Lyrec TR 533 - 24 track 2" tape machine

[hallymusic]

Hi friends,
I have an opportunity to buy a LYREC TR 533 24 track machine. It was manufactured in 1986 and according to the seller is in great condition. before taking the 2 hour drive to go and check out the machine I wonder if any of our members have any info or experiences of this 2" multitrack machine. I know they were distributed in thto the USA by Neve and Lyrec are still in operation in denmark. Apparently parts are readily available. I live in Ireland and I am having trouble finding a tech who has any experience working on these machines.
Included with the machine are all the required looms, an unused 2" tape and remote. The seller is looking for €3000 but is flexible on the price. The heads are in great condition going by the photos he sent me.

Any help is much appreciated
regards
hally

[winky dinglehoffer]

lyrec.dk appears still to be around, offering both repairs and spare parts, so that's something. Other than that, I have nothing to offer.

[Scodiddly]

I don't know anything about these machines, but any old gear really needs to have a local tech available. Or even better, if you were able to do that work.

[kslight]

The best machine is the one you can get parts and service for. If it were me and I were seriously interested I would bring a tech with me to check it over first, and thoroughly research the parts situation so I knew exactly what I was getting into. Sometimes these old machines are not much better than a white elephant though.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

I have not much to offer on this specific machine either except to reenforce the advice about parts and service. It's great if parts are still available but that will likely come at a premium price. The nice thing about all those old MCI and Ampex machines is that there were tons and tons of them out there so scavenging parts isn't super tricky and most techs know them inside out.

[drumsound]

The only time I ever saw Lyrec machines was at a tech shop in the late90s or early 2000s. There were 2 and they were driving the techs (here in the southern US) crazy. They belonged to Mitch Easter, who loves oddball gear. I asked Mitch about them once and I don't think he ever had them going, they were ever missing for a while, but that's a whole different story.

You should be able to find a Studer somewhere near you that techs will know better.

Also, about the heads, photos can't give you a clear idea of head life. You can sometimes see if they are shot, but not much else. They need to be sent to an expert, and likely relapped. Its not super expensive if there's still enough material for a relap.