[Vintage-Audio] Vintage Gear, Curbside Value?

Thu Feb 17 10:46:12 EST 2005

Michael, 	

If you get a well built set, such as the last forever Revox or the Teac A-5500
with three motors and so forth, they will be around for decades. There is little
to wear out on the well designed units. No cheap plastic gears, no capstands,
some belts (easy to get), no clutches (per say), good quality heads that will
outlast the owners!	

Now a medium range unit this is not true for. Many of them you can not get parts
for. However, I have spoken with professionals who repair these sets and they
have assured me they will be running when most of us are just memories! There
are companies who resurface the heads too.	

The Revox is almost built out of a solid piece of aluminum that was machined
down. Built like a Tank! The Teach A-5500 I have has three motors too,
mechanical switching pause is so good you can split a note with it.	

Get a good one Michael and you should be able to enjoy it for many years.n

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From: Salmons, Michael <SalmonsM at missouri.edu>
To: Vintage home and professional audio equipment from 1975 back
<vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net>
Subject: RE: [Vintage-Audio] Vintage Gear, Curbside Value?
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2005 9:57 AM

Duane,

to be honest, I'd love to play with any of the items you've mentioned. I think
your prices are fair, too. The only thing that keeps me from diving into the
reel to reels is the maintenance requirements and iffy future availability of
parts. That aside, I agree 100%. The most faithful recordings I've ever heard
were made by reel to reel equipment. I used to have a Tascam that was as
faithful to the original source as digital is "faithful," with none of the
drawbacks of digital. As for the Scott equipment, I have no doubts it is of top
quality. My favorite FM tuner at home is thirty years old, not the same vintage
as yours, but I've heard top-notch Fishers from that era and good tube tuners
deserve their reputation. I know there are buyers out there for your stuff. If
you'd like, email me off list and we can talk about putting some or all of it on
ebay, if you wish. I can give you some idea of what similar equipment has gone
for recently, maybe not what you'd want for these pieces, which is why I
hesitated to begin with, but if you don't mind crating it up and sending it off,
I'd be happy to serve as middleman. Let me know.

Michael

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From: vintage-audio-bounces at mailman.qth.net on behalf of Duane B. Fischer, W8DBF
Sent: Thu 2/17/2005 12:10 AM
To: vintage-audio at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [Vintage-Audio] Vintage Gear, Curbside Value?

Hi All,        

Well I have about given up on the notion of selling part of my high end, fully
restored, completely functional H.H. Scott, Revox and Teac gear. What is the
deal people? These will either out perform their modern counterparts or equal
them. They look good, sound fantastic and I am starting to think I would have
trouble giving them away! Hence the reference to "curbside value".     

What is the 'real' story here people? Do audio devotees not want anything but
the most current new fangled fad with enough bells and whistles to furnish fifty
thousand church steeples with bells and enough whistles to give every child in
America two? What about accurate reproduction of the frequencies within the
human hearing range and clean crisp notes that are true and sound like the
actual instrument? FM stereo with a steady and stable signal for stations fifty
to one hundred miles away with a minimal and modest antenna and little, if any,
of the various noises that now permeate reception and give the music an
artificial something, that is hard to explain with words, but you know it when
you hear it. Equipment that still produces a depth, warmth and ambient quality.

I put a lot of time, money and work into these excellent pieces of stereo gear,
now what becomes of them? Put them on the curbside with a sign that says "take
me home and love me?"  

I really wanted to find homes for this gear, as if my health takes a downward
turn, my family will probably dispose of this great equipment for yardsale
prices. I can not stand that thought.  

What does a person have to do to sell this gear at fair and reasonable prices?
Where do I find people who still appreciate quality and would be interested in
older stereo equipment?

Thank you for your candor, honesty and friendship.     

Duane Fischer, W8DBF   
dfischer at usol.com      

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