reel to reel help


A friend of mine wants to buy a reel to reel tape recorder. I know nothing about them. Can anyone suggest decent makes and models. I'm not sure what his budget is but probably in the $200-$500 range. And is there anything in particular he should be looking for? Features, options, etc. thanks-matt
mattman
For r-t-r beginners, this site may be useful:

http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/vintagetx/

The guy who maintains it, Rolf, is knowledgable and quite friendly.
Hi - To make an informed recommendation, ask him if he plans to play back prerecorded tapes or tape his own music? Makes a big difference. To simply play back prerecorded tapes, a good Teac will do just fine. If you're recording, a Revox would be great, the sound is far superior to a lesser deck. But there are questions like: 2-track? 4-track? What speeds does he need? What size tape reels - 7 inch? 10 1/2 inch? Reel-to-reels are a lot of fun, but there are many, many different types. Feel free to e-mail me directly, I've owned lots of RTR decks, and will try to help as best I can.
Good Luck, Ed