[ARSCLIST] Cassette players

["McLane, Alexander" <amclane@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello list,

We have in our archive 2 Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1's and an MR-1, and of the 3 only one of the former is now functioning. They've had an enormous amount of use, we haven't kept up with regular maintenance, and we are now suffering for it. The estimate to replace the playback head and capstan drive motor assembly on the MR-1 alone is slightly under $2000.

Anticipating that we have many cassettes down the road that need preserving, and that all we will ever need on a cassette player is playback, we're looking for advice:

1. Is there anything being sold today (new) that costs considerably less than this, and can make reliable archival-quality transfers?

2. Is the high cost of repairs on these legendary recorders partly due to the fact that they were designed as much more complicated machines, with record and playback capabilities at variable speeds, when now we need playback only, at a single speed?

3. Have we perhaps reached the point where it would be more cost effective to trust the maintenance of equipment like this to professionals and outsource transfers like this?

Any and all advice welcome. Thanks.

Alec McLane

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alec McLane
Scores & Recordings/
 World Music Archives       Phone: (860) 685-3899
Olin Library                       Fax: (860) 685-2661
Wesleyan University          mailto:amclane@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Middletown, CT  06459       http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/srhome/srdir.htm