Teac R-R head replacement

[CatFM]

I have a Teac A2300-SX with worn heads that I hope to use to transfer some material from reel to cassette and/or CD for permanent storage. The best I have been able to come up with for a replacement playback head so far is one for an A6010 (I think) and I have been told that just about any of the Teac heads for a 4 Track/2 Channel deck will work with proper alignment.

If anyone here has any experience with head replacement on Teac open reel decks, I would appreciate any advice you have to offer. I don't know where to find an alignment tape. Whether or not I will even attempt to work on this myself, I don't know. My feeling is that the new head will have to sound better than the original head, even if it isn't aligned to specs.

 

[thebeaver32]

Are the heads worn to the point that the gap has opened up? If not, the heads should still be useable.

According to a cross-reference book I have, a head for a model 6010 should work for the 2300.

Installing and aligning a new tape head was, and is, a job for a professional. If you don't know the procedure, and especially if you don't have any test equipment, I'd leave well enough alone. As I said earlier, unless the original head has worn to the point you can see the gap in the magnetic pole pieces, it should still sound OK. When the gap opens, any audio played will be low in level and very muffled (bassy).

 

[CatFM]

Thanks for the info! It's good to know that the 6010 head will work as a replacement. As for the exact condition of the head, I need to get it in better light for a closer look, but judging by the audio quality, it's toast. The deck is in beautiful cosmetic condition overall, but the heads show more wear than I have seen on anything outside a station. Everything is in excellent operating condition other than the heads.

I suppose the next logical question would be where to find a pro who works on decks like this without expecting it to pay off his mortgage or put his kids through college.

 

[RadioMan203]

If the heads are still useable you might be able to find someone who could relap the heads for you. I use to have a Nortronics kit for doing that but with my house move it's buried in one of over 200 boxes! Of course, I wonder just how many folks use to relap their own tape heads on those RR decks.

 

[CatFM]

It's hard to say if the heads could be reused. They all show a lot of wear. I have never heard any reports about the quality of a relap job. Since I have an almost mint head to use as a replacement, it seems like that might be the best way to go if I can find someone to handle it.

 

[Robert Bass]

I had the heads relapped on an Otari MX5050BII a few years ago (by an Otari certified repair center) and it still sounds great! I've lost the 7 1/2 i.p.s speed though, while trying to adjust the capstan motor trim pots (it was running a tad slower than 7 1/2). I wonder how much that will cost to repair.

R

 

[RadioMan203]

... I've lost the 7 1/2 i.p.s speed though, while trying to adjust the capstan motor trim pots (it was running a tad slower than 7 1/2). I wonder how much that will cost to repair.

R

You could probably pick up a parts machine cheaper than a repair job and swap the control board yourself. I got rid of my spares before my last move as I really didn't feel like moving three of those beasts.

 

[littlejohn]

Didn't they sell the motor and control board as a unit for 5050s? Steal them both out of hte parts machine. They weren't all that expensive as a repair part ten years ago, dunno what they'd cost ya now.