Nakamichi 660 ZX
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captaingamez
Well-Known Member
their excellent. A little wierd since they dont have off the tape monitor but a great deck none the less. I have the 670 which is almost identical except it has off the tape monitor, and I dont think I would ever sell it.
"ZX" in a Nakamichi, means that the recording head is fixed on a moving cable system and the head azimuth aligns to the ideal azimuth for the tape when you do a record calibration. its called "Automatic Azimuth Adjustment".
does the deck work? if not they are rather expensive to get repaired, but worth it.
"ZX" in a Nakamichi, means that the recording head is fixed on a moving cable system and the head azimuth aligns to the ideal azimuth for the tape when you do a record calibration. its called "Automatic Azimuth Adjustment".
does the deck work? if not they are rather expensive to get repaired, but worth it.
perryinva
IS it vintage????
Beat me too it. I love the 660zx, with the analog meters. It is about as old a Nak deck as I would go, and have it be a main deck, if you don't need Dolby C. Is it worth keeping? That depends on what YOU do with cassettes and whether you have to have dolby C, and if it has been worked on or not, has it been sitting unused for a long time, etc. Untouched is the best way to get one, if it needs work, as it is a pretty defined set of things that need to be done. As mentioned it is not cheap (~$200) to have it restored to its former glory as it would need belts, idler tire, orange caps replaced, and some specific things checked that commonly seize if not used for a long time. Cosmetic condition plays a huge part in its value, if its beat, it's not worth restoring, better to sell for parts. Even beat ones get $90-100. But even fully restored, nice ones rarely sell for even $400, so you can see the problem.
captaingamez
Well-Known Member
If you do decide to keep it,and it needs serviced, Perry is the guy to send it to.
Only reason I havent sent ya My 670ZX yet, Perry, Is because the deck just keeps working perfectly....I never get that azimuth clicking unless I use low end tapes, so I just dont use them.
Only reason I havent sent ya My 670ZX yet, Perry, Is because the deck just keeps working perfectly....I never get that azimuth clicking unless I use low end tapes, so I just dont use them.
I'm going to check it out today. I'm a little worried , the screws are missing to the cover, so someone has obviously been in it. I saw one on EBay for $1150. I take it that aint happenin'. I love the look of it, so I hope it's ok. I got it in an "all-or-nothing" deal (I was after the SDA SRS's, which are flawless), and got what I wanted, so no big deal if it's a paper weight. Thanks for your input.
perryinva
IS it vintage????
I don't know what it is with people and cover screws. I have a few decks for parts, and they always come with those screws missing or maybe just 2 or some wrong o e substituted. $1150 is so out of the ballpark it ain't funny, even $600 is high. Look for what they sold for on eBay not what the nutcases are asking. Then remember that eBay keeps 12%.
captaingamez
Well-Known Member
Those people on ebay are nutcases, theres a guy whos been asking 825 for a 670ZX for like a year almost now.
HA! that reminds me, I bought my ZX almost a year ago!, I think it needs a birthday party! hahaha, Heres to the first year of trouble free service.
HA! that reminds me, I bought my ZX almost a year ago!, I think it needs a birthday party! hahaha, Heres to the first year of trouble free service.
perryinva
IS it vintage????
I really think that these people don't care if they sell it or not, but if they do, they would only for that insane price. I mean, I have an absolutely perfect cosmetic and perfectly restored Revox B710MKII that I have no intention of selling. But if someone offered me say, $1600 for it, I likely would. So from THAT view point I understand.
Would Perry be "perryinva"? Cosmetically, aside from missing screws, it looks awesome. This guy really took care of his stuff. I found a receipt for a new belt, so maybe that's why the cover screws are missing. I could go for a repair if not to expensive. I basically got it for free.
perryinva
IS it vintage????
Yes, I am Perry, and I live in Richmond, Virginia, hence..perryinva. If the receipt is for a Marrs capstan belt, then you saved yourself $20 off the price of a repair, but there are 4 other mundane $2 belts on a 660zx, and any of them can prevent the deck from working, except the azimuth belt, which just affects the record head adjustment. If I were to guess, though, it is more likely that it is for the $2 cam belt, which is the easiest to replace, and usually the first belt to stretch and go, and prevents any function. A lot of people when they get a Nak deck of this vintage that doesn't work, try the cheap, easy belt fix first, but if the pinch roller arms grease has stiffened with time, which is fairly common on this vintage, if it hasn't been used regularly, then the deck will not work, and forcing the arms will usually strip them and destroy the transport. It requires careful removal of the arms after removing the transport and soaking the pivots to dissolve the glue like grease, with care taken to not force the pivot pins out of the transport base. Remember this is a 35 year old tape deck, that was around $1000 when new, a serious piece of gear at the time, and likely hadn't even been turned on for the last 15 years. IMHO, it is well worth the effort and $ to repair properly, as it is a great performer and looker. Since you got it for free, if you pay to have it restored, and the cosmetics are fine, then it is a no brainer (if you can afford the repair up front), as you could either recoup your investment and then some, selling it as a perfect deck, or have a very fine cassette deck that will give another 20 years of service, to try for a while and see if it is something you want in your system. Cassettes are not for everyone, but like so much vintage audio, it is an easy addiction for many, especially if you've never heard a TOTL Nakamichi before in a nice system. Like most people, I was never impressed with cassettes when they were popular, except as a portable media, but like most others, I never owned a great tape deck, and I found out rather quick, that judging cassettes on my car stereo was like judging vinyl on a cheap record player with a ceramic cartridge. After I rebuilt my first Nakamichi deck many years ago, I was hooked. It's just that to the non cassette savvy person, even cheap cassette decks, look pretty good, like some cheap all plastic turntables look good to someone that knows nothing about turntables. Just lifting up the 660zx tells you it was built as a serious piece of hardware, it weighs a ton compared to modern (late 1990) cassette decks, more than twice, normally, and it is often not even as large dimensionally.
Hello Perry, Nick here. The receipt is for a capstan belt, $44.75,back in '04. When I took the cover off, there was a piece of aluminum foil, off all things, wrapped around what turned out to be 2 spliced wires. I'm hoping he put it there to remind him where he left off. Anyway, I can see the motors turning, but not the tape, It also doesn't rr, or ff. It starts to, then stops. What do you think?
