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Author Topic: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?  (Read 56130 times)

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Offline nak700s

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #15 on: August 02, 2018, 06:47:54 PM »


I cleverly waited 30 years to start worrying about digitizing my (hundreds of ) cassette masters until a couple of years ago. I discovered my D10 Pro's transport was dead and my Sony home died shortly thereafter. I'm telling you this because it lead me on a search for a decent deck and I was amazed at how hard it was to find good decks, especially without paying a fortune. I talked to ESL (I think it was ESL) and CR7a's were like $1750+ (Dragons were like $3500). I'm not surprised at all that these guys are charging a lot for service or that they have such long wait times. I finally found a a DR-1 for a somewhat reasonable cost.

There is a group on FB - with a lot of people obsessed with Cassette Decks -  and it's a great resource for help repairing decks...

I'll look into the facebook group, it's always good to have more recourses.  I have other cassette decks too, but the Naks are by far the better ones.  After all, they made the best decks ever!  I think I have 2 TEAC's (which are pretty good) and a Sony (which is basically commercial crap).  My 2 D5's still play, but (and this is the messed up part) one won't fast forward and the other won't rewind.  I also have a D6 that works fine.  My M10 (DAT) also works well, but I have a Panasonic SV-3700 to play back DATs.  I need to have my Nak CR7A repaired, and the show that's stuck inside removed safely.  It's a Yes show that came out great (I put it in there to transfer, but it jammed and that's when the deck went down).
The CR-2A that I recently received was from a friend that's moving, and felt she doesn't need it anymore.  She brought it over for me to check out, so I cleaned it up and played a couple cassettes...now, it seems to be mine (yay!).
Normal: Nakamichi CM-700's >> SD 744T (or) Sony PCM-M10
Normal: Crown CM-700's >> SD 302 >> SD 744T
Fun times: 3 Crown CM-700's >> SD 302 >> SD744T + 2 Nakamichi CM-700's >> SD744T
Stealth: CA-14c >> CA 9200 >> Edirol R-09HR
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Offline ts

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #16 on: August 02, 2018, 08:35:16 PM »
My DR-1 is folding tape - I am pretty sure the belts are shot - would that alone cause this?  I have been seeing costs of at least $500 to perform service on Nak's and this is well beyond what I can afford.


I have repaired a number of DAT decks myself so I can get pretty hands on - how hard is it to repair a Nak deck such as the DR-1?

Folding tape. Is that proper terminology for munching and eating? My CR-5A is eating tape again. So tired of fixing this thing. I would consider putting it to rest, but an old friend has asked me to transfer 300+ tapes.
« Last Edit: August 03, 2018, 08:45:43 AM by ts »

Offline jazzunit

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #17 on: August 02, 2018, 08:52:34 PM »
You might want to look at this facility if you're on the east coast:

https://www.eslabs.com/nakamichi.htm

Offline nak700s

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #18 on: August 03, 2018, 04:58:52 PM »
You might want to look at this facility if you're on the east coast:

https://www.eslabs.com/nakamichi.htm

I looked into them a couple years ago.  If my memory serves me correctly, they were very expensive.  Very. Expensive.
Please, let me know if you have a different experience.
Normal: Nakamichi CM-700's >> SD 744T (or) Sony PCM-M10
Normal: Crown CM-700's >> SD 302 >> SD 744T
Fun times: 3 Crown CM-700's >> SD 302 >> SD744T + 2 Nakamichi CM-700's >> SD744T
Stealth: CA-14c >> CA 9200 >> Edirol R-09HR
Ultra stealth: AudioReality >> AudioReality battery box >> Edirol R-09HR
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Offline rigpimp

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #19 on: August 03, 2018, 05:14:43 PM »
You might want to look at this facility if you're on the east coast:

https://www.eslabs.com/nakamichi.htm

I looked into them a couple years ago.  If my memory serves me correctly, they were very expensive.  Very. Expensive.
Please, let me know if you have a different experience.

As I had mentioned on page #1 of this thread Jeff (ESLabs) wanted carte blanche and a CC# to do as he pleased which included the cost of re-lapping the heads if he felt it was warranted.  These guys don't hold back for a reason.  They put their name behind their work.

On a more recent note I reached out to him to buy a couple of idlers tires to include when I sold my Will-tuned CR-5A to rocksuitcase and he never returned my emails or phone calls.
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Offline DSatz

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #20 on: August 03, 2018, 05:57:00 PM »
I wrote to "eslabs" about repairing my Dragon, and was told in reply, "We do service all Dragons if the serial number is over 8000."

So my story continues to develop at the expected rate of 1-7/8 ips ...

--best regards
music > microphones > a recorder of some sort

Offline H₂O

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #21 on: August 03, 2018, 05:57:29 PM »
Thanks for the input - my folding issue occurred after the deck was in close proximity to an oil furnace - on two of my DAT decks I had to replace pinch rollers in the same cabinet after I moved all of this gear out of that cabinet


The Nak rollers looked ok but probably could be replaced
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Offline Popmarter

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #22 on: August 12, 2018, 03:19:38 AM »
there is a FB group for Nakamichi stuff, try your luck there. You can also send me a PM. One of the last professional Nakamichi goeroes in The Netherlands is a personal friend, I can ask him. He is maintaining my Dragon and CR-7 aswell.

If you just want the tapes transferred, I can help you out. I am working on the idea of offering a transfer service for ts.com members. Current recorder is a Tascam da-3000.

I know from my friend the Dragon is a very complicated unit. With special equipment you can check if the tapeheads are still ok. If not, you are screwed, as there are no longer replacements. For that reason the CR7 is a better investment, this unit has regular heads.
« Last Edit: August 12, 2018, 02:18:58 PM by Popmarter »
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Offline Popmarter

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #23 on: August 12, 2018, 02:24:53 PM »
Add to the previous post, I checked with my contact.

Naks ZX7 or 9 he also recommends for transfers (next to CR7). He, like Willy Herman, prefers to do a total overhaul of these machine. Reason is they are old and lot of things go wrong in the end. Overhaul means things like replacing capcitors and adjusting headplacement (which can only be done with rare gauges.) Yes, lot of money but worth it if you ask me.
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Microphones: Schoeps MK41; Nevaton MC59/S (cards); Milab VM-44 Links (cards), AT853 7.4mod (cards); AT831 (cards); Nakamichi CM300 (all CP's); Soundman OKM II Rock Studios
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Offline DSatz

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #24 on: August 29, 2018, 11:55:54 AM »
Latest update: I've had a couple of leisurely email exchanges with Jeff Galin at Electronic Service Labs in Connecticut. Apparently there were three or more "generations" of Dragon transports, and going strictly by its serial number, my deck isn't one of the more recent versions that they typically work on (or perhaps, that they can work on at all--I don't know).

However, my deck was repaired rather extensively by Nakamichi back when they still serviced such things. Did they update the transport in the process? I can't determine that on my own; the diagnostic question that Jeff asked was, "Can you measure the diameter of the right capstan, accurately? It's between 2.4 & 2.8 mm." Unfortunately I can't do that.

So (since I live in NYC) I mused about getting onto a train and bringing the deck to him to look at. His reply was, "If you want to come, please make an appointment." But also: "Although a Dragon overhaul could cost $2475 to $2975, this is assuming that it has at least a 2nd generation transport."

That's a rather dismal state of affairs in my opinion. Not entirely surprising, but certainly not what I was hoping to hear.

P.S.: I just wrote to "Pro Digital Inc." ... just three hours away via Amtrak ...
« Last Edit: August 29, 2018, 12:08:02 PM by DSatz »
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Offline MakersMarc

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #25 on: August 29, 2018, 12:10:09 PM »
Had a 670z and lx3 still miss them. Sold them and got rid of 3000 hours of GD on cassette to move to DAT.  :facepalm:
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Offline dynamicalories

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #26 on: August 29, 2018, 12:42:38 PM »
These prices are so crazy. I bought my CR-2A sometime in the early 00's off Craigslist for $35. No one wanted them then.

Offline rigpimp

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #27 on: August 29, 2018, 12:49:04 PM »
These prices are so crazy. I bought my CR-2A sometime in the early 00's off Craigslist for $35. No one wanted them then.

It may be that the CR-2A is not that sought after.  It is not a three head deck.
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Offline goodcooker

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #28 on: August 29, 2018, 01:07:21 PM »

I gave my very used and attention needing CR5a to Kris (larrysellers) last year for free since I couldn't repair it myself and locally no one would even look at it. He said that Nicky should be able to give it some attention so I sent it on out to him.
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Offline dynamicalories

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Re: Who repairs Nakamichi cassette decks nowadays?
« Reply #29 on: August 29, 2018, 02:27:33 PM »
These prices are so crazy. I bought my CR-2A sometime in the early 00's off Craigslist for $35. No one wanted them then.

It may be that the CR-2A is not that sought after.  It is not a three head deck.

Ah, gotcha.

 

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