian court & that would have to be in the state in which he lived. Fat chance of getting a leave of absence to pursue that route. I never did get around to getting another reel-to-reel after that. Another kicker was that I'd stashed a hundred dollars inside the sleeve of my copy of "Jesus Christ Superstar", I wonder if he ever found the cash or if he just pawned all the stuff the first chance he had!!!
I lubricated the pinch roller pivot shaft on mine (3340S)by loosening the right hand bracket screw, removing the left bracket screw, drop the left side of the bracket to expose the back of the shaft, slide a piece of clear tubing over the shaft, raise the tubing up and tape it to the frame then squirt sewing machine oil in it to a level of about an inch above the shaft. I worked the mechanism back and forth every so often and the oil worked itself back into the shaft and freed it up.
I followed a similar procedure for my A2340R so thanks for the suggestion. I didn't have clear tubing that would fit, so I just carefully dripped small bits of Liberty 100% synthetic oil into the gap and watched it suck it in. Then moved the roller when the oil would sort of collect - seemed to pull the oil in, and eventually I could feel that it wasn't so stiff. Plugged it in and the roller was happily jumping up to meet the capstan, and retracting happily. Appreciate the tip on not removing the whole thing just to get that operating!
Well this was partial payment for a Hammond B3000 organ I repaired. I didn't shoot a video of it because it was repaired in the customers house and he requested that I not film at his place. I got this, 2 Sony R-R, a Grundig mono R-R, a Noresco / Dual turntable (Noresco was a Canadian amp maker back in the 70's 60WPC, sounds bloody awesome) and some nice Paradigm speakers, plus some cash for the job.
@@12voltvids it sounds like you got the better end of the deal for sure I have a tascam 32 reel to reel but it blew the f 502 fuse twice so I did not do anything however I downloaded the service and user manuals I also am trying to figure out how to convert it from 2 track stereo to 4 track stereo and slow the speeds diw to 7.5 ips and 3 3/4ips and when I initially checked it the pitch was on and the fuse blew and since the fuse blew the recod and playback sections do not work I always enjoy your videos an I just want to know if I can slow the speeds down and convert the heads thank you and keep the great videos coming and all the best for a happy and healthy new year
Since I was a teen and got to work with stereo reel to reel decks, I've always just plain loved them things. I've worked in radio almost all my life too. Although now they aren't used, during my time they were along with carts. There were 2 standards for those 1/4" machines. 4 track or half track as sometimes called, and 2 track. Half splits the tape so you can record and play on both directions. 2 track, is one direction only. However, your using the whole tape for left and right so get much higher quality recording and play. At 15 IPS, losses would be imperceptive at half track. On the 2 track, it will duplicate in analog as good as CD in analog. My personal machine is an Otari MX 5050. You can, on it flip from rewind to play, to FFWD to Rewind to play. It has sensing to tell when the tape stops and self controls that before engaging the pinch roller. I absolutely love Teac and Tascam tape decks, both reels and cassettes. Very easy to service, and made to be maintained. Oh, and also, 15 IPS will minimize wow and flutter in worn tapes.
Nice machine. I always wanted a 4-track recorder like that back in the day, but it was way too expensive. And now I have a little Zoom R8 8-track recorder that records on a tiny SD card. And it is a lot cheaper, just shy over 200 dollar. But I still love the old machines just like the one you have.
Where I used to work (Radio Services Corporation ) they still have two of this TEAC working ! To service them we built a wood frame were the machines rested and it was easier to do the maintenance you jus did ! :)
I've got several reel decks And I have an A-3340( lever model like yours). It works but needs to be gone thru and "clean-n-lubed". I'm sure it will"wake up" like yours did. Good video!
I would give anything to get my hands on an Ampex 351 stereo deck with 2 preamps In 1971 I worked at CFQR 92.5 FM in Monreal ,they were the most amazing tape decks ever in 10" and 7" format Rewind speed for 3600 ft reel at about 160mph and under a minute,not to mention super clean response and with a faceplate of 1/4 inch stainless. I love your Teac but its no competition for the Ampex
Many, many moons ago I worked for the Australian importer of Teac gear. A couple came in with a reel to reel unit they purchased in Hong Kong and bought back here. The complaint was it did not work. On removing the back of the unit it was found to have been stripped of all its parts including the motor. This was to make room for lots and lots of black socks. The socks where stuffed with bags of rock heroin. The police where called and the whole lot taken away. I have no idea if someone in Hong Kong gave this unit to the wrong person in which case they are most lightly at the bottom of Hong Kong harbor or if the idea was to allow the couple to bring the unit through customs and latter rob them of the unit. No idea what the value of the heroin was but there was a hell of a lot of it. I just hope the police got the people involved.
I bought one of these brand new in 1974. I loved this machine; far superior to the A-2340. I sure wish I had it again. But without a band to record with, it would not be nearly the fun. I might get another one day just to restore it and to have it. They are such a beautiful machine. Please change out your start capacitor for your lighting. It is beyond distracting. Thank you for you video.
I've got a TEAC A4300 from about the same time period as your machine. Mine was supposedly serviced, and I believe so because it works great. One problem I'll have to solve is that when in fast forward and then hitting stop, the tape to the right of the capstan/pinch roller, stretches or breaks. Have to get a service manual and check tensions. I can get around this by going directly to rewind from fast foward. When the reels come to a stop, I hit stop. That works. Coming out of rewind and stopping doesn't hurt the tape though. Will have to invest in some spring scales and check the service manual on all appropriate tensions. I've wrecked some good tapes that way!
TEAC R/R decks are my favorite to work on. The stuck pinch roller arm is very typical and I've had to free up a dozen or so. One was so frozen I had to use a soldering iron to heat the old grease so that I could pull it out. I sold my 3340 because I was tape deck 'poor' at the time. If you ever run across a Sansui SD-7000 you need to grab that one. Talk about a beast of a machine!
What a machine! I was particularly impressed with the capstan flywheel. It looked really heavy, leading to imperceptible wow and flutter. I've never owned a 15 ips deck, so seeing it almost gives the impression of a slow fast forward wind! I would think you would really need the 10.5 inch spools to get acceptable playing time at that speed.
Many of these machines this one included were used in small recording studios. With the simusync mode play back to me made from the record Head while simultaneously recording. This allows a basic multitrack session to be recorded. You could record four single sessions then play the tape back mix the four tracks down to stereo recording them on a second deck. Add two more sessions on the extra two tracks of that second deck mix them down the two additional sessions that is and the original stereo mix to stereo again and keep adding this way.every time you get a mix down of course you would lose a little bit of quality but at 15 IPS the quality was very good. Somebody's units were used in quad setups for the people that were collecting quad systems of the day back in the seventies but more were used in small recording studios where they would have a couple of these units set up you were basically unlimited as to how many tracks you could record with two of these of course you'd have to do mix down all the time and once you mix down you couldn't make any changes to the stereo mix but you can still do a heck of a lot with just two four track machines
@@12voltvids Thanks for your comments, 12voltvids. I suppose noise could become a factor with numerous four track mixes to stereo. Seeing those four VU meters on the front panel made me sit up. too.
I love the Reel to reel the sound they have is just amazing! I have a few decks my self I have a AKAI GX-630DB and I have my dad's old AKAI 747 and I did a buy it now on eBay for a Pioneer RT-909
I have worked on a few of these machines and the pinch roller always sticks, I wonder if there is an easier way to oil them thru the front panel. If the deck could be set down on its face with blocks to protect the front side perhaps it would be easier to mount the capstan brackets?
I scored a Teac a2300sd Twenty years ago. I went down to my local Radio Shack and bought a couple dozen reels for it. The thing was stored shortly afterwards. After Eighteen years later I serviced it Myself. Now it is my favorite piece of audio equipment!
hey there! I just bought a 3440 myself and the reels are slightly wobbly. No scraping sound until the tape gets low on the right side. Did you have wobbly reels and did adjusting the reel tables fix it for you?
Nice! I have this deck. These things are like 60 pounds! Heavy! Works good and I even have the remote. I bet with a head cleaning, it'll be perfect. Mine is slightly different. It has the 6 transport buttons (no slide bar) and the input/output knobs are all black, without the machined metal covers.
I have the older 3340S non A series, and have experienced tape snapping or stretching when going from fast wind to stop or play without hitting the “opposite” direction fast wind function first before stop, pause, or play etc. wish mine had that switch. Thanks for the video. Cheers
I've worked on these since the 70'S. Crindged at some things, but glad you are learning. I have the era Revox and otari machines, but liked the 3340. Also have the teac 4 channel Dolby unit. Can Dolby 4 channels in or dedolby 4 out, not in realtime. Or, can Dolbyize 2 ch into record head, de-dolbyize from play head in real time. Nice low flutter machines, even now on my micom/Ampex flutter analyzer. Used to tape down the buttons so a simple lamp timer would record full 'nite-tracks' from WBCN BOSTON. Back when it was allowed. Fight the DMCA you kids!
I didn't have the opportunity to work on R2R when I was in the business. The owner of the shop wouldn't service R2R decks due to his hate on for anything of quality. No R2R and no console stereos.
There's a big difference between "overhaul" and get it to run....I have several reel decks,among them a deck like yours.It also sat unused for many years.I did just about the same things you had to do to get it running.It's inline for a complete overhaul but there are several ahead of it.I have over a dozen TEAC decks and just about all of them run,other than the A5300/A5500,they are built absolutely like tanks...I've always had a preference for TEAC. Good video!
This was more than just get it to run but I am not a believer is a full cap job. They don't fail that often except for certain runs of bad caps. This is my machine and it is basically just a room decoration. I never use it and will never record anything on it other than to play with it once in awhile. I wanted it to work so I could see how it sounds and if I get a tape to transfer to digital it might come in handy but mainly it is just a display piece like the old broadcast camera I hung onto from my video production days. Some people are holding onto the old analog days, I couldn't wait to dump it for the pure sound of digital.
Excellent video, I have the Teac 3300-10 can I just take the capstan flywheel thrust plate off to change the belt? Instead of taking the whole capstan out like you did?
i live in new zealand ,your videos really are amazing just the variety of machines and you seem to me to be an expert on all of them ,thomas edison,tesla were perhaps similar to you
Good job on this machine. The turning platforms for the reels are called turn tables. (Go figure) I owned a previous model a 7010. It was heavy as hell. The reel motors were like the size of floor fan motors. The major problem I had with it was the heads. They were a new concept. Composite heads. The idea was to make heads that would last many hours. Unfortunately, they were unstable at higher frequencies. The roll off was quite noticeable. I herd that many were replaced with standard heads.
That is a nice 4 Track Reel to Reel. I have a TEAC A-170 Compact Cassette Player that a needs new belt in it. I did buy that one in very nice shape for 50 swedish kroner = 7 Canadian Dollars.
Back in 1978 my friend and I started our demos on Ivy Hunter's (Motown writer performer) Teac 3340. But my frieend ended up buying a 3440 More pro than consumer.. I have since acquired both a 2340 and a 3340 to pass to digital the original 4 tracks and then embellished them in ways we never thought of back then. Both had the stuck arm. Heat the berring to remove and clean the old grease off. Mostly only ended up using the drum tracks since I have none. Some more from the original was used.
I had one of them reel machines two track but reverse play back have an Akai now needs reels n tape fuse n cap but mint shape love the old gear did tv stereo VHS much brands 30+ yrs as tech
Great video! I have this exact model and feel like mechanically everything seems to be working. The tape I have used seems to have been recorded at a different IPS. The playback and recording sound like chipmunks. I wonder if it's just a matter of getting the proper formatted tapes or do you think there might be a mechanical issue with my tape deck?
@@12voltvids hi! You were 100% correct. Now my only issue is the Takeup Tension Arm doesn’t want to stay up when playing. It gradually moves clockwise until it stops the tape’s movement. There’s a spring mechanism that appears to be giving it too much resistance causing it to move clockwise. Is the spring too powerful? Should I swap it out for a slightly longer spring? Or, is it a lubrication issue with the wheel that the spring is attached to?
I am working on a teac a-6300 and i have the same problem, rubbing with the left reel table i had to remove one of the screws that wascausing the problem did not think of checking the mount for the table like he did. Will have to check it.
@@EuroScot2023 Unfortunately i sold the rtr because i did not have the expertize to fix the various problems that it had plus i don't know how to use an O'cilloscope :-( Thank you for the help.
Hi 12volt, I have a question for you. Reel Adapters! I have tried twice now from two "different" brands (they were identical), to purchase NAB Hub adapters on Amazon. They are all the same design from China. They don't fit my TEAC 3340. I love the look with all that shiny aluminum but what the heck? When mounted on a 10.5 reel correctly they have expanded out just enough that the 3 spline reel table locking lug won't spin over the center and capture it. If I intentionally misalign the back tabs on the hub adapter so they push through a reel of tape I was able to lock the 3 spline shaft but now the hub itself is not locked on the reel of tape and all manner of fun could possibly happen at high wind speeds. Have you had luck with the Burlington or the expensive french REM versions? Or is there another solution you may have heard of? Tod
I bought some reel adapters that are such a pain in the ass to use. They are just plastic blocks that you fit into the reel and then put that over the tape spindle and tighten down the lock screw. You have to remove the adapter every time you remove the reel. I want the type that permanantly attached and you just turn the lock dial to release the reel clips and remove the tape leaving the nab hub attached. Bought on eBay and once arrived i realized it wasn't what I thought initially. Seller offered to refund the 50 I paid but not the 30 shipping and it was gojngvtk cost me 30 to ship back so i didn't return them. I never use it anyway it's more of a show piece and aonetnknv I could get about 1500 for if I decided to sell.
I have a tsr 8 machine I bought a few years ago but have not hooked up to a board yet to fully test, and I feel I am in for one of these sessions that I am not looking forward to.
Ha! You'd be extremely lucky to get 5 years out of it. Although, I am impressed with my Panasonic plasmas; one bought in 2009 the other in 2010. Both still perfect. Only thing wrong is a damn buzzing on the 2010 model due to manufacturing error. No grounding somewhere is my guess. Has like it since the day I took it out of the box. Was a known issue, although only known to me AFTER I bought it! Both were the TOTL models for their years, cannot remember the model numbers.
I Have the A3340s UK machine slightly different inside, there's a circuit board attached to the bracket that holds the fly wheel in place, i need to free up the pinch roller mechanism as you did, but you didn't show how you oil it? can you advise me , thanks
@23:04 The supply tension arm is just fine!! It has a calibrated coil spring and is lubricated with special silicone grease and should NOT be "messed" with w/o proper knowledge. It will make the W/F much higher. Do you have the proper tentelometer ? @24:36 leader skewing off the p/r. This is usually a sign of a glazed p/r. Remove & scrub w/Scotch-Brite pad & Dawn under running warm water. Spend some time on this and the reward will be obvious. Rinse WELL. Oil with MOBIL1 0-20. DO NOT LOOSE TINY FIBER WASHERS !! One on top & 1 under. The motors should be properly lubricated with it also...
Mine was working fine and then it quit for no reason other than when you push play it doesn't make that snap sound anymore. I've seen the switchthats probably at fault my question is can I get that switch anywhere?
I was given one of these but its a basket case. Front board above the heads is smashed and all the knobs are gone. I would need another parts unit to fix it. I did try gluing the board. I also have a 3300SX and a 4010 in good condition and working.
years ago I needed money so I had to sell my beloved 3440.......sad days ......but today I acquired a 3340 , shes in great shape but not spooling ,,,capstans running ok .......is it just two belts in this machine , capstan and counter ?........
I have a TEAC A 2340 SX that was working fine and all of a sudden the transport switches went dead. When you lif the right tension arm the capstan turns and the vu meters are lit up but the play and ff/rew are dead.
My A 3340S sounded bad from one day to the next. As if someone had cut the treble out of the song. Just muddy. What could have happened? A defective capacitor? A defective head? The tape ran without any problems before and I really want to repair it again. Greetings.
@@12voltvids Nothing unusual. No dirt, all the screws were in place. I cleaned the heads anyway but nothing has changed. A short while ago it was still running perfectly. And now only muffled sound and no volume. Unfortunately, I only have this one tape here. What else could I check out and test? Thanks in advance!
Hi, thanks for the demo! I have a TEAC 3340, too. Everything appears to be working correctly except when I put the 7.5 reel on the right reel doesn’t move. Both reel mounts spin when there isn’t any physical reels on them though. I’m stumped. Any idea what I can do to fix this?
great vid thank you - what oil do you use for lubrication? also I have goo on my pinch reel, I have a replacement rubber but what chemical do i use to clean the black goo off the rollers and backing plate?
Loverly old tape recorder, in it's day it would have been the bees knees :-D. I can't imagine how much it originally cost, far too much for the average man for sure. ' It's spot on now you have fixed it, even the brakes work A1, they slowly fail and ff/rew operations can end in a bloody mess, but not on that baby :-D.
They still are the bees knees, if you take the line out of your computer and run it into your Reel to reel you can record music from your PC from youtube or your own music or what ever:)
Hey 12volt thanks for all the informational vids. I'm having issues with a Teac 40-4 tascam series that I just picked up. Everything is working nearly perfect EXCEPT for my record function. I record and then when I playback the recording is sooooo soft. I've double checked all my inputs, cables, connections and gear. I have also rigorously cleaned the heads. Any suggestions on next steps? I have access to the owners and service manual off of Hifi engine. Pulling out my hair here trying to keep the analogue dream alive!
Question, that first bit that you took off that was rubbing, what is that assembly called? My Akai GX620 needs a new one. That shaft is bent and there is a spring that is supposed to be under tension but the plastic bit has broken. The unit fell onto a driveway.
I used to have an adaptor for the capstan, that allowed you to go 15/30ips! Doesn't the guide on the left of the head-block rotate, like, on a bearing? I don't remember. I had mine between 1976-79.
@@12voltvids I tried it once. Rediculous! I was a broke college student and those reels cost about $25 apiece, at the time, in the 70's. It became quickly apparent that I had nothing so important to justify one reel for every two or three songs. Like you said, too epensive but I dreamed...
I am thinking i was taken to the cleaner. I got it as partial payment for fixing a Hammond b3000 electronic organ. The guy sold the organ for 6500.00. He paid me 100 plus gave me this unit. I guess if someone made me an offer i couldn't refuse i would sell it.
Do you still have this deck? Maybe you could do a video about testing the Oscillator Board? I have a 3340S which does not want to erase anything. Record head ain't doing so well either. I'm hoping a little more switch cleaning will at least get the record side of things happening. Lorne.
@@12voltvids As will mine be once its going.... What else would one do with this old stuff! Actually it would be fun to drag some of these old decks out to live shows n stuff. Record some live music. Make bootleg 8 tracks from the recordings. Pretend I'm back in the 70's. Seriously though. If your bored maybe you could make a video about trouble shooting the Oscillator circuit. For us dummies. Lorne.
I know there are many die hards with poor hearing that think this old analog crap sounds better but it doesn't. My hearing is far from perfect and good digital recordings are so many times better than any analog.
Hello, I own a Teac A-3440 recording machine. I opened the back and it looks pretty clean I did notice that one of the bands was a little loose and I’m looking for some advice on how to correct as it seems like it does not play at the right speed can you please advise who I can talk to me about restoring my machine. Again it doesn’t look that bad thank you for your advice Tony Morales
do you have videos on how to calibrate the bias.. eq.. whatever. i have one that is a bit hissy and i'd like to learn how to make it less so and i figure there are a number of factors including the type of tape and source.. but basically i'm asking if you know how to set it on the machine by adjusting something on the machine itself?
Great video, how long to the heads last and how do you know that they are good? Just by listening? I always thought most of these machines have a limited life since the heads wear and there is no replacement. I have an Akai w/glass heads, supposedly they last longer. Thanks for the cool videos
You can see wear on the heads as the tape will wear a groove into them. These machines have pretty hard heads, Some of the early ones didn't and they wore down.
@@EuroScot2023 Shhhhh, don't tall the glass head fanboys this. They will get upset. I have talked about this in the past and all the "experts" out there tell me I am crazy and how much better glass heads are. In reality they wear better that's it. They cause the tension to go through the roof, cause tape stretch, and sticky shed tapes just won't play. I never use my GX260
That looks like a good machine for sure. 15 ips is what does the trick for me. I lucked into a simple version Otari MX5050 2 track and it's been my favorite audio toy ever x 10. It's logic was going crazy needed lots of relay and switch contact rehab but it suddenly it came to life and when the 456 tape splice hit, it melted me into the floor (and hammered me at the same time). I mean who needs noise reduction with something like that @ 15 ips. And I wouldn't exactly call that sound warm either, it can slice you up if it's supposed to. I recently had to commit sacrilege to the heads because there is quite a step worn into just the record head but I can't afford to have them refurbished... so I came up with a horrible scheme involving a box cutter blade a demel polishing wheel... maybe just don't do that but I got away with it.
Oh I should add that I only got away with it because the heads were not sufficiently worn flat, I just had to shave the step off the edge of the tape - bearing area because it no longer permitted full contact... but I could have missed or scratched it worse then I did. It did fix the edge problem completely and I think I only goofed up about 3% of the good surface; which I hardly had to polish at all and it's made a massive improvement... though perhaps a box cutter is a Very crappy way to do that. Cut through that head like butter though. Kinda scary.
Great video, brought me back to the time of my youth, when I owned the 4-track stereo model A3300S. However, I keep wondering at the playback head as it can be seen, starting with minute 28. Isn't there a hole in the head? It looks as if there's a piece of the surface missing?
year old video but I have a question. what can cause a reel to reel to stop on left reel for a few secs then start back up? also do I need to lube the motor? it squeaks badly while playing.
I watched a señorita from Catalonia (possibly Barcelona or Malaga or Seville) service her TEAC,I think that she took it out of the cabinet to allow her to lubricate all the moving parts and put the chassis back into the cabinet, seems like it's all solenoid operated.
In the early 70's I composed my own music on an Akai 4000DS, sound on sound deck. Then around 75 I bought a Teac 3340S. Also mixed down to a Tascam32. I am now transferring all those tapes, 7 1/2 and 10 inch reels to DAW. Since all my decks have been in storage all these decades I'm sure they will need a good going over. I am hoping I can get them all to work for the transfers. Your video brought back a flood of memories using these decks. Enormous fun back in the day, and not to mention, they all sounded fantastic. Great video!
This helped me immensely with bringing an A-2340R back into better shape. I already had some 100% synthetic oil with a needle applicator and your mentioning of the tubes made me realize that's how you get the motors lubricated easily. Your details also helped me unstick the roller, it wasn't popping up and down with start/stop. Now it is! If anyone is finding their roller is stuck, just remove the left screw on the bracket, and loosen the right one. Don't even remove the wire harnesses. Stick a tissue or two below the shaft to catch any drips, and drip oil very slowly into the gap - I mean small amounts super easy - it'll pull the oil in. Move the roller up and down to work the new oil in. Repeat until it feels looser, then tighten your screws and enjoy a roller that operates like it should.
You really made this thing sing!! Nice score and nice job judging what it needed without "over fixing" it!
1970, I purchased a TEAC reel to reel player, not deck, it was WONDERFUL, I did pipe it through a small amp that I picked up over in Nam from another soldier, and a set of speakers, I could make the dust fly from the sandbags of my bunker quarters!
Thank you for your service. My father was in Vietnam. He brought back a monster pioneer Receiver and an akai to reel in Sansui speakers. He had that stuff forever. He tossed it all when he built a new house in 2000. He passed in October. I got a pioneer 5590 and 4 400w sansui speakers In his honor. Trying to chase that sound he was so proud of. CCR sounds amazing on my setup. He’d be proud. I hope you are alive and well sir 🍻🫡🇺🇸
Mate. Yes. I'm just about to get to work in a 3300 and this is invaluable. Thank you!
Heating up to relieve some tension was genius very impressed by ur ingenuity
Another area that these machines were used in during the mid 70's was the presentation market for sales conferences / product launches where 2 tracks were used for stereo sound and a track was used as a control track for synchronizing multiple slide projectors, track 3 was used as a guard track to avoid crosstalk between the stereo track.
The dropping down of the reel tables was fairly common due to this machine not being a full logic control deck (later versions were) These machines would get up quite a speed in ffwd / rewind with 10" NAB reels and slamming into stop could cause the reel table problem, a useful dodge is to hit the opposite wind button to slow machine down prior to hitting stop. Once I had the reel table drop on a live show the workaround was to remove the reel tables 3 screws and place cardboard underneath until chance to service properly.
Great video as always.
Didn’t have the table drop issue but the fast wind to stop or fast wind to play has on occasion broken my tapes. I haven’t used it since but have been reading up on using the opposite function to slow it down
I have a pair of Teac A-1500 decks and I need to remove the face to get to the belt for the capstan, it has a rubber cover on the reel decks that hides the 3 screws, thanks for showing me where to look for them. You earned a sub for that bit of info! Thank you very much!
Thanks a lot!
My father passed away recently and now I'm sitting here with a mountain of tapes (his own original recordings) and a 3340 with about the same issues as yours.
Thanks to you, at least I know where to start now.
Daniel Karlsson Time to go through them all and transfer them, I guess. It'll be fun to transfer and edit all of that, I'd imagine.
I'm jealous! LOL! When I was in the Marine Corps back in the early 70's I had an AKAI 4 track Quadraphonic reel-to-reel. Unfortunately, while I was out on maneuvers a fellow "Marine" who was just given a hardship discharge & was mustering out broke into my wall locker & packed up all my electronics along with all the tapes & albums that went with them. By the time I got back, it was too late, he was long gone. They told me I could try and press charges but that seeing as he was technically a civilian when he stole my gear that I'd have to take him to a civilian court & that would have to be in the state in which he lived. Fat chance of getting a leave of absence to pursue that route. I never did get around to getting another reel-to-reel after that. Another kicker was that I'd stashed a hundred dollars inside the sleeve of my copy of "Jesus Christ Superstar", I wonder if he ever found the cash or if he just pawned all the stuff the first chance he had!!!
I lubricated the pinch roller pivot shaft on mine (3340S)by loosening the right hand bracket screw, removing the left bracket screw, drop the left side of the bracket to expose the back of the shaft, slide a piece of clear tubing over the shaft, raise the tubing up and tape it to the frame then squirt sewing machine oil in it to a level of about an inch above the shaft. I worked the mechanism back and forth every so often and the oil worked itself back into the shaft and freed it up.
I followed a similar procedure for my A2340R so thanks for the suggestion. I didn't have clear tubing that would fit, so I just carefully dripped small bits of Liberty 100% synthetic oil into the gap and watched it suck it in. Then moved the roller when the oil would sort of collect - seemed to pull the oil in, and eventually I could feel that it wasn't so stiff. Plugged it in and the roller was happily jumping up to meet the capstan, and retracting happily. Appreciate the tip on not removing the whole thing just to get that operating!
wow great job as always you scored a great unit and it sounds amazing and enjoy the great deck and happy and healthy new year and all the best always
Well this was partial payment for a Hammond B3000 organ I repaired. I didn't shoot a video of it because it was repaired in the customers house and he requested that I not film at his place.
I got this, 2 Sony R-R, a Grundig mono R-R, a Noresco / Dual turntable (Noresco was a Canadian amp maker back in the 70's 60WPC, sounds bloody awesome) and some nice Paradigm speakers, plus some cash for the job.
@@12voltvids it sounds like you got the better end of the deal for sure I have a tascam 32 reel to reel but it blew the f 502 fuse twice so I did not do anything however I downloaded the service and user manuals I also am trying to figure out how to convert it from 2 track stereo to 4 track stereo and slow the speeds diw to 7.5 ips and 3 3/4ips and when I initially checked it the pitch was on and the fuse blew and since the fuse blew the recod and playback sections do not work I always enjoy your videos an I just want to know if I can slow the speeds down and convert the heads thank you and keep the great videos coming and all the best for a happy and healthy new year
I don't know about that. He had a worthless organ and paid me 100 plus a few old r-r and turntable. He sold the organ for 6500.00
Since I was a teen and got to work with stereo reel to reel decks, I've always just plain loved them things. I've worked in radio almost all my life too. Although now they aren't used, during my time they were along with carts. There were 2 standards for those 1/4" machines. 4 track or half track as sometimes called, and 2 track. Half splits the tape so you can record and play on both directions. 2 track, is one direction only. However, your using the whole tape for left and right so get much higher quality recording and play. At 15 IPS, losses would be imperceptive at half track. On the 2 track, it will duplicate in analog as good as CD in analog. My personal machine is an Otari MX 5050. You can, on it flip from rewind to play, to FFWD to Rewind to play. It has sensing to tell when the tape stops and self controls that before engaging the pinch roller. I absolutely love Teac and Tascam tape decks, both reels and cassettes. Very easy to service, and made to be maintained. Oh, and also, 15 IPS will minimize wow and flutter in worn tapes.
Nice machine. I always wanted a 4-track recorder like that back in the day, but it was way too expensive. And now I have a little Zoom R8 8-track recorder that records on a tiny SD card. And it is a lot cheaper, just shy over 200 dollar. But I still love the old machines just like the one you have.
soniece 2,5k dcm-1? just drööped tv 850?€ v v
still knöt kölnwinzink ^ ^ (50 euro just for de nöise söftwäre xD
Where I used to work (Radio Services Corporation ) they still have two of this TEAC working ! To service them we built a wood frame were the machines rested and it was easier to do the maintenance you jus did ! :)
my dad had one of those. used to record the top 40 every sunday on it. lovely piece of equipment.
I've got several reel decks And I have an A-3340( lever model like yours). It works but needs
to be gone thru and "clean-n-lubed". I'm sure it will"wake up" like yours did. Good video!
I would give anything to get my hands on an Ampex 351 stereo deck with 2 preamps In 1971 I worked at CFQR 92.5 FM in Monreal ,they were the most amazing tape decks ever in 10" and 7" format Rewind speed for 3600 ft reel at about 160mph and under a minute,not to mention super clean response and with a faceplate of 1/4 inch stainless. I love your Teac but its no competition for the Ampex
I learned a lot here. Thanks for sharing. Now, to begin some work on my TEAC 3300S.
Many, many moons ago I worked for the Australian importer of Teac gear. A couple came in with a reel to reel unit they purchased in Hong Kong and bought back here. The complaint was it did not work. On removing the back of the unit it was found to have been stripped of all its parts including the motor. This was to make room for lots and lots of black socks. The socks where stuffed with bags of rock heroin. The police where called and the whole lot taken away. I have no idea if someone in Hong Kong gave this unit to the wrong person in which case they are most lightly at the bottom of Hong Kong harbor or if the idea was to allow the couple to bring the unit through customs and latter rob them of the unit. No idea what the value of the heroin was but there was a hell of a lot of it. I just hope the police got the people involved.
Wow... that's a story alright!
I bought one of these brand new in 1974. I loved this machine; far superior to the A-2340. I sure wish I had it again. But without a band to record with, it would not be nearly the fun. I might get another one day just to restore it and to have it. They are such a beautiful machine.
Please change out your start capacitor for your lighting. It is beyond distracting.
Thank you for you video.
Reed övvnLie ^?^
I've got a TEAC A4300 from about the same time period as your machine. Mine was supposedly serviced, and I believe so because it works great. One problem I'll have to solve is that when in fast forward and then hitting stop, the tape to the right of the capstan/pinch roller, stretches or breaks. Have to get a service manual and check tensions. I can get around this by going directly to rewind from fast foward. When the reels come to a stop, I hit stop. That works. Coming out of rewind and stopping doesn't hurt the tape though. Will have to invest in some spring scales and check the service manual on all appropriate tensions. I've wrecked some good tapes that way!
TEAC R/R decks are my favorite to work on. The stuck pinch roller arm is very typical and I've had to free up a dozen or so. One was so frozen I had to use a soldering iron to heat the old grease so that I could pull it out. I sold my 3340 because I was tape deck 'poor' at the time. If you ever run across a Sansui SD-7000 you need to grab that one. Talk about a beast of a machine!
I won't be grabbing one unless someone gives one to me as I don't have use for R2R gear other that to display it.
@@12voltvids Ha! I'm not a hoarder, but I know where one lives. I'm old as shit and always been in love with the vintage equipment.
What a machine! I was particularly impressed with the capstan flywheel. It looked really heavy, leading to imperceptible wow and flutter. I've never owned a 15 ips deck, so seeing it almost gives the impression of a slow fast forward wind! I would think you would really need the 10.5 inch spools to get acceptable playing time at that speed.
Many of these machines this one included were used in small recording studios. With the simusync mode play back to me made from the record Head while simultaneously recording. This allows a basic multitrack session to be recorded. You could record four single sessions then play the tape back mix the four tracks down to stereo recording them on a second deck. Add two more sessions on the extra two tracks of that second deck mix them down the two additional sessions that is and the original stereo mix to stereo again and keep adding this way.every time you get a mix down of course you would lose a little bit of quality but at 15 IPS the quality was very good. Somebody's units were used in quad setups for the people that were collecting quad systems of the day back in the seventies but more were used in small recording studios where they would have a couple of these units set up you were basically unlimited as to how many tracks you could record with two of these of course you'd have to do mix down all the time and once you mix down you couldn't make any changes to the stereo mix but you can still do a heck of a lot with just two four track machines
@@12voltvids Thanks for your comments, 12voltvids. I suppose noise could become a factor with numerous four track mixes to stereo. Seeing those four VU meters on the front panel made me sit up. too.
I love the Reel to reel the sound they have is just amazing! I have a few decks my self I have a AKAI GX-630DB and I have my dad's old AKAI 747 and I did a buy it now on eBay for a Pioneer RT-909
I had one of these, and the radio station I volunteered at also used one for sponsorship production. I was the Production Supervisor.
I got my first 3340 in 1985. To get to the turn table adjustment screws, remove the wooden sides.
I have 2 4300's that I restored back to life, an I love em!!!
I have worked on a few of these machines and the pinch roller always sticks, I wonder if there is an easier way to oil them thru the front panel. If the deck could be set down on its face with blocks to protect the front side perhaps it would be easier to mount the capstan brackets?
great machine worked on one for a radio station in ontario years ago and i own a teac a2300sd
I scored a Teac a2300sd Twenty years ago. I went down to my local Radio Shack and bought a couple dozen reels for it. The thing was stored shortly afterwards. After Eighteen years later I serviced it Myself. Now it is my favorite piece of audio equipment!
had nearly same issue with table height on my A-3440. Tks for sharing!
hey there! I just bought a 3440 myself and the reels are slightly wobbly. No scraping sound until the tape gets low on the right side. Did you have wobbly reels and did adjusting the reel tables fix it for you?
Nice! I have this deck. These things are like 60 pounds! Heavy! Works good and I even have the remote. I bet with a head cleaning, it'll be perfect. Mine is slightly different. It has the 6 transport buttons (no slide bar) and the input/output knobs are all black, without the machined metal covers.
Then it's a different model.
@@12voltvids Ahh, you're right. Mine is the A 3340S.
I have the older 3340S non A series, and have experienced tape snapping or stretching when going from fast wind to stop or play without hitting the “opposite” direction fast wind function first before stop, pause, or play etc. wish mine had that switch. Thanks for the video. Cheers
I've worked on these since the 70'S. Crindged at some things, but glad you are learning.
I have the era Revox and otari machines, but liked the 3340.
Also have the teac 4 channel Dolby unit. Can Dolby 4 channels in or dedolby 4 out, not in realtime.
Or, can Dolbyize 2 ch into record head, de-dolbyize from play head in real time.
Nice low flutter machines, even now on my micom/Ampex flutter analyzer.
Used to tape down the buttons so a simple lamp timer would record full 'nite-tracks' from WBCN BOSTON.
Back when it was allowed.
Fight the DMCA you kids!
I didn't have the opportunity to work on R2R when I was in the business. The owner of the shop wouldn't service R2R decks due to his hate on for anything of quality. No R2R and no console stereos.
Never heard of a quality console, is why conpobent hifi was invented. Screw the wife for her want of furniture over sound quality.
Ah the old full album on fm. Lots of dat tapes made from kwjz in the 90s at midnight.
There's a big difference between "overhaul" and get it to run....I have several reel decks,among them a deck like yours.It also
sat unused for many years.I did just about the same things you had to do to get it running.It's inline for a complete overhaul but
there are several ahead of it.I have over a dozen TEAC decks and just about all of them run,other than the A5300/A5500,they are
built absolutely like tanks...I've always had a preference for TEAC. Good video!
This was more than just get it to run but I am not a believer is a full cap job. They don't fail that often except for certain runs of bad caps. This is my machine and it is basically just a room decoration. I never use it and will never record anything on it other than to play with it once in awhile. I wanted it to work so I could see how it sounds and if I get a tape to transfer to digital it might come in handy but mainly it is just a display piece like the old broadcast camera I hung onto from my video production days. Some people are holding onto the old analog days, I couldn't wait to dump it for the pure sound of digital.
Nice work. Good analog (warm) sound.
You can tell it's a real old tape just by looking at that iron oxide colour :P Very nice!
I just bought an A3340S. It had the same jammed pinch roller problem. I found it was much easier to work on if I removed the wooden side panels.
Excellent video, I have the Teac 3300-10 can I just take the capstan flywheel thrust plate off to change the belt? Instead of taking the whole capstan out like you did?
i live in new zealand ,your videos really are amazing just the variety of machines and you seem to me to be an expert on all of them ,thomas edison,tesla were perhaps similar to you
Thanks 👍
Good job on this machine. The turning platforms for the reels are called turn tables. (Go figure) I owned a previous model a 7010. It was heavy as hell. The reel motors were like the size of floor fan motors. The major problem I had with it was the heads. They were a new concept. Composite heads. The idea was to make heads that would last many hours. Unfortunately, they were unstable at higher frequencies. The roll off was quite noticeable. I herd that many were replaced with standard heads.
This was the same problem with the Akai glass heads. Last forever and sound like crap.
That is a nice 4 Track Reel to Reel. I have a TEAC A-170 Compact Cassette Player that a needs new belt in it. I did buy that one in very nice shape for 50 swedish kroner = 7 Canadian Dollars.
OMG. What a bargain. These goes for about 600$ at Ebay now.
You are the man dude thanks for the vid
I love your videos THANKS
Back in 1978 my friend and I started our demos on Ivy Hunter's (Motown writer performer) Teac 3340. But my frieend ended up buying a 3440 More pro than consumer.. I have since acquired both a 2340 and a 3340 to pass to digital the original 4 tracks and then embellished them in ways we never thought of back then. Both had the stuck arm. Heat the berring to remove and clean the old grease off. Mostly only ended up using the drum tracks since I have none. Some more from the original was used.
I got one with the same stuck pinch roller problem; seems to be a very common issue. Now I know what to do, thanks
I had one of them reel machines two track but reverse play back have an Akai now needs reels n tape fuse n cap but mint shape love the old gear did tv stereo VHS much brands 30+ yrs as tech
Good job! I sure miss mine.
Great video! I have this exact model and feel like mechanically everything seems to be working. The tape I have used seems to have been recorded at a different IPS. The playback and recording sound like chipmunks. I wonder if it's just a matter of getting the proper formatted tapes or do you think there might be a mechanical issue with my tape deck?
This deck has 7.5 and 15ips. Your tape probably recorded at 3.75.
I’ll get some new 7.5 IPS tapes and test. Thanks!
@@12voltvids hi! You were 100% correct. Now my only issue is the Takeup Tension Arm doesn’t want to stay up when playing. It gradually moves clockwise until it stops the tape’s movement.
There’s a spring mechanism that appears to be giving it too much resistance causing it to move clockwise.
Is the spring too powerful? Should I swap it out for a slightly longer spring?
Or, is it a lubrication issue with the wheel that the spring is attached to?
From. My 70's , school days, Akai recoders I still have ,is a Akai demagnatizer in the maintenance kit. Was routinely used.
I am working on a teac a-6300 and i have the same problem, rubbing with the left reel table i had to remove one of the screws that wascausing the problem did not think of checking the mount for the table like he did. Will have to check it.
@@EuroScot2023 Unfortunately i sold the rtr because i did not have the expertize to fix the various problems that it had plus i don't know how to use an O'cilloscope :-(
Thank you for the help.
Hi 12volt,
I have a question for you. Reel Adapters!
I have tried twice now from two "different" brands (they were identical), to purchase NAB Hub adapters on Amazon. They are all the same design from China.
They don't fit my TEAC 3340. I love the look with all that shiny aluminum but what the heck? When mounted on a 10.5 reel correctly they have expanded out just enough that the 3 spline reel table locking lug won't spin over the center and capture it. If I intentionally misalign the back tabs on the hub adapter so they push through a reel of tape I was able to lock the 3 spline shaft but now the hub itself is not locked on the reel of tape and all manner of fun could possibly happen at high wind speeds. Have you had luck with the Burlington or the expensive french REM versions? Or is there another solution you may have heard of?
Tod
I bought some reel adapters that are such a pain in the ass to use. They are just plastic blocks that you fit into the reel and then put that over the tape spindle and tighten down the lock screw. You have to remove the adapter every time you remove the reel. I want the type that permanantly attached and you just turn the lock dial to release the reel clips and remove the tape leaving the nab hub attached. Bought on eBay and once arrived i realized it wasn't what I thought initially. Seller offered to refund the 50 I paid but not the 30 shipping and it was gojngvtk cost me 30 to ship back so i didn't return them. I never use it anyway it's more of a show piece and aonetnknv I could get about 1500 for if I decided to sell.
I have an TEAC X3, works well after a belt replacment. I also have an AKAI 1722W runs well also...
I have a tsr 8 machine I bought a few years ago but have not hooked up to a board yet to fully test, and I feel I am in for one of these sessions that I am not looking forward to.
I can see why they're so expensive to repair! Alot of hand-labor! I used to have one of these; my first 4-track studio.
so I was 9yo when this was last serviced, take something like this built today and I wonder if it would last this long...
Ha! You'd be extremely lucky to get 5 years out of it. Although, I am impressed with my Panasonic plasmas; one bought in 2009 the other in 2010. Both still perfect. Only thing wrong is a damn buzzing on the 2010 model due to manufacturing error. No grounding somewhere is my guess. Has like it since the day I took it out of the box. Was a known issue, although only known to me AFTER I bought it! Both were the TOTL models for their years, cannot remember the model numbers.
I have one and the left channel is becoming weak or intermittent while recording. Is that a cap or transistor problem?
I have the A-2340SX and A-3440, both are very nice machines.
It's a nice decoration in my living room.
Great find, those machines weigh quite a bit!
I took it as partial payment when I repaired a Hammond B3000 organ. Unfortunately I couldn't film in the clients house. I asked and he said no.
I Have the A3340s UK machine slightly different inside, there's a circuit board attached to the bracket that holds the fly wheel in place, i need to free up the pinch roller mechanism as you did, but you didn't show how you oil it? can you advise me , thanks
@23:04 The supply tension arm is just fine!! It has a calibrated coil spring and is lubricated with special silicone grease and should NOT be "messed" with w/o proper knowledge. It will make the W/F much higher. Do you have the proper tentelometer ? @24:36 leader skewing off the p/r. This is usually a sign of a glazed p/r. Remove & scrub w/Scotch-Brite pad & Dawn under running warm water. Spend some time on this and the reward will be obvious. Rinse WELL. Oil with MOBIL1 0-20. DO NOT LOOSE TINY FIBER WASHERS !! One on top & 1 under. The motors should be properly lubricated with it also...
i have a teac 4300sx been sitting for awhile i believe it has a solenoid problem its on the right side spindle will not touch the roller
Mine was working fine and then it quit for no reason other than when you push play it doesn't make that snap sound anymore. I've seen the switchthats probably at fault my question is can I get that switch anywhere?
your video's teach me so much😃❤🤘
I did have TEAC A-3340S in 1980 what`is different`s of these two
I was given one of these but its a basket case. Front board above the heads is smashed and all the knobs are gone.
I would need another parts unit to fix it. I did try gluing the board. I also have a 3300SX and a 4010 in good condition and working.
years ago I needed money so I had to sell my beloved 3440.......sad days ......but today I acquired a 3340 , shes in great shape but not spooling ,,,capstans running ok .......is it just two belts in this machine , capstan and counter ?........
I have a TEAC A 2340 SX that was working fine and all of a sudden the transport switches went dead. When you lif the right tension arm the capstan turns and the vu meters are lit up but the play and ff/rew are dead.
My A 3340S sounded bad from one day to the next. As if someone had cut the treble out of the song. Just muddy.
What could have happened? A defective capacitor? A defective head? The tape ran without any problems before and I really want to repair it again. Greetings.
How does the head look?
@@12voltvids Nothing unusual. No dirt, all the screws were in place. I cleaned the heads anyway but nothing has changed. A short while ago it was still running perfectly.
And now only muffled sound and no volume.
Unfortunately, I only have this one tape here. What else could I check out and test? Thanks in advance!
Hi, thanks for the demo! I have a TEAC 3340, too. Everything appears to be working correctly except when I put the 7.5 reel on the right reel doesn’t move. Both reel mounts spin when there isn’t any physical reels on them though. I’m stumped. Any idea what I can do to fix this?
great vid thank you - what oil do you use for lubrication? also I have goo on my pinch reel, I have a replacement rubber but what chemical do i use to clean the black goo off the rollers and backing plate?
Loverly old tape recorder, in it's day it would have been the bees knees :-D.
I can't imagine how much it originally cost, far too much for the average man for sure.
'
It's spot on now you have fixed it, even the brakes work A1, they slowly fail and ff/rew operations can end in a bloody mess, but not on that baby :-D.
They still are the bees knees, if you take the line out of your computer and run it into your Reel to reel you can record music from your PC from youtube or your own music or what ever:)
Still the bee's knees!!! 📼 This is the best the emoji world can do, LOL.
I paid £460 for mine new in early 70's
Mine has very slow movement, I heard if you let the motor or motors warm up, it may warm up enuff to start running smooth again. Is that true?
Replace the motor run capacitor
Isn't there a more easy way to lube the pinch roller ?
Hey 12volt thanks for all the informational vids. I'm having issues with a Teac 40-4 tascam series that I just picked up. Everything is working nearly perfect EXCEPT for my record function. I record and then when I playback the recording is sooooo soft. I've double checked all my inputs, cables, connections and gear. I have also rigorously cleaned the heads. Any suggestions on next steps? I have access to the owners and service manual off of Hifi engine. Pulling out my hair here trying to keep the analogue dream alive!
Question, that first bit that you took off that was rubbing, what is that assembly called? My Akai GX620 needs a new one. That shaft is bent and there is a spring that is supposed to be under tension but the plastic bit has broken. The unit fell onto a driveway.
I used to have an adaptor for the capstan, that allowed you to go 15/30ips! Doesn't the guide on the left of the head-block rotate, like, on a bearing? I don't remember. I had mine between 1976-79.
30ips.. so basically fast forward. Could almost record baseband video at that speed!
@@12voltvids I tried it once. Rediculous! I was a broke college student and those reels cost about $25 apiece, at the time, in the 70's. It became quickly apparent that I had nothing so important to justify one reel for every two or three songs. Like you said, too epensive but I dreamed...
Thank you so much. I have a Teac aA340s with exact problems. I know where to start 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
It looks like that is a hard deck to work on
I would agree you got a heck of a deal there! Would you want to sell it?
I am thinking i was taken to the cleaner. I got it as partial payment for fixing a Hammond b3000 electronic organ. The guy sold the organ for 6500.00. He paid me 100 plus gave me this unit. I guess if someone made me an offer i couldn't refuse i would sell it.
Are teac parts interchangeable?
I got both mine & my dads from storage but somehow pieces are missing. So bummed out....
Some are
@@12voltvids i know it's unlikely you know for sure but they're an X-1000R & X-7R
@@cfh13 sorry not familiar with any model numbers anymore. It has been 20 years since i was i. Business
@@12voltvids no problem. I figured as much. Thank you for replying & the video. I'll be working on cleaning up the 7r.
I have a 3440 needs servicing this is so helpful man ur music is awresome do have links .. Hi Five bro...
Do you still have this deck? Maybe you could do a video about testing the Oscillator Board? I have a 3340S which does not want to erase anything. Record head ain't doing so well either. I'm hoping a little more switch cleaning will at least get the record side of things happening. Lorne.
I do have it. Never use it. Just a display piece.
@@12voltvids As will mine be once its going.... What else would one do with this old stuff!
Actually it would be fun to drag some of these old decks out to live shows n stuff. Record some live music. Make bootleg 8 tracks from the recordings. Pretend I'm back in the 70's.
Seriously though. If your bored maybe you could make a video about trouble shooting the Oscillator circuit. For us dummies. Lorne.
I know there are many die hards with poor hearing that think this old analog crap sounds better but it doesn't. My hearing is far from perfect and good digital recordings are so many times better than any analog.
Hello, I own a Teac A-3440 recording machine. I opened the back and it looks pretty clean I did notice that one of the bands was a little loose and I’m looking for some advice on how to correct as it seems like it does not play at the right speed can you please advise who I can talk to me about restoring my machine. Again it doesn’t look that bad thank you for your advice
Tony Morales
do you have videos on how to calibrate the bias.. eq.. whatever. i have one that is a bit hissy and i'd like to learn how to make it less so and i figure there are a number of factors including the type of tape and source.. but basically i'm asking if you know how to set it on the machine by adjusting something on the machine itself?
Back to having problems with mine here in the UK. Are you will to suggest a fix if I send a vid of fault?
You can send a video and I will look at it.
Great video, how long to the heads last and how do you know that they are good? Just by listening? I always thought most of these machines have a limited life since the heads wear and there is no replacement. I have an Akai w/glass heads, supposedly they last longer. Thanks for the cool videos
You can see wear on the heads as the tape will wear a groove into them. These machines have pretty hard heads, Some of the early ones didn't and they wore down.
@@EuroScot2023 Shhhhh, don't tall the glass head fanboys this. They will get upset. I have talked about this in the past and all the "experts" out there tell me I am crazy and how much better glass heads are. In reality they wear better that's it. They cause the tension to go through the roof, cause tape stretch, and sticky shed tapes just won't play. I never use my GX260
Mine doesn't stop correctly when rewinding so the tape flies off the right hand reel.
Do you know the cause and if that can be fixed?
Great video BTW!
Answered my own question sticky piston!
That looks like a good machine for sure. 15 ips is what does the trick for me. I lucked into a simple version Otari MX5050 2 track and it's been my favorite audio toy ever x 10. It's logic was going crazy needed lots of relay and switch contact rehab but it suddenly it came to life and when the 456 tape splice hit, it melted me into the floor (and hammered me at the same time). I mean who needs noise reduction with something like that @ 15 ips. And I wouldn't exactly call that sound warm either, it can slice you up if it's supposed to.
I recently had to commit sacrilege to the heads because there is quite a step worn into just the record head but I can't afford to have them refurbished... so I came up with a horrible scheme involving a box cutter blade a demel polishing wheel... maybe just don't do that but I got away with it.
Oh I should add that I only got away with it because the heads were not sufficiently worn flat, I just had to shave the step off the edge of the tape - bearing area because it no longer permitted full contact... but I could have missed or scratched it worse then I did. It did fix the edge problem completely and I think I only goofed up about 3% of the good surface; which I hardly had to polish at all and it's made a massive improvement... though perhaps a box cutter is a Very crappy way to do that. Cut through that head like butter though. Kinda scary.
Great video, brought me back to the time of my youth, when I owned the 4-track stereo model A3300S.
However, I keep wondering at the playback head as it can be seen, starting with minute 28. Isn't there a hole in the head? It looks as if there's a piece of the surface missing?
No, nothing wrong with the playback head.
How do you know how much oil to add to the motors? Anyone know?
Thank you
I had a top of the line 'Realistic' one TR-3000. Which in fact was a Teac X-3. Did 7.5 sounded great....
Nice!! Great score!!
Can you show how to replace belts or adjust the brakes on the TEAC A2340 SX and/or the A3340SX
Do you repair Teac's in general? What state are you located?
year old video but I have a question. what can cause a reel to reel to stop on left reel for a few secs then start back up? also do I need to lube the motor? it squeaks badly while playing.
what kind of oil are you using to lube the bearings?
3 in 1 electric motor oil. Which is just straight non detergent SAE20.
Hahaha ... Dave needs a big capacitor filter for his humming lights .......Sweet Teac machine .
BTW, your video was great!
I watched a señorita from Catalonia (possibly Barcelona or Malaga or Seville) service her TEAC,I think that she took it out of the cabinet to allow her to lubricate all the moving parts and put the chassis back into the cabinet, seems like it's all solenoid operated.
The lady is beautiful and black haired and used some Spanish made lubricant.