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Teac x2000r

R

rocoz50

New Member
I have the opportunity to purchase a TEAC X2000R brand new sealed in unopened box. He opened it for me to see and photograph. It was purchased in 1987 and has been stored in climate control since. Comes with new dust and remote with 2 original new reels. The price Is $2500. My concern is could there be any deterioration or anything broken just from being stored? Thanks in advance for your help.
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Just be aware that "NOS" usually does NOT mean "Good to go, right out of the box". Most of the rubber bits will need looking at, and any original lube has long since turned into a hard, waxy substance that will need to be cleaned and replaced.
That caveat observed, it IS a very nice deck !
Good luck !
 
MaxxVolume said:
Just be aware that "NOS" usually does NOT mean "Good to go, right out of the box". Most of the rubber bits will need looking at, and any original lube has long since turned into a hard, waxy substance that will need to be cleaned and replaced.
That caveat observed, it IS a very nice deck !
Good luck !
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Thanks is that something I could do?
 
eddisc said:
'We' don't know anything about your skills or 'shop' set-up. How would we begin to guess if it's in your wheelhouse?
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Thanks. By your statement. It is clear I don't have the skills. Lol. I guess I will take it to get serviced before I run it. I don't want to damage anything by running it with the dry lube as you stated. It has been in the box for 37 years. Thank you for the info. I appreciate it.
 
The bad-

Lack of use causes many troubles:

Rubber deteriorates faster than if used. Lube breaks down and become more like glue. Capacitors may not respond well to a sudden inrush when turned on after 37 years.

The good-

Mechanical wear should be zero-heads, guides, bearings, etc.

No poorly completed prior repairs

No accumulated gunk, smoke, dust

Good luck -it's a very cool machine. It should not take a lot of work to get it back in reliable condition.
 
rocoz50 said:
Thanks. By your statement. It is clear I don't have the skills. Lol. I guess I will take it to get serviced before I run it.
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It may not be easy to find someone locally. However, avoid shipping it out if possible, and if it isn't, you'll need to take extreme care when boxing it up (double boxing is a minimum). There is information out there on how to do it right, and on what happens if you don't.

Technicians who specialize in open reel are fairly rare, and some of the well known people may take months (or longer) before they can get the machine back to you. There are also some prickly personalities among them, so get an idea of who you're dealing with before you commit.

If you're new to open reel tape, it would be a good idea to join Tapeheads. I would recommend downloading a copy of the service manual, even if you don't intend to open the machine yourself. You should be able to get the manual free from HiFi Engine.
 
Where are you located as this may help in locating someone who can service it properly for you:)
 
The belts will have disintegrated and possibly the pinch rollers too. If they haven’t then undoubtedly, they’ve been changed so beware. Everything else should be fine. Some will tell you to recap it; don’t.
 
I own two (2) Teac X-1000RB reel to reels, both in good working condition.

OK, so yes it "appears to be NOS"....but still as fellow forum member MaxxVolume has correctly stated, just because it appears and smells, etc. NOS does not guarantee automatic plug n play status.

Though if truly NOS status then cosmetically it appears to be in fine, mint shape and of course probably one of the most important aspects of the entire tape deck itself are the heads. If indeed NOS then they would be in excellent condition and of course the entire tape deck is very well worth having checked out, serviced, etc. and money put into it to bring it back to tip top playing condition, IMHO.

Now with that being said, as for it's asking price along with what it comes with.......well to me $2500 is just not worth paying for. I would definitely negotiate the price but again, that's just me.

Good Luck on your decision.
 
R-2-R said:
Now with that being said, as for it's asking price along with what it comes with.......well to me $2500 is just not worth paying for.
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I also think that's steep for a machine that the seller is passing along without even knowing or checking what might be wrong with it. But I assume a buyer paying that asking price, also buying blind as it were, must have sufficiently deep pockets.

Either way, as with most newly acquired tape decks, it's going to run up some bills in service and maintenance (usually hundreds of dollars), and feeding it with tape is also expensive. The medium has a lot to offer, but is the opposite of fuss free. And it's essentially a dead format, which adds to cost and difficulty, unfortunately.
 
I picked up an even older Teac A series and was surprised at what little attention it needed to get it going. Not NOS like OP's X2000, but apparently not far off. The guy I bought it from said he had used it only a couple times, at first I think umm OK. But when he says I have a few tapes I will include and they are all unopened/still wrapped in original cellophane story is no longer so unbelievable. A glance at the heads further supports the claim, pristine condition. OK I'm sold.

On getting it home open it up and no issue with belts despite nearly 50 years storage. Pots were stiff but a drop of oil in each immediately took care of that and the 2T/4T selector switch was wonky but a touch of contact cleaner cleared that up. I did not have to dismantle anything. That was a couple years ago and enjoying it (greatly) ever since. Still amazes me as other vintage gear I've picked up (old TT's etc) all needed caps etc but not the Teac R2R. Talk about well engineered.

Storage conditions are a major factor I think. This one was also well stowed. All bets off when it comes to barn finds.
 
Just another small addendum, re: price:
That asking price is most definitely at the very top of the range, even for a legit NOS unit, and would be reserved for absolutely mint units, both cosmetically and functionally. This deck is being sold in "UNTESTED" condition, a category that is normally considered "For Repair Or Parts", i.e., commanding a somewhat lower price.
You might want to interject this fact into your conversation with the seller, in attempting to negotiate a lower price.
Good luck !
 
I got an X10R which had been used for one recording session and one family wedding. It was then packed away til I bought it two years ago. Of course it needed new belts and a full service, but there were zero cap defects.
 
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