I just rebuilt my Nakamichi Dragon tape deck a few weeks ago. I purchased it new in 1989 when I was in the Army and stationed in South Korea. The continuously adjusting azimuth adjusting replay head is a work of mechanical / electronic art. Nobody made tape decks like the Japanese back in the late 80's and early 90's.
Thanks for the video, Tony. Good to see your still on the mend. Please take care of your health, those special people in your life really love having you around. Thoughts and prayers and thanks for sharing with us.
Great video, thx! My Yamaha KX-490 is working perfectly 😄 And so are my 200+ cassette tapes, all high-quality Maxell and TDK. They still sound like when I recorded them (up to 35 years ago). Keeping this deck healthy is relatively easy: - don't play crap-quality tapes - use the deck regularly - clean the heads with alcohol - as you say, clean the pinch rollers with window-cleaner, because alcohol is not good for the rubber - demagnetize a couple times per year, if you have a 3-head deck I'm told that a 2 head deck (like my KX-490) doesn't need the demagging, because the play/rec head demags itself during use? But I demag anyway, including pinchroller axis and other metal parts inside the cassette bay.
Wife and I saw Jeff Lynne's ELO on 9-20 as well. It was a great concert. And as you stated, at 76, I don't blame him for making it his Over and Out tour. Just glad he made it back after 2018 and 1982. The energy they had and gave to the crowd was truly "Electric".
Thanks for the video, Tony. I have the same deck, also serviced - love it. It can really "squeeze every bit of frequency response" out of every tape with automatic or manual calibration. The only issue I have with it, being two capstan tape mechanism it is sensitive to the quality of cassette plastic moulding. The opening erase head goes into on a single capstan player is taken by the second capstan. And since it's a 3 head deck, the only place for the erase head is the narrow opening in the cassette tape path. It's not an issue with good cassettes like TDK, BASF etc. But I have a several factory pre-recorded tapes (mostly from 70x-80x), cases for which were made using not the best quality moulds. The erase head doesn't fit into that narrow gap, causing the heads not to engage fully, so no play. The solution is to either use a scalpel to correct the bad moulding of the cassette tape or play the tape on another single capstan deck (I am using my NAD for that ).
Dear Tony wishing you all the best for your health. Watching your Fantastic Videos and always teach us something new. Keep up the good work. Like me must be thousands. I mean watching ,enjoying your videos but never wrote something to you. This is my Turn to wish you piece joy happiness and fantastic huge good health for you and your family. Just be with us. Love from ATHENS GREECE.
Tony, you’re funny, talking about the crabby folks. I like your way - I would be a nervous wreck trying to do those fiddly things, but there is satisfaction in seeing things done right. I always look forward to your videos. If there is anything I fast forward through, it’s the theory parts, but I’m sure others relish that. Hope your healing goes as expected and you are soon without discomfort. 👏
Really interesting that you guys in US don't have at least one store that sells belts. I live in Croatia and i always order stuff from Thakker cause like you said he got some quality stuff. Other then that keep the good work. I always enjoy your videos.
I still have my Nakamichi cassette deck and my Rotel CD player stereo system. Thanks for another great video. If you have a link to the plastic clip removal pliers you used, please add it to the description!
Nice job Tony. I was hoping you were going to go over there. Head adjustment for optimum clarity but that short bit of rush sounded pretty clear to me!
Love Mr Blue Sky. This summer we saw Elvis Costello, 70 and Daryl Hall 82! I would say time has caught up with their voices to some degree but we loved it the nonetheless :)
Excelente Tony, una reparacion facil y corta, muy diferente al video del Pioneer CT-F1250 que hiciste. Claro al final ese Deck quedo muy bien, creo que es tuyo y todavía lo conservas. Tony una pregunta, cuando hiciste ese video del Pioneer me acuerdo que compraste un trasporte donante para cambiar una pieza en uno de los Reel que estaba deformado, dime si lo tienes y lo vendes, tengo un CT-F950 y cuando estaba desarmando el Take up reel se me partio la pieza que sujeta el eje, no lo vendes ?
specialized tool as well as the parts they are designed to work with have names but they are seldom labeled. That is true for a lot of electronic parts including connectors. they are standardized common and unlabeled. That makes it very hard to look up either connectors or the specific tools needed .
Hi Tony, Great video as usual 👏👏👏 Hopefully those red caps on the right side of the main board which is I guess the the playback circuitry of the deck are not the famous for leaking red elna duorex. They are widely used in the top Sony ES series and are notorious for leaking in almost every cassette deck they are used. Just double check 😉
We're going to see Styx on the 17th of Sept. Unfortunately, Foreigner won't be at this show. It's a small venue, so maybe they decided to skip it to rest up. My wife's favorite band is ELO. She's not into vinyl but bought one of their albums so we could listen to it together.
Thanks again for another detailed repair, unlike you I am a collector of cassette decks, that doesn't mean I like working on them, however I like working on mechanical gadgets so I may not invent new swear words while working on them.
New swear word... I was thinking the same thing 🙂I had a K-320 back in the mid 80s that was a great playback deck - nice and simple. I still have my JVC KD-V6 (with wired remote!) but I need to have the belts replaced, etc. When you get your spec system all done, will we be getting some pictures or video?
ELO is alright. My favorite is New World Record. They put on a helluva show! Nice repair, by the way. Get better so you can fix that Sansui 9090db you have hiding somewhere!!!
i'm horrified of tape decks :) i bought tapes at garage sales that are now almost 50yrs old and still play, like willie nelson 'the sound in your mind' from '76... just the other weekend i got a cassette player from my neighbor across the street ("general electric model 3-5151b") w/ just minor issues after about 40yrs. it's playing CCR rollin' on the river cassette ('88) right now :)
Surprised the video is only 50 mins long. Most tape deck repairs/servicing videos go on for hours and hours because tape decks are usually a pain to service with all their moving parts and both electrical and mechanical adjustments needed to properly align them etc; not to mention the headache with trying to track down the cause of w&f issues which are not always the obvious things like a pinch roller/idler issue/motor issue. I would like to see Tony do a reel-to-reel restoration, maybe a Revox or Studer deck - not for the purposes of seeing Tony suffer and have more hair fall out but because there's simply a lack of detailed videos out there that go into restoring those decks
I like working on cassettedecks, but I do hate restringing tuners. New curse word? What about soldering a bulb connector wire, in 'your' Mac 1700, and cutting with a drop of solder my Mac's tuner wire in halve. That was a moment I invented a new curse word!
People that should admit themselves to Recappers Anonymous would tell you that every electrolytic capacitor in that deck should be changed due to age regardless if they are perfectly fine.
Colossians 3:13. Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, you must also do the same.
I just rebuilt my Nakamichi Dragon tape deck a few weeks ago. I purchased it new in 1989 when I was in the Army and stationed in South Korea. The continuously adjusting azimuth adjusting replay head is a work of mechanical / electronic art. Nobody made tape decks like the Japanese back in the late 80's and early 90's.
Thanks for the video, Tony. Good to see your still on the mend. Please take care of your health, those special people in your life really love having you around. Thoughts and prayers and thanks for sharing with us.
Great video, thx!
My Yamaha KX-490 is working perfectly 😄
And so are my 200+ cassette tapes, all high-quality Maxell and TDK. They still sound like when I recorded them (up to 35 years ago).
Keeping this deck healthy is relatively easy:
- don't play crap-quality tapes
- use the deck regularly
- clean the heads with alcohol
- as you say, clean the pinch rollers with window-cleaner, because alcohol is not good for the rubber
- demagnetize a couple times per year, if you have a 3-head deck
I'm told that a 2 head deck (like my KX-490) doesn't need the demagging, because the play/rec head demags itself during use?
But I demag anyway, including pinchroller axis and other metal parts inside the cassette bay.
Wife and I saw Jeff Lynne's ELO on 9-20 as well. It was a great concert. And as you stated, at 76, I don't blame him for making it his Over and Out tour. Just glad he made it back after 2018 and 1982. The energy they had and gave to the crowd was truly "Electric".
Thanks for the video, Tony. I have the same deck, also serviced - love it. It can really "squeeze every bit of frequency response" out of every tape with automatic or manual calibration. The only issue I have with it, being two capstan tape mechanism it is sensitive to the quality of cassette plastic moulding. The opening erase head goes into on a single capstan player is taken by the second capstan. And since it's a 3 head deck, the only place for the erase head is the narrow opening in the cassette tape path. It's not an issue with good cassettes like TDK, BASF etc. But I have a several factory pre-recorded tapes (mostly from 70x-80x), cases for which were made using not the best quality moulds. The erase head doesn't fit into that narrow gap, causing the heads not to engage fully, so no play. The solution is to either use a scalpel to correct the bad moulding of the cassette tape or play the tape on another single capstan deck (I am using my NAD for that ).
Dear Tony wishing you all the best for your health. Watching your Fantastic Videos and always teach us something new. Keep up the good work. Like me must be thousands.
I mean watching ,enjoying your
videos but never wrote something to you. This is my
Turn to wish you piece joy happiness and fantastic huge good health for you and your
family. Just be with us.
Love from ATHENS GREECE.
Love cassettes there so mechanical, wheels turning and all.
Another great episode.
Tony, the Bob Ross of vintage audio repair
Tony, you’re funny, talking about the crabby folks. I like your way - I would be a nervous wreck trying to do those fiddly things, but there is satisfaction in seeing things done right. I always look forward to your videos. If there is anything I fast forward through, it’s the theory parts, but I’m sure others relish that. Hope your healing goes as expected and you are soon without discomfort. 👏
Electric light Orchestra, Mr. blue sky, Had to stop Tony's stream and listen to Blue Sky. Thanks Tony
Many thanks, Tony, for a fine servicing job. It's certainly a nice deck and you did an excellent job in repairing the door.
Tony, thanks for the video. I really enjoyed it.
I have the KX-930 and 380 both cheap estate sale finds. Little refurbishment and they are excellent players/recorders.
I've always loved Yamaha 3-head decks. Along with Denon, Akai, and Nakamichi, they're my favs ...
Really interesting that you guys in US don't have at least one store that sells belts. I live in Croatia and i always order stuff from Thakker cause like you said he got some quality stuff. Other then that keep the good work. I always enjoy your videos.
Nice Tony. The metal construction on that deck is classy.
Tony has a wow and flutter meter....! Tony has all the toys!
Yeah, I like the ride. Great video, thanks.
I still have my Nakamichi cassette deck and my Rotel CD player stereo system. Thanks for another great video. If you have a link to the plastic clip removal pliers you used, please add it to the description!
Nice job Tony. I was hoping you were going to go over there. Head adjustment for optimum clarity but that short bit of rush sounded pretty clear to me!
I showed how to do a head alignment in the Pioneer CT-F1250 series. Although it's a very different cassette deck, the process is similar.
You’re a good papa passing down your musical tastes to your daughter
Yamaha made excellent Cassette decks.
Love Mr Blue Sky. This summer we saw Elvis Costello, 70 and Daryl Hall 82! I would say time has caught up with their voices to some degree but we loved it the nonetheless :)
Hi Tony,
Tu er dial strings are my favorites!
thanks for sharing your experience buddy!
That Elna Tonerex red maroon colour electrolytics was notorious for getting bad, I changed it right away when saw one.
Always top notch informative entertainment!!!
I love the lanyard!
Hey Tony, what size wire wrap/unwrap tool do you use for older Pioneer gear.
Excelente Tony, una reparacion facil y corta, muy diferente al video del Pioneer CT-F1250 que hiciste. Claro al final ese Deck quedo muy bien, creo que es tuyo y todavía lo conservas. Tony una pregunta, cuando hiciste ese video del Pioneer me acuerdo que compraste un trasporte donante para cambiar una pieza en uno de los Reel que estaba deformado, dime si lo tienes y lo vendes, tengo un CT-F950 y cuando estaba desarmando el Take up reel se me partio la pieza que sujeta el eje, no lo vendes ?
specialized tool as well as the parts they are designed to work with have names but they are seldom labeled. That is true for a lot of electronic parts including connectors. they are standardized common and unlabeled. That makes it very hard to look up either connectors or the specific tools needed .
Hi Tony,
Great video as usual 👏👏👏 Hopefully those red caps on the right side of the main board which is I guess the the playback circuitry of the deck are not the famous for leaking red elna duorex. They are widely used in the top Sony ES series and are notorious for leaking in almost every cassette deck they are used. Just double check 😉
Thanks for the warning. I'll check it out!
Belts: Whatever happened to Projector Recorder Belt ? They were the go-to for all your small belt needs.
Keep up the good work you do 👍
We're going to see Styx on the 17th of Sept. Unfortunately, Foreigner won't be at this show. It's a small venue, so maybe they decided to skip it to rest up.
My wife's favorite band is ELO. She's not into vinyl but bought one of their albums so we could listen to it together.
Casettes? 8-Track? Remembers when the record clubs were dealing Reel-to-Reel !
I still got a reel to reel !!
I love ELO too❤
Thanks again for another detailed repair, unlike you I am a collector of cassette decks, that doesn't mean I like working on them, however I like working on mechanical gadgets so I may not invent new swear words while working on them.
New swear word... I was thinking the same thing 🙂I had a K-320 back in the mid 80s that was a great playback deck - nice and simple. I still have my JVC KD-V6 (with wired remote!) but I need to have the belts replaced, etc.
When you get your spec system all done, will we be getting some pictures or video?
ELO is alright. My favorite is New World Record. They put on a helluva show! Nice repair, by the way. Get better so you can fix that Sansui 9090db you have hiding somewhere!!!
i'm horrified of tape decks :)
i bought tapes at garage sales that are now almost 50yrs old and still play, like willie nelson 'the sound in your mind' from '76...
just the other weekend i got a cassette player from my neighbor across the street ("general electric model 3-5151b") w/ just minor issues after about 40yrs. it's playing CCR rollin' on the river cassette ('88) right now :)
Surprised the video is only 50 mins long. Most tape deck repairs/servicing videos go on for hours and hours because tape decks are usually a pain to service with all their moving parts and both electrical and mechanical adjustments needed to properly align them etc; not to mention the headache with trying to track down the cause of w&f issues which are not always the obvious things like a pinch roller/idler issue/motor issue. I would like to see Tony do a reel-to-reel restoration, maybe a Revox or Studer deck - not for the purposes of seeing Tony suffer and have more hair fall out but because there's simply a lack of detailed videos out there that go into restoring those decks
Tony...Apparently, you can repair anything. Do you fix lawnmowers? I've got one in mind.
Why do you restrict yourself with ten pound lifting? Problems with your back?
He's recovering from a surgery
@@TrevorsBench Thanks
34:50 wow that's a lot of electrolytic caps...
I like working on cassettedecks, but I do hate restringing tuners. New curse word? What about soldering a bulb connector wire, in 'your' Mac 1700, and cutting with a drop of solder my Mac's tuner wire in halve. That was a moment I invented a new curse word!
Looking like you need a bigger room / workshop 😋
😎
Does anyone still listen to cassette tapes?????
@@NICK-uy3nl I think, only to listen to and/or to archive old tapes.
@@NICK-uy3nl Yes.
I do.. I have a lots of cassettes.
Yes.
Have you guys thought about converting your cassettes to MP3 so you can listen to them anywhere or send them to anyone!
ELO 👍 18:40 I always hated interpretation test questions! To me, that white whale will always be just a white whale! 😂
I could be the walrus. I'd still have to bum rides off people....
People that should admit themselves to Recappers Anonymous would tell you that every electrolytic capacitor in that deck should be changed due to age regardless if they are perfectly fine.
Colossians 3:13. Continue putting up with one another and forgiving one another freely even if anyone has a cause for complaint against another. Just as Jehovah freely forgave you, you must also do the same.
19:14 accidental Doobie Brothers reference.
Nice work Tony! Did you do a video on the Leader wow and flutter meter some years back? Enjoyed!