Lots of envy, desire, and imagination when eyes spotted that deck in the catalogue. It reminded me of what I felt when in college when I went to the stereo shop and saw a Nakamichi Dragon for the first time. I well remember that moment to this day and retain the envy. She was intoxicating. She was beautiful!
I know that feeling all too well, myself! Some of us young men drooled over stereo equipment as much as we drooled over centerfolds in “gentlemen’s magazines!” The Dragon is a beauty. I’ve got one, but prefer my Nak RX-505 as it’s more reliable and sounds just as good.
My dad had this deck too, in his office for background music. HIs office was near O'hare airport as was an Ampex factory and outlet store where he got his deck and pre recorded tapes. I found one a couple years ago at an estate sale and had to have it, I think I paid $30 for it with the speakers but not the microphones. It does not play from one of the channels and I don't have the knowledge or the skills to fix it so it sits for the meantime. Looks to be a labor of love to get it fixed up. I would be willing to pay someone to repair but it's getting harder to find good techs.
@@paulbennell3313 Agreed, most newer machines will easily beat this for performance, but it was a very solid first effort. And I mean solid as far as the internal mechanism. The outer cabinet is overly delicate, but inside this thing was built like a good Ampex reel-to-reel recorder.
@@FluxCondenser Well yeah, Ampex as a brand were a big deal where tape machines were concerned so they had a reputation to maintain. Also, the format was still being proved at the time so they had to make the effort. The only cassette deck I've owned with similar internal build quality was a Hitachi D3500. Top loading, 3 heads and a heavy chassis with a great big AC motor and a seperate big chunky mains transformer. It cost me £15 and I never should've parted with it.
Really cool! I just picked up one of these today at a thrift store for $10. So far everything turns on and seems functional. Question.... Do you know the output wattage on the amplifier and the impedance recommendation for the speakers? Thanks
Could you make one on a sct-20. im haveing issues not sure how to fix. i might have slightly cracked circuit board also..not sure if i want to build a new circuit or two from scratch, i do have a breadboard to use if need be..
I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what an “Edsel” was. Turns out it’s a big flashy fifties car that was considered cheap and crappy, even though it looks just like any other late 50s car you’d see at a car show today. 🤷
Ha! I’m surprised you’d never heard of the Edsel. I’m guessing you’re on the younger side as, even though I was born a decade after it was made, I had heard many stories about it growing up, and that was before the internet. Did I mention the Edsel in this video? I can’t remember.
@@FluxCondenser younger side? Younger side of what? I’m 39 goin on 40. I haven’t been on the younger side for a while. Nobody I’ve asked since has ever heard of one either, except my old man, who’s in his seventies. I gently suggest that it isn’t me who’s on one side of age… and that side isn’t ‘younger’ ;) It’s in the ad. “… get on your Edsel…”
1967? Amazing! I thought 8-tracks were the thing around then and, of course, open reel!
It really is pretty amazing. I just love this deck.
Lots of envy, desire, and imagination when eyes spotted that deck in the catalogue. It reminded me of what I felt when in college when I went to the stereo shop and saw a Nakamichi Dragon for the first time. I well remember that moment to this day and retain the envy. She was intoxicating. She was beautiful!
I know that feeling all too well, myself! Some of us young men drooled over stereo equipment as much as we drooled over centerfolds in “gentlemen’s magazines!” The Dragon is a beauty. I’ve got one, but prefer my Nak RX-505 as it’s more reliable and sounds just as good.
My dad had this deck too, in his office for background music. HIs office was near O'hare airport as was an Ampex factory and outlet store where he got his deck and pre recorded tapes. I found one a couple years ago at an estate sale and had to have it, I think I paid $30 for it with the speakers but not the microphones. It does not play from one of the channels and I don't have the knowledge or the skills to fix it so it sits for the meantime. Looks to be a labor of love to get it fixed up. I would be willing to pay someone to repair but it's getting harder to find good techs.
Nice big AC induction motor.
Yup, and it also serves as the transformer. Pretty cool.
@@FluxCondenser The mechanism makes later machines look like something you get free with a Happy Meal!
@@paulbennell3313 Agreed, most newer machines will easily beat this for performance, but it was a very solid first effort. And I mean solid as far as the internal mechanism. The outer cabinet is overly delicate, but inside this thing was built like a good Ampex reel-to-reel recorder.
@@FluxCondenser Well yeah, Ampex as a brand were a big deal where tape machines were concerned so they had a reputation to maintain. Also, the format was still being proved at the time so they had to make the effort.
The only cassette deck I've owned with similar internal build quality was a Hitachi D3500. Top loading, 3 heads and a heavy chassis with a great big AC motor and a seperate big chunky mains transformer. It cost me £15 and I never should've parted with it.
I am using 8 track tapes, never cassettes.
I own and have restored many 8-track machines, but have never done a video about one. Perhaps in the future. They can be a lot of fun.
Really cool! I just picked up one of these today at a thrift store for $10. So far everything turns on and seems functional.
Question....
Do you know the output wattage on the amplifier and the impedance recommendation for the speakers?
Thanks
I’m away from my home to look it up, but it can’t be more than five or so watts per channel and any 8 ohm speaker should work fine.
@@FluxCondenser thanks
Could you make one on a sct-20. im haveing issues not sure how to fix. i might have slightly cracked circuit board also..not sure if i want to build a new circuit or two from scratch, i do have a breadboard to use if need be..
I went down a rabbit hole trying to figure out what an “Edsel” was.
Turns out it’s a big flashy fifties car that was considered cheap and crappy, even though it looks just like any other late 50s car you’d see at a car show today. 🤷
Ha! I’m surprised you’d never heard of the Edsel. I’m guessing you’re on the younger side as, even though I was born a decade after it was made, I had heard many stories about it growing up, and that was before the internet. Did I mention the Edsel in this video? I can’t remember.
@@FluxCondenser younger side? Younger side of what? I’m 39 goin on 40. I haven’t been on the younger side for a while.
Nobody I’ve asked since has ever heard of one either, except my old man, who’s in his seventies.
I gently suggest that it isn’t me who’s on one side of age… and that side isn’t ‘younger’ ;)
It’s in the ad. “… get on your Edsel…”
I’m 54, so the younger side of that. Many people my age have known about the Edsel since we were children.
@@FluxCondenser fair enough. I suspect that knowledge dropped off pretty quickly in the several subsequent generations 😆
Don’t be a wise Alac, whipersnapper! ;-)