That is a beautiful machine, that looks to be in wonderful shape. But in my opinion, overpriced.  What is your budget?

I got a Teac several years ago, and have done hours of research on the subject. I have units split into 3 groups depending on how much you want to spend:

1) Buy new - there are some really awesome units currently in production. But they have a pretty hefty price tag - starting about $7000. If you can afford it, this is the way to go, because the heads (3) would be new and probably properly aligned and calibrated. You want one that is 15 ips. This, as Steve says, is the holy grail of music playback.

2) Buy vintage, FULLY RESTORED  -  there are quite a few companies now that sell nice vintage machines that have been restored to like new condition. Oak Tree Vintage is an example of this. You can get a nice player like this starting around $1500.  Otari, Revox, Technics, Tascam, etc are machines in this category. Once again, 15 ips capable.  Just make sure the heads are new or like new. There should be a long list of things done as part of the restoration process.

3) Buy Vintage, unrestored -  This is what I did. I got a Teac in great shape. Got it on the Reverb site for $500. But what I didn’t understand was that it would need to be restored. I spent $800 to get it back to spec. Mine is not 15 ips capable, just 3 3/4 and 7 1/2, but I love it.  I buy new reels of tape ($70) and record on it. I love the results.  Also, sometime in the near future, I’ll need to get new heads ($800-$1000)

So you see, you can save money upfront if you by vintage, but ultimately you will probably spend more in the long run than if you had just bought one fully restored to start with.

Good luck,

Geno

With you living in California, in the vicinity of big metro areas, you may be able to find a nice one fully restored and ready to use within driving distance.

Thanks for sharing, Geno! I was just reading up on the Otari MX-5050 and the Technics RS1500 series over on https://tapeproject.com/machines/. The upgrades over at https://bottlehead.com/product-category/kits/reel-to-reel/ look to be a good value as well.

Thanks! I'll look them up.

If you go the Technics RS-15xx route, be prepared to re-cap the boards. I had mine done a few years back for around $600.

The original little purple capacitors leak in their old age. Unless a listing specifically states this has been done during servicing, it hasn't. This isn't to say a machine that hasn't had this done won't work. They will usually tune right up then wander and provide inconsistent playback over time. Sometimes you will also experience weird intermittent issues. A close visual inspection will most likely reveal corrosion on the pins on the underside of the caps (looks like white mold).

I've found the forums at tapeheads.net to be very informative. That's also where I sourced my deck and the local technician who re-caped it. Also had him mod the outputs so I have the option to use an external preamp while he had it apart.

As for choosing between the Otari MX-5050 and the Technics RS-15xx, the Otari has more pro end features. I needed something that could play 3-1/4,7-1/2, and 15ips. and look good sitting in the living room. The Otari looks like a set pice from Star Wars. Most have had a hard life professional life in radio/studio production and have dings and scratches. Changing tape speeds from the high 15 and 30ips settings to the lower 3-1/4 7-1/2 speed settings requires calibration each time it's done. Those factors lead me to the Technics.

BTW, you might find yourself considering the RS-1520 due to the builtin EQ setting for NAB and IEC. I know I did after reading the Tape Project site. My Tech informed me that they may look similar on the outside but there are 1520 specific parts that are basically unobtainium. He has customers that have been working for years trying to source parts for needed repairs.

Thank you Ullur! I agree with Jeff, great information. I'll definitely check out the forums on tape heads.net.