Re: Another 4-Track update (she's nearly done)
2009-11-15 by lsf5275@aol.com
I finally got to hear the 4-Track. I finished the major work about an hour
ago. Now all I have to do is minor adjustments on 4 playback heads and to adjust
the SMS-3 and fine-tune the motor. It really should have a new motor, but that
is not my decision. I also have to clean the line out and swell pedal sockets;
they're a little dicey. I also think I am going to have to glue some, if not all
of the pinch rollers to the hubs.
It sounds fantastic... and a bit different than a M-400. The keyboard now
feels great. The action is pretty fast and very light.
Here are some photos with comments. I will eventually upload them to the
Yahoo site. If you right-click and save these photos you can see a lot more
detail.
This was a mistake. I
should have done them one pad, one key at a time as I do on 400s. I
could have saved some time in
fine-tuning.
Finished keyboard. The
keys look uneven along the front, but they're not. It's just my
shitty camera.
As you can see, the
4-Track keyboard is deeper than the M-400
keyboard.
Crappy old tapes.
Poorly installed and completely
shot.
The old tapes. For
some reason there was an extra tape guide on the frame. All of them
were binding and with the tapes being too long, they wouldn't return
when the key was released.
I
took one out and inserted a spacer, then realigned them all to spin
properly. With 1/4 inch tape you need to keep friction to a
minimum.
I
saved the old tapes and put them on a spool. The owner may want them
as a reminder of what fucked up tapes look
like.
Nice new
tapes.
This rig makes
installing them a snap. It took less than an
hour.
Here is one of the
preamps.
I
finally found the serial number. Sure enough, it is #
1
Here everything is all
tucked in. I fixed up the cabinet a
bit.
Ready to
play.
Taking the 4-Track for
a test drive. It's the one in the center for those not paying
attention.
Still quite a bit of
work to be done, but I'm close. It should be ready for pick up in a
couple of days.
Sunday is for
football.