Reel to Reel

If you buy a fully rebuilt deck, calibrated  and specs documented from an expert tech, you should be plug and play, just need tapes.  But vintage prerecorded tapes often have the shedding problem due to age deterioration.

Buying used decks from amatuers or resellers is a low probability of satisfaction in sound quality and reliability.  I cannot recommend that route unless you are a tech and will be restoring the deck, or you just want to mess around with one for curiousity and won't be disappointed if they sound not so great.

My best experience buying used was a Pioneer 909.  But that was decades ago.  Just recently before I sold it I made a test dub from hi res TIDAL source and when monitoring during recording between source and recorded signal I could not hear a difference.

None of my three currently owned consumer level vinate Sony's are anywhere near that good sounding.

ltmandella

"But vintage prerecorded tapes often have the shedding problem due to age deterioration."

I suspect you are referring to home-made pre-recorded, on tape formulations that sadly shed. Definitely a problem to be aware of and avoid. Buying old stock, be aware:

sticky shed syndrome

......................................

I refer to pre-recorded commercial releases from the majors: CBS, RCA, London, Capital, Decca, Reprise ......

Not a single one of my 7" pre-recorded reels (around 500 of them) from these various makers has ever shed. Surprisingly, bleed thru is extremely rare.

I inherited some opera tapes from my uncle that he had home-recorded, on ..... blank tape. Those sadly had some bleed-thru. They also had become more brittle than the commercially produced ones.

r2r tape bleed through

I/you should never use Fast Forward or Fast Rewind prior to putting a tape back in the box, the tape will be packed too tightly. Wind them at normal speed.

some store them tails-out, I store them tail’s in, as they finish after auto-reverse play.

tails out; tails in

@ltmandella Yeah I agree totally.  It does happen that I have somewhat of an electronics background and have worked on lots of equipment along these lines so feel like I could fix it up myself if needed.  There's the maintenance, too.  I love the Pioneer decks...I still have the matching top of the line integrated amp.  Would make a nice pairing with the 909.  That's super cool about the sound quality of the 909.  I've always had the impression that they were excellent.  Never heard one in person.  Isn't it interesting just how good they can sound?

Yeah, I think, all of us should have RTR deck. Cost is a problem for me at the moment, can't get Otari let alone Studer. But if you like tape, as I do, and have some funds then, sure, you got to give it a try. But fine tape machines appreciate good care, they are not disk spinners.