How many People own Working Reel to Reel Decks?

I also have an old Revox A-77 mk??. I used it to record all my doo-wop oldies but I also have some master tapes of concerts from Carnegie Hall. He used to have a reel to reel in the basement (he was a stage crew member)and he recored concerts and events for some artists. Boy, got yo hunt for them!

Rick (RWD)

I use my Ampex for recording on location, recording as a mix-down deck from 8 channel to 2 channel, and playing the masters and pre-recorded tapes.

When doing direct recording I use a set of Neumann U-67s direct-in. I like to bypass my preamp when using the Ampex for playback- it has balanced outputs and drives long cables and the amps effortlessly. The results are really quite spectacular.

I used to have a pile of Magnacord machines, which were 10.5" capable and all-tube electronics. They worked beautifully. I had two that I had rebuilt- one for 1/4" tape and one for 1/2" tape. BTW, 1/2" master tapes are really something to hear... anyway, Magnacords are not as well-known as Ampex, so you can get them cheaper, and they are quite sturdy and competent.

I also have an Otari and a Studer. Between the two, although the Studer is older and somewhat more clunky in appearance, it is a better sounding machine overall. Recently I've also been using a professional grade Sony made about 15 years ago. It has a lot of nice features, but the Studer takes it to task also. Of course, sound-wise the Ampex is still the best I've heard, but its also the trickiest to use.

i use a Pioneer 909 r and it serves me on an almost daily basis!
Azjake

Quite a coincidence this thread comes up now. For some odd reason I recently got the bug to try r2r, in doing some research I found The Tape Project site which really got me interested.
From my research I decided that either a Revox A77 or Technics 1500 would suit me. I recently ended up purchasing a Revox A77 Mk.IV off fleabay for $131. I have yet to receive the deck, and don't know what to expect, it may work perfectly or not at all. I bought this with the expectation I may have to rebuild and refurbish, to this end I have downloaded the service manual. If it runs perfectly that would be great, if not, it will be fun to get into the guts of that thing and go through it part for part (which I will be doing irregardless of condition).
Eventually, I would like to get a head preamp custom made by bottlehead or someone else, I am also planning other mods. I think it would be interesting to see how far one can go with these things.

I have a 707 pioneer that I use mostly for playing back a bunch of recordings make from vinyl years ago. Still sounds sweet and relaxing...I enjoy it very much.