Nakamichi DR-2 in seemingly good condition, £89....
I know that the later Naks weren't as good as the earlier ones, but seems like a reasonable deal unless it's a total dog doesn't it?
Will I have any issues getting it serviced?
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Nakamichi DR-2 in seemingly good condition, £89....
I know that the later Naks weren't as good as the earlier ones, but seems like a reasonable deal unless it's a total dog doesn't it?
Will I have any issues getting it serviced?
Later Naks were more reliable than many earlier ones and the admittedly noisy gear driven fast-winding shouldn't give trouble, unlike the whisper quiet rubber idler driven hubs which started slipping after a year or two (Nak did a gear conversion kit at the time).
One little comment I must make about supposedly decling quality of cheaper Naks is that as the chips became more sophisticated, the internals became tidier and, in my opinion, the sound cleaned up a little as well.
Take care of the DR2. I'm sure you'll be delighted with it and as long as it hasn't been messed with, it'll easily equal or possibly better the "5 star" Yamaha's and Sony's it competed with.
I think that's a really good price for one of the best late-model Naks. It had a lot of the nice, unique, things that made Nak's stand out; the pressure-pad lifter, auto-tape bias calibration... It'd be nice to see a picture when you get it into your rack!
Hi Nick.
Glad to get your view, was going to ask your opinion before I put my bid in but didn't have time so I just took a chance.
Was amazed to see that another DR-2 went for under £70!!
Hopefully it will arrive shortly and once I've given it a good clean (assuming it needs one), I'll post some pics.
Trouble is I still can't help watching both Dave's CR-7 and another CR-5 that are also up for auction.... oh and then there's that older but lovely looking LX-3.....
Arrrggghhh!!!! Help me!!!!
It's no bloody good appealing for the help you want on this forum - everyone else has the same damned affliction. :lolsign:Quote:
Originally Posted by twelvebears
Ceers,
Steve
We did try to warn you!
Both the CR7 and CR5 are likely to go for considerably more than you paid for the DR2. As both Dave (DSJR) and Nick (Beechwoods) have said, you've done well with the DR2 - so be content and enjoy!
Regards
NOT THE LX3 unless it's ONLY for the visuals. These (and the LX5 I owned) were not the most reliable IMO and spares have long gone (including Dolby chips etc I think. Loads of wires, loads of mechanical switches and a bit of a nightmare IIRC...
The CR7 should fetch good money BECAUSE it's a CR7, not necessarily because it was the best cassette deck ever made. I bet there are equally good machines that haven't been "discovered" yet...;)
Thanks Gentlemen, I feel much better. In fact, I've even deleted the other Naks from my watch list, just in case one happens to be ending at a time when I'm watching AND may have imbibed slightly too much.
Do any of the cassette-heads here have any advice as to a safe and effective way to clean the heads and pinch rollers etc?
I was extremely surprised to see this very shabby looking ZX-7 go for £400 BIN the other week. If that's what dirty uncared for and unloved machines go for, I hesitate to think what Dave's CR-7 will end at!
I think your approach is definitely sensible Steve!
In terms of cleaning, I just use Johnson's Cotton Buds, and Isopropyl Alcohol (available in non-aerosol form from Maplins - not sure if it's online though). Some say alcohol affects the rubbers, but I've never found this, and I suspect that may be borne of experiences with very old machines (pre-1970's) not using modern rubber forumulations. Anyway; you should be able to slide the front of the door up and off, allowing you to engage play while pressing a moistened cotton bud onto the pressure rollers - there will be two on your Nak. And the heads. Change the buds regularly, especially when doing the heads. You'll be surprised at the stuff on the pressure rollers.
Cheers Nick,
That used to be the way I used to clean my decks 'back in the day', but they weren't anything special and I just wanted to check it was the right approach for a decent machine...
Really looking forward to it arriving. Always longed after a Nak in my youth, but cassette was still in it's prime, Nakamichi was THE machine to own, my funds were limited and eBay didn't exist, so it never happened. Basically this is fulfilling a dream of my youth for less than £100:lolsign:
I know the feeling :) Enjoy it!
It'll be a Nagra next :eyebrows: :lol:
I've sold my fully serviced and aligned Nak DR-2 for £110.50 some while ago and considered it a good price. It is a nice 3-head machine with good mechanics and good quality sound. I have another Nak like it - Cassette Deck 1,5 - it is exactly the same unit with a different front panel (as is DR-10 (!) ). If your new deck is fully working I would only advice to clean pinch rollers and heads using pure IPA. If you would like a good check-up and alignment (for the Nak, that's it ;) ), drop me a PM, perhaps you can come over and I'll do it for you.Quote:
Originally Posted by twelvebears
Cheers
Alex
Cheers Alex!
I'll see what it's like when it arrives, but that sounds like a great offer.
I think we may have to have a chat about phono stages at the same time too.
Well the DR-2 has arrived, and for £89 it looks to be in almost embarrassingly good condition! I haven't had a chance to plug it in yet, but the exteriour looks almost perfect, and an initial inspection of the heads and pinch rollers showed minimal wear and little oxidation, though they weren't 'suspiciously clean' either which is good.
If it works well, and Alex's kind offer of a once-over doesn't throw up any hidden problems, I think I've got a bloody good deck at an amazing price! :cool:
:carrot: :lolsign:
Well I've roughly hooked up the DR-2 and it's currently playing a rare(ish) original Thompson Twins remix album bought of of eBay for 99p and frankly it sounds bloody excellent!!
Even Susy was move to comment that she didn't know tape could sound this good!!
I am a very happy chap. :)
I may have that Thompson Twins re-mix album on CD - I'll have to check it out. Needs a gentle "loudness switch" eq to sound like the records though as I remember..
I have a tape of the Howard Jones 'Twelve Inch Album' which is fantastic. An excellent mid-80's 'superchrome' duplication. Probably similar vintage! And the music is great too. Brings back memories of being a 10 year old at the local roller-disco!Quote:
Originally Posted by twelvebears
http://i036.radikal.ru/0902/e1/77e4c4d4b1ca.jpg
Glad your new deck is bringing a smile to the face!
Ah well, you win some, you lose some....
Three eBay tape purchases, two perfect, one totally shagged and only fit for the bin...
Never mind, at £1 each, who cares!!
Howard Jones, The Thompson Twins... Now we're talking my kinda music from my era! :smoking:
Feck yer 70s rock and prog rock bollocks :eyebrows:
I'm very much an 80s boy at heart - all the other stuff I listen to is just 'froth' ;)
Enjoy your new deck, Steve - it sounds like a cracker!
Marco.
Marco, is this what you were getting at when you said 'my kinda music' ... kings of cool back when I was in the 2nd year of Comp ;)
http://pirun.ku.ac.th/~b4908063/shakatak20pic.jpg
Haha, not quite! :lol:
Think Depeche Mode, Blancmange, OMD, Hipsway, Kajagoogoo, Gary Numan, ABC, Heaven 17, Scritti Politti, Yazoo, Thomas Dolby, Human League, etc, etc, etc... :cool:
Dat's ma kinda thang!
Marco.
Sounds like the lineup from a classic Cheggers Goes Pop episode, minus Living In A Box of course. Got this on 7" and it's bloody good!
http://i560.photobucket.com/albums/s...1157481869.jpg
Cheggers Goes Pop - haha, love it! :lolsign:
Living in a Box... Yeah, you could defo add them to the list, along with The Buggles, Dead or Alive, Fiction Factory, Daryl Hall & John Oates, Ultravox, Blondie, Chaka Khan (I've must have worn out my 12" version of 'I Feel for You'!) - oh I could go on for about two pages :eyebrows:
Marco.
Good grief Marco, sounds like you're reading through my music collection!!
Though I'm glad to say that while I'm an 80's child, I've continued to move on, so there's also a massive amount of post-80s stuff too. Current recent fav, White Lies: To Lose My Life. Excellent!
Actually, am going to start a new thread somewhere inviting people to explain where their love of music and hi-fi first began.
I'll go first...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Marco
Same here, Steve. In reality, I've got much more post-80s than 80s stuff, particularly as I sold 100s of albums I had on vinyl in the mid 90s when I shunned T/Ts and vinyl for CD (yes I know! :doh:), all of which were original and from the 80s bands mentioned.Quote:
Though I'm glad to say that while I'm an 80's child, I've continued to move on, so there's also a massive amount of post-80s stuff too.
However, I've managed to (almost) build up my 80s collection again from second-hand buys from car boot sales, etc. Apart from actual albums, I also have around 300 7" and 12" singles, all from the 70s and 80s, which I use to make compilations on tape for the car :)
Although I love listening to all my post-80s music (and I have a very diverse and sizeable collection), I have to admit that nothing gives me as much pleasure as spinning my records from the 80s, simply because it evokes so many wonderful memories of the fun (and very mad) times I had as a teenager... :eyebrows:
Nothing else quite hits the spot in the same way!
:gig:
Marco.