My original tape recorder was an AIWA TP703 which was a Christmas gift from "Santa Claus" in the early 1960's. It was a capstan drive machine with 1-7/8 and 3-3/4 speeds. It had the 3" reels. Several years later I passed that one on to my younger brother when I received a Panasonic RQ152S for that Christmas and it was a 5" reel machine.

My favorite of all favorite repair and restoration video's are 'reel to reel'.  I like them all, right down to these small rim drive units, that are amazingly 'cute', there I'll say it as a grown ass dude ahaha!  Looks like you have some nice Tascam units in the background there too, great variety of stuff you have going on here Baz, very enjoyable to watch.

Reel-to-reel tape decks are particularly interesting 🤔. My dad 👨 bought one, back in 1983!! I knew it wasn't cheap, with him mentioning the $800 price tag. Reel-to-reel tape decks still remain interesting, but, in today's age, a lot of these nifty machines, are suffering from out of tolerance capacitors. I don't know if you're reel-to-reel tape player is a tabletop unit (smaller than the traditional size reel-to-reel tape player), or if it is the traditional size one. I'll see it here, when ya get the box 📦 open. Whoever packaged this, REALLY wanted to make sure that it reaches ya intact. Happy trails 👣 on the restoration of this!! Your friend, Jeff!!

I wanted to see it run today! Oh well!

Brings back great memories for me here in the UK Baz. I remember my dad buying me a similar machine from a local second hand shop. It was spool driven, which considering I wanted to record music was pretty rubbish really. It lead on to me owning my first decent tape recorder which was a Baird, a common brand in the UK. It used the really common BSR tape mechanism and was fantastic compared to that first machine as it was capstan drive.

What a great little find. I don't normally like watching tape recorders but this is different. I sometimes wish I could go back to the good old days. If only I had kept my toys and things from the 50s and 60s. Looking forward to seeing you restore this one.

Please do a full length video of this in the near future!! This 👍 is just a quick walk-through (and your kind of demonstration), but I enjoy it, anyway. The reel-to-reel tape deck is similar to a record player (on the inside), in some ways. Never leave the machine in gear, because the capstan (shaft) will leave an indentation in the rubber wheel. The rubber wheels in this, might be fine, but Rubber Renue might save ya a rebuild on the rubber wheels (for awhile, anyway), in case the sound, during playback, is warbly. In other words, you'll save the $37 (if not more), rebuild on your rubber wheels. The above price also includes shipping 🚢 and handling. I know this by Radiotvphononut, sending his idler wheels away to be rebuilt (for his record players). That 👎 doesn't last forever, though. The Rubber Renue, however, will help ya further into the future, before your rubber wheels need to be rebuilt. Sorry 😞 about the long second comment, but it's the only way I know how to describe things, and it's like 👍 another "tab" to the first comment!! Again, your friend, Jeff!!

Hi Baz,
Remember those small 3" reel to reel tape recorder.  If memory serves, a four transistor jobbie, slight variations of case designs, and badged under various brands - but pretty much similar.  When one came into the service department for repair, they were given to any one of us apprentices, with a strict instruction not to spend more than thirty minutes on fault diagnoses and repair, after which, if unsuccessful, 'BER' (beyond economic repair), or 'RNR' (return not repaired) was to be written on the accompanying job card, handed into the office, which was later passed to one of the showroom salemen who would inform the customer, and encouraged them to replace with a new tape recorder (at a small discount).
My first tape recorder was the cassette type (for my 15th Bithday 1969) - a black plastic case Philips with one operating control ( forward and side to side - you likely remember that model?)
Like me, you are likely a 1954 model?  1965 for example, I became 11 during the last few days of that year.
Thanks for an interesting restoration/repair introduction.  Phil.

Totally with you on the childhood memories Baz. I picked up a mint Invicta Portable Model 30 transistor radio earlier this year identical to one owned by my grandfather which I was allowed, under very strict conditions, to listen to occasionally. Those radios were introduced just one year after the first transistor radios went on sale here in the UK so also a piece of history as well as a memory jogger for your truly. Enjoy.

Hi Baz.  You certainly value something more when you've worked for it. I'm sure you'll make a great job of this restoration.  As you say, it's a simple machine and has its limitations but it would have been a game changer at the time.  Being able to record your favourite songs off the radio was pretty special back then.  I have fond memories of my first tape recorder. I wish I could find an identical one now but I have bever seen one since.
Cheers

I was born four years after you and mine was a cassette recorder I recorded the audio of the Apollo eleven lift off I still have that tape it was Wednesday July 16 th 1969.

G'day Baz, a nice intro video!  Yes you are completely right about gun violence and indeed violence in contemporary society generally.  Although no one seems to want to admit this, the reality is that 'people' are the problem.  Yep.  Regards, Felix vk4fuq in Australia.

Cool Find !

Nice little tape recorder, Baz. I had a couple of tape recorders in my youth. I love recording music as well. You could listen to the songs that you liked and I would almost wear the oxide off the tape from playing them so often.
Thanks for the video.

Baz, I had one of those when I was at school.
I don't know where it came from, but it was a great introduction to recording.
I remember it had a little one and a half inch round microphone.
I also don't know where it went.
However later in life, (still at school) I purchased a more advanced reel to reel recorder.
It was a Toshiba GT-601V which I still have.
But because of its age I don't want to fire it up from fear of belts breaking up and going everywhere.
PS: Thats right, people kill people.
Regards, George.

Great little unit Bazz - you would have been the bees knees with that !! $29 quite a chunk of money back then - I thought I had it made when I bought my first transistor radio 😮 made my money back then with paper deliveries - cordial bottles - beer bottles and fixing my friends bikes 😂 great times mate we were so lucky 😃 cheers mate - Mark

I like that it has got 'High Fidelity' on the top label! I have something similar to this, but a different make, and mine is definitely not 'High Fidelity'!

Hi Baz.
I have one in far better condition. I also have the microphone. I haven’t done anything to it as it works perfectly well.
I don’t have the packaging though.
There was another model of this in Adelaide a few years ago, again mint with the box. It was something like $200, so I passed.
I too have about 40 tape recorders. Most are Sony units.
Good luck with the TOHO!

Nice little recorder! Is that a rim drive mechanism, though? I had to transcribe a tape recorded on a rim drive machine (played back on a capstan drive machine) and had to apply a constant varispeed to the recording to keep the pitch steady (Izotope RX for the win!)