• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Where to buy DECENT Nakamichi pressure rollers

G

gnexus

Active Member
I have a friend here locally who made the very bad novice repair mistake of replacing the original Nakamichi pressure rollers (which usually are NEVER bad) with some new Van Hurban pressure rollers. The Van Hurban rollers are total junk and are not even round! The deck now has intolerable W&F.

Where can decent Nakamichi pressure rollers for a classic transport (not Dragon which are different) be obtained without buying a parts deck?

He can't get them restored because he no longer has the originals (which were probably ok).

Any ideas or possibilities?
 
Register to hide this ad
Thanks!
But does anyone have any actual experience with their rollers?

Both this company and Van Hurban are in EU. I'd think they probably don't make their own rollers. So I'd think they probably both get them from a source in China. That source is possibly the same. But who knows... Also would need correct sizing.

But NOTHING could possibly be worse than the Van Hurban pinch rollers! I could find a deck that's been in the trash for years with better rollers!
 
There's a user called "DanKik" on TH who said he bought from them for a Nakamichi 500. He didn't mention quality. So guess that they were okay...

dankik:
was that you?
 
Even just "tolerable" quality would probably be fine. My friend is not an audiophile. He just wants the sound to be tolerable. ;)
 
Would need to pull apart the transport to get dimensions. Then would have a pile of parts until the rollers arrive... So does anyone know the Nak classic transport pinch roller dimensions?
 
Yes, I had ordered a pinch roller for my Nakamichi 500 4 years ago from fixyouraudio.com.
It was a very nice pinch roller and it fit the 500 perfectly. The only difference was that the original had a brass hub while his replacement that I ordered was white nylon/plastic. The price was good.
You can send Marian Mihok a message if you have questions, he did answer quickly. (I assume that he is still in business.)
He is in Slovakia so there was a shipping cost, but less than some US shippers would charge.
Here is the invoice that he sent me.
1789529328923.png
 
Found the correct pinch roller dimensions on TH.
These should be the correct rollers for Nakamichi classic transports:

fixyouraudio.com

pinch roller 11 x 7 x 2 mm Pinch roller 11 x 7 x 2 mm for cassette players - FixYourAudio

Buy Pinch roller 11 x 7 x 2 mm for cassette players to be able to fix your cassette player. All for the best possible price and fair shipping cost.
fixyouraudio.com fixyouraudio.com

Don't think I'd use them for my own decks because original Nakamichi is always better. But think my friend should be happy enough with them considering the above comments. Certainly they should be better than his existing situation...

But then I also need to get an M-300 gauge (and make my friend pay for it!) because that transport has the later difficult to adjust brass retainers and my friend said he aligned the tape guides like so:

"I was using just triangle stretch wood inserts for artist canvas to approximately align heads"

He also had masking tape and neon zip ties holding the wires together!

I wonder just how many nice old Naks have already been destroyed by crappy Van Hurban parts and bad repair techniques?
 
Both this company and Van Hurban are in EU. I'd think they probably don't make their own rollers. So I'd think they probably both get them from a source in China. That source is possibly the same.
Click to expand...

Marian Mihok of FYA started this years ago out of passion, investigated rollers (mainly for walkmen IIRC), engineered solutions (whether in-house or out-sourced I don't know nor care, he did his homework!). Expanded to full decks and some other parts. FYA is not a generic parts outfit.
 
I have had good luck with pinch rollers from Marian at FixYou Audio. I have only put one in a Nakamichi and it was fine, I don't remeber specifically which Nak it was except that it was an entry level Nak, probably a BX-1, BX-100 or CR1.
 
WernerO said:
Marian Mihok of FYA started this years ago out of passion, investigated rollers (mainly for walkmen IIRC), engineered solutions (whether in-house or out-sourced I don't know nor care, he did his homework!). Expanded to full decks and some other parts. FYA is not a generic parts outfit.
Click to expand...
Thanks very much for the additional information!

I probably shouldn't have been speculating because admittedly I know nothing about them. That's why I was asking.

But after seeing the Van Hurban rollers I'm now EVEN MORE skeptical about aftermarket pinch rollers than I was previously! This is a HUGE seller of belts and pinch rollers on eBay for many different decks and their products are absolute TRASH! The pinch rollers were so far out of round that if they were tires on a car then it would be bouncing 2 feet in the air for every rotation of the tire! The capstan belt was nearly double the width and thickness of a stock Nakamichi belt! That alone would make the W&F intolerable!

Then there's another eBay seller of Nakamichi pinch rollers made of clear urethane. Those rollers are reported to rapidly degrade and leave residue on tapes. Thus ruining all your tapes!

I'm doing this project as a favor to a friend after learning how to work on my own 480 & 580. But should have NEVER taken it on because I absolutely HATE fixing other's fcked up work! :(
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom