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Akai GX-630D score!

dksp

dksp

Active Member
Hi all,

I'm from France, so I'm not sure I'm using the appropriate technical terms. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

I just got this wonderful Akai GX-630D for free… it was on its way to the waste sorting centre. :banana:
Everything turns and the mechanics work. But it lacks the center of the aluminum spindle (do you call it spindle?). So I could not test it yet entirely and listen to it, since I don't have any empty spindle.

So my question: Could you please tell me how you call this black center part that sits on the axis, so I can start searching for it?

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Many thanks in advance, Stephan
 

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dksp said:
I'm from France, so I'm not sure I'm using the appropriate technical terms. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
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The phrase is "Scroe" - just to avoid using the word score :D

congratulations on the deck, now you jst need tape and a set ob NAB adaptors , they are not cheap though

Akai made some really good adaptors for this model
 
Great find. For the large reel in the picture you need a "NAB adaptor" but you can use smaller reels (18 cm, 13 cm etc.) without the "NAB adaptor"
 
Yes, the Akai GX-630D reel to reel is a prize to have. One of the better quality style'd reel to reels from Akai. :yes:
Very good score! :thmbsp:
 
Many thanks for your feedback all! :thmbsp:

In fact, a quick search for a nab shows that they sell rather expensive.

So I will start with an empty 18 cm reel in order to check if the Akai is working at all. I got this deck with around 80-100 18 cm tapes but none is empty. Emptying one is not an option…

If technically speaking everything is OK, I can start thinking about esthetic upgrades ;)
 
Congrats..I have this deck too. I have read an opinion that it is one of the more reliable decks that Akai made.

As far as upgrading just clean the heads, demagnatize them, and apply contact cleaner to the switches. I would not do anything else. This is a good deck. I need to open mine up and giver her a good clean.

I do not think it has the transistor problem that the GX-635 has.
 
jan_stevns said:
it has - my 630Pro had to have the "full monty"
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I guess I am lucky...I bought mine in 2008 and it still works ok.....as far as sound is concerned I believe my Pioneer 701 sounds a bit better. I have the GX-635 and it sounds pretty good but is more of a pain the butt to thread.
 
Great Score! That is a very nice RtoR, and the fact that you saved it from the "recycling center" is so much the better. I have an Akai GX-646 (a little later model than yours), and really like it a lot.

If yours turns out to be working okay, I would definitely recommend getting a couple of the NAB hub adapters so you can run the 10" reels. These machines look really cool with those big aluminum reels turning round and round.
 
Your Akai looks beautiful and seems to be in great condition. Yes, the NABs are expensive, but are worth it. Don't settle for cheap knock off ones. Get the real Akais, or at least some revox ones.

Yes, the 630D has those lovely transistors in it. In my unit they have killed my ability to record anything without distortion, but playback still works. Currently though i have it pulled from duty and it is waiting recap and repair. But when it was running, very nice machine.
 
Thanks for your thoughts.

Actually I have a friend who has two 630D and one 630DB (with Dolby NR)… he is willing to help me make it work if something doesn't :smoke:

I think I will get some nabs, but first I need just one simple empty reel. I didn't think it would be so difficult to find one. :tongue:
 
dksp said:
Thanks for your thoughts.

Actually I have a friend who has two 630D and one 630DB (with Dolby NR)… he is willing to help me make it work if something doesn't :smoke:

I think I will get some nabs, but first I need just one simple empty reel. I didn't think it would be so difficult to find one. :tongue:
Click to expand...

Difficult ? You can order empty reels online many places ....
 
In fact, I found an online dealer here in France who has some cheap plastic ones.
But I keep on asking around me to get one borrowed just for testing purposes. If the deck works, I will get some nabs.
We have some empty reels at my parents home, but it's 400 km away…
 
My 630D PRO does not have bad transistors, although I do have some 2SC2240's in reserve if ever needed. I wonder if this is a production date issue where earlier decks have good transistors and later bad?
 
koltrast said:
My 630D PRO does not have bad transistors, although I do have some 2SC2240's in reserve if ever needed. I wonder if this is a production date issue where earlier decks have good transistors and later bad?
Click to expand...

Hard to say ... I think i have seen the problem in every deck sold here, with those transistors on board - also several casettedecks including my GX-C760d
 
Several month later, I finally got an empty reel. I got this machine runnning and it seems to work fine.
On the first session the main fuse blew while rewinding. I put in a new fuse and it seems to run fine.
I also changed the voltage from 220V to 240V, which is recommended nowadays.

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