Uploaded December 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Akai GX-4000D reel to reel and Pioneer SX-980 receiver. Both late 1970s.
The Akai reel to reel is a sleeper in my opinion - it has the glass tape heads, great bias for most tape stock, and good sound quality. Based on what I have seen, for the most part, seem to simply work as-is if taken care of. And these can be found quite inexpensively on eBay if you wait. And this is a three head deck, which to me is one of the most important features in any tape recorder. (you can listen to your recordings in real time with about a quarter second delay and make adjustments as needed).
The one disqualifier might be the screw and adapter sleeve on the capstain to change tape speeds. Other than that it has most of the features that you need to get the job done.
Under the hood of the Akai, there are two rubber rollers - I applied rubber restore many a years ago and about every couple years thereafter. and also the pinch roller.Finally, it has one main belt inside that is easy to replace but mine is good. None of the the rubber is the type that cracks or gets gummy, at least as of 2023 under reasonable conditions. I picked this up at the Salvation Army in Aurora Illinois about 22 years ago for $20.
This Pioneer SX-980 needs a tone circuit recap, it generally works well, but takes about 45 minutes to start sounding really good. It’s quite muddy when first powered on. I picked this receiver up a couple months ago on Facebook Marketplace for what I would consider a very good price, and eventually will get around to recapping parts of it. I love Pioneers, but they all need capacitor and preamp transistor work at one time or another.

There’s not much left of 2023, I’m ready to see it go and bring on some new adventures in this crazy world.
Have a great rest of your week everyone !
Akai GX-4000D reel to reel and Pioneer SX-980 receiver. Both late 1970s.
The Akai reel to reel is a sleeper in my opinion - it has the glass tape heads, great bias for most tape stock, and good sound quality. Based on what I have seen, for the most part, seem to simply work as-is if taken care of. And these can be found quite inexpensively on eBay if you wait. And this is a three head deck, which to me is one of the most important features in any tape recorder. (you can listen to your recordings in real time with about a quarter second delay and make adjustments as needed).
The one disqualifier might be the screw and adapter sleeve on the capstain to change tape speeds. Other than that it has most of the features that you need to get the job done.
Under the hood of the Akai, there are two rubber rollers - I applied rubber restore many a years ago and about every couple years thereafter. and also the pinch roller.Finally, it has one main belt inside that is easy to replace but mine is good. None of the the rubber is the type that cracks or gets gummy, at least as of 2023 under reasonable conditions. I picked this up at the Salvation Army in Aurora Illinois about 22 years ago for $20.
This Pioneer SX-980 needs a tone circuit recap, it generally works well, but takes about 45 minutes to start sounding really good. It’s quite muddy when first powered on. I picked this receiver up a couple months ago on Facebook Marketplace for what I would consider a very good price, and eventually will get around to recapping parts of it. I love Pioneers, but they all need capacitor and preamp transistor work at one time or another.

There’s not much left of 2023, I’m ready to see it go and bring on some new adventures in this crazy world.
Have a great rest of your week everyone !
