What is a reel to reel?  They come in all sizes, the most popular are the 7 inch variety and the 10 inch variety, and the tape speeds they utilize allow for audio signals to achieve excellent sound reproduction.  If you are looking for reel to reel, then you probably already know that the old analog sound of yesterday has a much richer and warmer quality than the digitized music of today.

What you use your reel to reel tape deck for should be given considerable thought as there are many legal and non-legal uses for the machine.  You can buy old tapes from e-bay and play them into your computer for instance to save them.  The best approach would be to have two reel to reel decks and copy from the old tape to a NEW tape. Old tape tends to go bad, and you may want to use this approach and buy new tape to copy back from the computer or the other recorder to the new tape.

The first thing you need to do is your homework, and don't rush out and buy the first thing you see.  There are plenty of good models on E-bay, and some very good vendors that supply and maintain a superior product.  These units will cost you more, but in the long run will have less trouble than the great deal you just thought you made.  Do research and find what models and brands have good parts availability and if there are service centers in you area that can work on this brand or model.  Keep in mind, with all the brands I will be listing in this guide, certain models have electronics and parts that are no longer available, doing you homework is essential.

Some of the questions you should be asking are:

Direct drive motors for the reels or capstan drive, or are they run by belts.  I prefer direct drive over belts, for obvious reasons.  Not that belt drive machines are bad, but they can break and do get brittle over time.  Belts are also not easy to replace on some models, which could be expensive if you are not the do-it-yourself type of individual  Availability of that belt is a good question, and are the replacements factory replacements, as some third party belts do not work well at all.

What shape are the recording and playback heads in?  The machine can look beautiful, but if the heads are worn, the sound may not be what you are expecting.  Look for the newer models with the almost indestructable heads.  I say almost, because anything can break down over time.

What tape is the machine biased for?  Can I get that tape?  Ask yourself the question do I have a good environment in my home to store any recording tape, new or old.

How does the recorder hook up to my existing stereo system.  Most recorders have the normal RCA jacks that you can connect to your stereo, but some do not.  Make sure it is compatible with your equipment.

How old is this model?  Did you own it personally, or do you know the person who owned it previously?  It might be wise to know if the unit was from an estate, a piece of personal property, or something they pulled from the curb.

The more questions you asked, the less likely you will end up with a non-working unit, and if you do, if you document the answers, you have proper recourse against the seller.

AKAI

My first preference for reel to reel is the Akai brand.  The GX-230, GX-265 and GX-270 models in the 7 inch class are the preferred models to look for.  They have the GX heads and can be maintained very easily.  These three units use direct drive motors, so other than the counter belt, there is nothing to replace.   As the reels have no belts to dry up or start slipping, you are more likely to get a unit that will not need extreme maintenance when you first purchase it.

In the 10 inch models, you can't go to wrong with the GX-600 series of decks, with the GX-620 and the GX-625 two of my favorites.  The GX-747 with or without DBX is the king of the Akai tape decks, and will usually garner top dollar from a reputable dealer.

Some of the 200 series above.

Here is an excellent source for checking out the Akai line.  home.planet.nl/~oomen118/akai.html

Above, the Akai GX-620, the GX-625 and the GX-747.

 

TEAC

Teac makes some very nice equipment and I particularly like the X-1000 and X-2000 models which are both 10 inch decks.  These are top of the line units with impressive specs for wow and flutter and signal to noise.  If you are looking to record 4 channels at a time, the 3340 model is an excellent choice.

Technics by Panasonic

 The Technics by Panasonic  RS 1500 series of reel to reel decks are some of the finest units you can find out there, and you can expect to pay $300 plus for a good working unit.  Very impressive with the specifications and the unique tape transport system makes this as much fun to look at as it does to use it.

Revox and SONY are some other reputable names, but you need to look for certain models if you are looking for reliability.  Ask anybody that knows Revox, and they will tell you they are the top of the line for reel to reel.  They are built extremely well, like tanks most people will acknowledge.  Revox parts and repair is not cheap however, so make sure you purchase from a reputable person who can repair your investment if necessary.

SONY also makes some incredible equipment, and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase a ten inch model, but I will be honest with you I don't have a lot of information about the smaller units.  The nice part about the internet and search engines, is that you can probably get the information you need as there are many websites and forums dealing with vintage audio equipment.  If contacted, I can give you those websites and also individuals that I think have the knowledge on the particular brand and unit you are looking for.

There are some very reputable sellers, who also fix and repair the equipment they sell, and these are the sellers you should try to use for your purchase.  You will pay more, but the quality and reliability are far superior to a deck that has been sitting in someone's cold damp basement for 15 years.

Stay away from sellers that use term like, "it worked the last time I used it", I don't have any reels to test it with, etc.  Make sure you ask questions of the seller and get and keep the answers they give you.  This correspondence is a good backup to use when you have a possible dispute with a seller.  Ask questions like "when was the last time you used it".  Does the unit play and record.  Many times someone will find at an estate a recorder that turns on, but doesn't really record, or the capstan drive won't move although it will fast forward and reverse.  If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.

SHIPPING

Any type of electronics equipment needs to be carefully packed, and this is one question you should ask of the seller.  Electronics need to float between two pieces of styrofoam, and there should be NO gaps between the box and that styrofoam.  The piece should be suspended by the styrofoam and the styrofoam should fit the box, or have enough padding so it cannot move around during shipping.  Throwing a piece of electronics in a box with packing peanuts is a sure way to disaster.

A good dealer-seller will pack the item like they are buying it.  Make sure you know how they will pack the item and ship it.  The USPS is NOT a very good way to ship old electronics equipment.  Some sellers will double box the equipment, and others have and use their own boxes and pack the item very well with sytrofoam and other material. 

I don't know if E-Bay will let me give you the names of those sellers that I have purchased from in the past, but I certainly would take questions from anybody seriously looking to buy a used reel to reel.  After all, that is what I do, fix up old stereo equipment and pass it on.  Next topic, what to look for in a good used amplifier or receiver to play that equipment through. 

GOOD LUCK.