Topic: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?

[ts]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

[kindms]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

i know rsc dropped 5 nak decks off at Juans. all with various issues a few weeks back

[nak700s]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

i know rsc dropped 5 nak decks off at Juans. all with various issues a few weeks back

So far, so good for my CR-7A from Juan.  It wasn't expensive and works well now.

[rigpimp]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

Please define expensive

i know rsc dropped 5 nak decks off at Juans. all with various issues a few weeks back

So far, so good for my CR-7A from Juan.  It wasn't expensive and works well now.

[nak700s]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

Please define expensive

i know rsc dropped 5 nak decks off at Juans. all with various issues a few weeks back

So far, so good for my CR-7A from Juan.  It wasn't expensive and works well now.

There was a $20 fee to look at and assess it which was applied to the work.  The total job cost me under $200.
Mine had a cassette stuck in it when it decided to stop functioning.  Nothing worked.  Lights would just blink, but nothing else.  Juan fixed it and replaced rubber that should be replaced when opening up a machine that's never had work done on it.  He saved my cassette (a Yes show). I'm happy with the results, and will be bringing him my CD player very soon.

[rocksuitcase]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

i know rsc dropped 5 nak decks off at Juans. all with various issues a few weeks back

Juan just called me with diagnoses. Of the five decks, three of them (2 CR5A's and one LX5) are only needing "normal" maintenance and will cost $150/each. (new idler wheels, belts, lubrication, cleaning)
One LX5 has an odd tape counter sensor issue (causing it to NOT playback), but he has a replacement sensor. $180 for that deck
The MR2 is still going to be $150 BUT has an odd issue in that the pitch control is broken and stuck at a low speed. He has to remove that sensor and "hard-wire" it so it only runs at one standard pitch. I agreed to that although this is actually a friends deck and he needs to final approve.
Overall, without getting them back and using them, the pricing and timeing of the experience so far is great. (dropped them SAT 3-23; all 5 diagnosed by 4-10)

[nak700s]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

i know rsc dropped 5 nak decks off at Juans. all with various issues a few weeks back

Juan just called me with diagnoses. Of the five decks, three of them (2 CR5A's and one LX5) are only needing "normal" maintenance and will cost $150/each. (new idler wheels, belts, cleaning)
One LX5 has an odd tape counter sensor issue (causing it to NOT playback), but he has a replacement sensor. $180 for that deck
The MR2 is still going to be $150 BUT has an odd issue in that the pitch control is broken and stuck at a low speed. He has to remove that sensor and "hard-wire" it so it only runs at one standard pitch. I agreed to that although this is actually a friends deck and he needs to final approve.
Overall, without getting them back and using them, the pricing and timeing of the experience so far is great. (dropped them SAT 3-23; all 5 diagnosed by 4-10)

Yay!  Glad it's working out well for you.  I'll be dropping off my CD player soon (Denon DCD 3300), and hoping it's nothing major.  When will you be back in the area to pick them up?  Maybe we can get together for a beer or some live music, depending on the day and time.

[rocksuitcase]

So for us east coasters we have:

Prodigital
ES Labs
Juan on Long Island

Looks like ES is very expensive. Plus I think I used them years ago and had to send my 5A back like 3 times. Unless there was another repair service in CT.

i know rsc dropped 5 nak decks off at Juans. all with various issues a few weeks back

Juan just called me with diagnoses. Of the five decks, three of them (2 CR5A's and one LX5) are only needing "normal" maintenance and will cost $150/each. (new idler wheels, belts, cleaning)
One LX5 has an odd tape counter sensor issue (causing it to NOT playback), but he has a replacement sensor. $180 for that deck
The MR2 is still going to be $150 BUT has an odd issue in that the pitch control is broken and stuck at a low speed. He has to remove that sensor and "hard-wire" it so it only runs at one standard pitch. I agreed to that although this is actually a friends deck and he needs to final approve.
Overall, without getting them back and using them, the pricing and timeing of the experience so far is great. (dropped them SAT 3-23; all 5 diagnosed by 4-10)

Yay!  Glad it's working out well for you.  I'll be dropping off my CD player soon (Denon DCD 3300), and hoping it's nothing major.  When will you be back in the area to pick them up?  Maybe we can get together for a beer or some live music, depending on the day and time.

Yes, and THANKS for the recommendation! Juan is super straightforward and can repair tube amps, oscillators and most electronics- old skool! We need to ask him if he can repair DAT decks. 
We shall keep in touch. either I will come down for a show or just to pickup the decks, OR kindms may grab the decks on my behalf depending. PM me/us and tell us how far away from Huntington Station you are?

[kindms]

i went with rocksuitcase to pick up 4 of 5 decks. still waiting on a hard to source part for 1 of the lx5s

but decks fired right up etc. im sure rocksuitcase will have a better follow up

he does not work on DAT machines

[rocksuitcase]

I have been needing to update this thread. Juan at Stereo repair world, first mentioned by Nak700's in this thread, IS very thorough and reliable, he claims to be repairing Nakamichi's and other high end cassette and reel to reels since the late 1970's. The only "con" is that he is not able to do any shipping or receive any decks other than in person. He told me he tried it with a few cassette decks and things would be not as he sent them once they were received.
So far Juan has repaired four decks I brought him. a CR5A which is mine, an LX-5 which belongs to kindms, an LX-5 which has been on permanent loan to me from Tim-roaulduke-, and an MR2 which belongs to my Denver former taping buddy (former as in no longer in the game).
He did several repairs of either parts or sensors which required more than general maintenance. On the MR2, it had a pitch control circuit which was stuck at a certain non 100% pitch, he took it out of the circuitry, maintained the rest of the pinch rollers, sealed lubricant parts and such and the deck is running great. each deck has had at least 20 tapes run through them since getting them back and are all four working as expected.
Of note- there is still one CR5-A which he cannot get to stop doing this odd behaviour of stopping then starting randomly but continuing the signal output so the stops and starts could be heard on the transfer. He claims to have tried several things and is waiting on part. I find this is not his fault after all, 40 year old legacy gear and he is not charging me for this analysis since I paid him for a maintenance on it.

If on East coast, especially New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut I would say the trip is worth it to repair these fine old machines. WOULD recommend to a friend! 

http://www.stereorepairworld.com/                         (631) 697 5850    Juan

[nak700s]

I have been needing to update this thread. Juan at Stereo repair world, first mentioned by Nak700's in this thread, IS very thorough and reliable, he claims to be repairing Nakamichi's and other high end cassette and reel to reels since the late 1970's. The only "con" is that he is not able to do any shipping or receive any decks other than in person. He told me he tried it with a few cassette decks and things would be not as he sent them once they were received.
So far Juan has repaired four decks I brought him. a CR5A which is mine, an LX-5 which belongs to kindms, an LX-5 which has been on permanent loan to me from Tim-roaulduke-, and an MR2 which belongs to my Denver former taping buddy (former as in no longer in the game).
He did several repairs of either parts or sensors which required more than general maintenance. On the MR2, it had a pitch control circuit which was stuck at a certain non 100% pitch, he took it out of the circuitry, maintained the rest of the pinch rollers, sealed lubricant parts and such and the deck is running great. each deck has had at least 20 tapes run through them since getting them back and are all four working as expected.
Of note- there is still one CR5-A which he cannot get to stop doing this odd behaviour of stopping then starting randomly but continuing the signal output so the stops and starts could be heard on the transfer. He claims to have tried several things and is waiting on part. I find this is not his fault after all, 40 year old legacy gear and he is not charging me for this analysis since I paid him for a maintenance on it.

If on East coast, especially New York, Long Island, New Jersey, Connecticut I would say the trip is worth it to repair these fine old machines. WOULD recommend to a friend! 

http://www.stereorepairworld.com/                         (631) 697 5850    Juan

I'm so glad he's been working out well for you, and hope anyone else who may have taken my recommendation also has the same experience.  As soon as I get a few more bucks together, I'll be bringing him my NAK RX-505 (doesn't flip the cassette) and a Denon DCD-3300.  The Nak CR-7A he repaired for me has been great since getting it back.

[nak700s]

i went with rocksuitcase to pick up 4 of 5 decks. still waiting on a hard to source part for 1 of the lx5s

but decks fired right up etc. im sure rocksuitcase will have a better follow up

he does not work on DAT machines

Try Pro Digital for DAT repairs. 

[DSatz]

I just sent email to Juan to see whether he's open for business under present conditions. By now all three of my Nakamichi decks are on the disabled list, and my Sony TCD-5M is putting out crackles along with the audio. So my onslaught of cassette transfers has ground to a sad halt and I feel without purpose, which is dangerous for me.

The simplest of the Nakamichi decks (the 480 that I listed very briefly in the Yard Sale a few days ago) and the Sony are now at a conventional repair shop in lower Manhattan. I think the odds are in their favor, but I'd definitely like to bring the Dragon and the 682 ZX to someone who particularly knows their way around those models.

--By the way, I spent a couple of hours just hanging out at the lower Manhattan shop. I'd forgotten how much bullshit gets slung in places like that, and how vulnerable the customers are.

[jerryfreak]

the guy in chicago that rebuilds decks and sells them on ebay sometimes is as solid as i’ve found. i’ll dig up contact info when i get home from vacation

[DSatz]

I got a brief "How can I help you?" text back from Juan just now, and am waiting/hoping to arrange to bring my two best decks to him ASAP.

[edited later to add: We're on for tomorrow.]

[edited even later to add: Tomorrow arrived as it so often does, and I brought him the 682 ZX. He seems like a straightforward human, which is rare as hen's teeth in this business. Also, he understood the main problem that the deck has, literally finishing my sentence for me as I began to describe the symptom; we're like an old married couple already.]

[edited soon after the above even-later edit, to add: It's difficult, perhaps impossible, to reach him by phone. He hates the phone; I understand that so well. But if you send him a text message, apparently he will eventually reply, possibly with longish gaps between messages. Also, keeping it brief seems to work best with him.]

--Pro Digital's Web site currently says that they're closed due to the pandemic. I didn't try to contact them via phone or email, though.