Superscope Cassette Player

[ccheath]

I bought this cassette player from Goodwill for $5. Would anyone be interested in buying this player if they saw it for sale in GW, yard sale, etc.? I wouldn't really buy this kind of player but something caught my eye while looking it over. See if you notice anything?

 

[Sir.Byrd]

I bought this cassette player from Goodwill for $5. Would anyone be interested in buying this player if they saw it for sale in GW, yard sale, etc.? I wouldn't really buy this kind of player but something caught my eye while looking it over. See if you notice anything?

4 way power?

 

[ccheath]

4 way power?

Now that's interesting. I have heard of 3 way power (ac/6v adapter/batteries) but haven't figure out the 4th one.:headscrat But that isn't the reason. Look more.

 

[Sir.Byrd]

The record and battery meter are the same?

 

[ccheath]

Meter is still there. Just gotta reattach it. Look more.

 

[Sir.Byrd]

Auto shut off???

 

[kgl936]

"Stereo Cassette Recorder"

 

[markdi]

I have a 3 head mono superscope cassette recorder kinda
like the one pictured - some where.

 

[ccheath]

"Stereo Cassette Recorder"

That's correct. But before that I was checking it out to see if it was worth trouble buying by starting with the heads. I happen to notice a horizontal "slit" on the play head. It took a moment that it finally dawn on me that it is a STEREO head thinking what in the world it's doing in the [so-called] "MONO" player. Then I notice the words quoted by kgl936 above. Since I have "heard" of Superscope being made by Marantz but never saw any model in person. Seen plenty of Marantz but never Superscope.

At a glance, would you actually consider this a "Cassette Deck"? As in "Home Cassette Deck"? With all the "bells and whistles", it sure looks like one. Looks like just another "MONO" recorder with the features of the home cassette deck. See pics:

 

[ccheath]

I have a 3 head mono superscope cassette recorder kinda
like the one pictured - some where.

A 3-head "MONO"?? Who wanna go through all the trouble like that? I would be interested to see the pic of that. I hope you find it - some where.

 

[Sir.Byrd]

I don't understand...

 

[ccheath]

I don't understand...

If you notice in Post#9 1st pic, you will see the playback head with 2 magnetic pickups. Mono recorders have only 1 larger magnetic pickup. The 3rd pic shows it having a tape bias switch for Normal and CrO2 tapes and Balance slider. Next to that you'll notice it has a full blown 1/4" headphone jack. 4th pic would show it having a Stereo Deck Application jacks are all RCA jacks to connect directly to your stereo system to use it as a home cassette deck.

At a glance, it looks like an ordinary "MONO" recorder which I nearly passed. As a kid, I seen several recorders that look like this but all mono (very rare with stereo but never with deck application) with microphone w/remote and 1/8" earphone jacks along with "tone" and "volume" and that's pretty much it. I would have NEVER consider any of that design to be a portable recorder with a features of a home stereo deck. I find it pretty unique to my experience so I figure $5? What the hey?

 

[ianj]

ITT and Grundig offered similar here in the UK during the mid to late 1970s, so you could use it as a portable,or as a stereo cassette deck on the radiogram or recordplayer/radio unit................... plug it in for stereo recording/playback on the home unit audio.......nice.............

 

[kgl936]

ccheath,

Have you had a chance to try it out hooked up to a stereo yet? I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are about it used as a stereo cassette deck. Interesting find indeed!

 

[Dan ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ]

A 3-head "MONO"?? Who wanna go through all the trouble like that? I would be interested to see the pic of that. I hope you find it - some where.

Those were the workhorses of many news departments in radio and TV stations. Marantz/Superscope made several variations of them. Two and three head mono and three head stereo with Dolby and DBX. Most had XLR mic inputs too. They made quality recordings.

 

[markdi]

yes it was mono 3 head with tape/source switch.

It had a lighted record level meter

auto/manual record level control

+ - 20% speed control - modded to work in rec mode.

some sort of bandwith control switch.

dual counter rotating flywheels - etc

way over built.

I will see if I can find it.

if I remember right it needs a plastic bearing insert of some kind.

that stereo deck looks really neat - good find for 5 bucks.

 

[MrZero63]

Now that's interesting. I have heard of 3 way power (ac/6v adapter/batteries) but haven't figure out the 4th one.:headscrat But that isn't the reason. Look more.

I see it's stereo but I'm still stuck on figuring the fourth power...

Nice find BTW!

 

[markdi]

runs on plasma.

 

[ccheath]

ccheath,

Have you had a chance to try it out hooked up to a stereo yet? I'm curious to hear what your thoughts are about it used as a stereo cassette deck. Interesting find indeed!

No, I haven't hooked it up yet. The meter is busted inside so I don't want to power it up until I make sure it's not shorting into anything. I will have to check it out this weekend. I would be interested in how it sound too. :yes:

 

[ccheath]

Those were the workhorses of many news departments in radio and TV stations. Marantz/Superscope made several variations of them. Two and three head mono and three head stereo with Dolby and DBX. Most had XLR mic inputs too. They made quality recordings.

Since you brought that up, I started either imagining or remembering the newspeople using such device that looks like it years ago. I know they had some kind of bulky tape recorders back then with the microphone in their hands.