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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 17th Jan 2017, 1:52 pm   #1
SeanIsElectric
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Default Akai 4000 DS

Hello chaps

I'm new to this forum - but a regular forum reader, so know that this question may be a grating - as I'm sure that are a lot of variables. But I'll try to provide as much info as possible to help.

I've recently come into possession of an Akai 4000 DS reel to reel tape recorder. It powers on, seems to be working, forward reverse etc. Frequency needs dance etc etc. There are a couple of knobs missing off the front (spindles intact) but overall seems to me like its quite decent condition.

Can anyone give me some advice as to it's value? I've never had any vintage audio equipment before so am unsure where to start.

Any advice is very welcome. Thanks
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Old 17th Jan 2017, 3:34 pm   #2
julie_m
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Default Re: Akai 4000 DS

As a general rule, if you want to find the value of any piece of vintage electronic equipment, first find a telephone .....

And then look between the * and # keys.

There are a few well-known exceptions, but a Japanese single-motor tape deck with solid state electronics is not one of them.
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Old 17th Jan 2017, 4:08 pm   #3
dazzlevision
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Default Re: Akai 4000 DS

Hello,

If you use the Advanced Search option on Ebay, and select Sold items and UK only, you will get several results for Akai 4000DS.

They are a good domestic tape recorder, when in proper working order. At this stage in their life, they will invariably require some restoration/repair and some small cast metal items (cams) fitted in them can disintegrate. This should be borne in mind when estimating the value of an item.

Regards,

Dazzlevision

Last edited by dazzlevision; 17th Jan 2017 at 4:12 pm. Reason: Added text.
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Old 17th Jan 2017, 4:37 pm   #4
ms660
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Default Re: Akai 4000 DS

If bits are missing then generally it won't be worth a lot but a good functioning Akai, Sony etc reel to reel should fetch around £100 or maybe more, it all depends on the model, some single motor decks were very good for what they are, when I was across the pond I serviced hundreds of Sony reel to reels, mainly the Sony TC630 and TC366 decks, the customers wouldn't be without them back then.

Lawrence.
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Old 17th Jan 2017, 4:53 pm   #5
Grubhead
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Default Re: Akai 4000 DS

Quote:
Originally Posted by julie_m View Post
As a general rule, if you want to find the value of any piece of vintage electronic equipment, first find a telephone .....

And then look between the * and # keys.

There are a few well-known exceptions, but a Japanese single-motor tape deck with solid state electronics is not one of them.
All electronic equipment is worth something. Often there's gold or copper in it, so it's worth something even as scrap.

If you have even a faulty one it's worth something to someone, especially to somebody wanting to repair a precious piece of electronics and there are no parts for it.

I once made a mistake of giving away a lot of model railway stuff to a friend who was keen on doing a model layout. Most of it we thought was tack. A few years later he had given up and sold the stuff to his brother. But I passed by a local model shop, which dealt in second hand trains, to see some of my stuff, the tack, in the window with a decent price tag on it!
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Old 17th Jan 2017, 6:13 pm   #6
HamishBoxer
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Default Re: Akai 4000 DS

I would think £25 and that is what I will be after for mine shortly.All knobs present but no front cover or head cover.
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Old 19th Jan 2017, 4:07 pm   #7
ricard
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Default Re: Akai 4000 DS

Quote:
Originally Posted by Grubhead View Post
All electronic equipment is worth something. Often there's gold or copper in it, so it's worth something even as scrap.

If you have even a faulty one it's worth something to someone, especially to somebody wanting to repair a precious piece of electronics and there are no parts for it.
Sometimes the parts can be worth more than the recorder, straying away from the subject here, but a while ago I dismantled a couple of valved reel-to-reels that were beyond repair, and when sold the output and mains transformers fetched several times more than I'd paid for the machines (which admittedly wasn't that much). I'm not saying that it's always worth while to dismantle something in order to eek out the maximum value for it, rather that it's sometimes surprising what people can make use of and what they want to pay for it, if you're lucky.
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