teac series 70 1" 8 track : questions!

[moogrock]

so -- does anybody know anything the teac series 70 1-inch 8 track?
found one -- thinking about picking it up -- but i know little about them and cant find much on the ol internet about them...

basically i just want to know if anyboyd has had any good experiences with one.. etc etc...

thanks.

[moogplayer]

hey moogrock - this is moogplayer

similar names, similar tastes

I have a Tascam Series 70 8-track. Vintage 1972/3. They are 1/2" not 1". Tascam didn't make a 1" machine until the 16-track 90-16 was unveiled in 1977.

I use the machine as my main recorder. I also have a model 70 1/2" 4-track machine that I use for parts. It is a labor of love, and not the easiest machine to use, but I like the sound of the 70, and prefer it over the TSR8 and 38. Parts are out there but a bit difficult to find. I think it's based on the Teac 7300 motor. Make sure it has the reel hubs that accept the 10 1/2" reels as they're no longer made. The machine is near impossible to bias without the extender card so I'd put up a reel of 456 and pray that it's close. Mine was, and I haven't touched any bias controls. I had a local guy go through it and it's operating tip-top at the moment. I'd say the sound is a little soft, which I like personally. The machine records at 7.5 or 15ips. Stick with 15ips if you want that big sound. I just put up some mp3s made with this machine:

www.purevolume.com/bipolarbear

also a photo of the 70 in my studio:

www.airport71.4t.com

best of luck. If you get extra parts that you don't want let me know!

[moogrock]

bizzzzzarely simmmmmiliar tastes in fact.

im droooling over your console.. its exactly what im TRYING to find.. something simple small and discrete!

i think im gonna pick up this series 70 -- i haent seen it in person -- but i found it -- and the guy is askin 400 -- im a lil scared abotu maintance... but i think its posssibly my best deal on a 8t...

yeah!

[chemicalpink]

so did you figure out if its a 1" or 1/2"? 8 or 16 trk? I have worked on the
90-16 and it is pretty cool, although parts are very hard to find, but the
price is right! and they are built well.

[moogrock]

its def 8 track.
the guy claimed it was 1" -- but if they didnt make a 1" untill the 90-16 then it cant be 1"... which is somewhat upsetting.. i was kinda stoaked about 8t 1" -- but alas...

i think 400 for the machine is worth it.. but im sure ill haf'ta maintain it -- but i think its a better sounding machine than the TSR 8 or 38... or so i hope!

im trying to make my final descision.
i have been on the hunt for a machien for awhile now...

[moogplayer]

Yeah 1" 8-track would be the bomb, but I'm 99% sure Tascam never built a machine to use that format. I have the manual and schematics for all Series 70 machines and they were either 1/4" or 1/2". Their argument at the time was to save on tape costs and, of course, record at home. Their Model 10 Console debuted at the same time and was a moderate success, even though it sucked so bad.

That's cool you're into the same stuff. My console is cool but it's far from small and it swallows up 1/3 of my room. And I had to buy bump boxes to interface the Tascam with the console at a +4db level.

I think $400 is worth it. Hell, to owners like me $400 is worth it for the parts alone. There's not many brave folks using the model 70 on a regular basis. Still, the machine is lot more reliable than my previous machine (Scully 1" 280-8). Get it, get it, get it!

[moogrock]

okay so maybe small wasnt the right phrase.
but yeah... im on the hunt for a board like that.
something discrete and only 8/16 chan

i think i am gonna get the 70.
im getting more pics and such.

werd

[moogrock]

one last question:
moogplayer -- what are the ins and outs on the back of the machine? 1/4"/ XLR/etc?

[moogplayer]

It depends. RCA -10db connections were standard but some were fitted with XLR balanced connections. I'm not near my manuals but if memory serves the 501/503 electronics are XLR and 701/703 electronics are RCA. I have never come across a machine with the XLR option, so I would consider those to be quite rare.

[moogrock]

so its def the 1/2 -- i talked to the guy some more...

moogrocker -- you said setting the bias could be weird?
im a little worried about that -- since its goign to have to be shipped -- about having to adjust the bias after it gets to me...

and does anybody out there have a manual or any other documentation?

im getting pretttty damn stoaked about this machine.

[chemicalpink]

well it should be a 3 head machine, so bias should'nt be a big deal
just use ampex/quantegy 456 or basf/emtec 911. call me i'll walk
you thru it.

[Mark]

hey moogrock - this is moogplayer

similar names, similar tastes

I have a Tascam Series 70 8-track. Vintage 1972/3. They are 1/2" not 1". Tascam didn't make a 1" machine until the 16-track 90-16 was unveiled in 1977.

I use the machine as my main recorder. I also have a model 70 1/2" 4-track machine that I use for parts. It is a labor of love, and not the easiest machine to use, but I like the sound of the 70, and prefer it over the TSR8 and 38. Parts are out there but a bit difficult to find. I think it's based on the Teac 7300 motor. Make sure it has the reel hubs that accept the 10 1/2" reels as they're no longer made. The machine is near impossible to bias without the extender card so I'd put up a reel of 456 and pray that it's close. Mine was, and I haven't touched any bias controls. I had a local guy go through it and it's operating tip-top at the moment. I'd say the sound is a little soft, which I like personally. The machine records at 7.5 or 15ips. Stick with 15ips if you want that big sound. I just put up some mp3s made with this machine:

www.purevolume.com/bipolarbear

also a photo of the 70 in my studio:

www.airport71.4t.com

best of luck. If you get extra parts that you don't want let me know!

Hey Moogplayer

Those songs rock

I love the drum sounds and the clarity you got out of a thirty year old 1/2" eight track.

[moogplayer]

Thanks Mark - that console really helps! Gotta keep that vintage flag waving

moogrock - did you get the machine? About bias, yes it's 3-head and it can be biased. Just tough to get at the controls. It's unlike any machine I've ever used.