If you’re the lucky owner of a tape deck, then at some point you’re going to need a good engineer in your address book (unless of course you happen to be one!). Similarly, if you’re browsing the marketplace for a vintage or used deck that’s going to need restoring or even a full refurb then, as helpful as blog articles and YouTube videos can be, there’s nothing like a qualified technician to get things started off on the right foot.
So how do you find one, how do you sort the good guys from the dabblers, and how do you make sure the transaction runs as smoothly as you hope your precious deck will?
Recommended engineers
I’ve just expanded my listing of recommended engineers – and will happily expand it further, with your help. If you’re a tape deck owner (anywhere in the world) who’s had a good experience with someone, please drop me a line.
If you’re an engineer yourself, I’m afraid I’m not in the market for doing your advertising for you (sorry), as I’d prefer my listings to be based on recommendations from readers. But if you have some genuinely satisfied customers who are happy to recommend you, feel free to invite them to drop me a line.
How to find the good guys
Tape tech is complex, and vintage machines are, well, vintage. There are plenty of general audio / hi-fi folks out there who may say they can service a tape deck, but how many of them have the level of specialist expertise and experience that we really need here, and how do we know they’ll deliver the goods? Short of asking for a full CV and a guarantee (which is unlikely to go down well!), here are a few things you might want to consider.
Get a recommendation
Whether you’re looking for a painter and decorator, a car mechanic or a tape engineer – I know it, you know it – the number one piece of advice will always be to get a recommendation from someone you know and trust and who’s had direct experience. If you don’t know anyone personally, then websites like this, run non-commercially by genuine tape lovers, can be the next best thing (as long as they’re clear about the extent to which their listings are vetted or based on honest personal experiences).
There are plenty of tape forums and social media sites out there too where you can post a question asking for recommendations. Do be a bit wary though… on most forums you’ll find plenty of fellow tape enthusiasts who are happy to share their experiences, but there are also some that have a few – um, how shall I put it – ‘personalities’ (and one or two that have the odd out-and-out troll!). Fortunately they’re easy to spot – personally I tend to steer clear of anyone who rants or gets riled. This whole thing is meant to be fun, right!
Time and money: don’t be afraid to get clear up front
None of us likes surprises when it comes to splashing our cash, so my mantra here is: don’t assume, ask. Get written quotes, and be clear about the terms and conditions in advance.
Typically there’ll be two fees to consider: first, the diagnostics fee, for the time it takes the engineer to assess the state of your deck and what’s needed to bring it back to life; second, an estimate for the cost to actually do the work. This might be broken down into parts and labour, and / or by broad issues / problems, with options regarding different levels and costs of solution (form basic fix to ‘bells and whistles’). More likely, it might just be a single figure – if so, don’t be afraid to ask to chat through a breakdown so that you understand what you’re paying for and what is and isn’t included.
Other things you might like to ask:
- What’s the timescale for diagnostics and for completion of the work?
- If you’re not local, is there an additional cost to get the deck back to you, or is that included in the quote? And, if the deck is to be transported, is it insured for the journey?
- What if the engineer discovers additional faults along the way, or something that’s different from their original quote – do you want them to contact you to confirm costs before continuing, or just go ahead and do what it takes?
- Will the work be guaranteed and for how long (eg. if an engineer has worked on the tape heads and they fail 3 months later, will they sort it free of charge?).
- Do they use original parts or more modern equivalents? Neither approach is universally better or worse, it’s just useful to be aware of. While some folks prefer to be purist, others will tell you that some of the old vintage parts are just too old at this point and so it might be a better investment to go with compatible equivalents. Whichever it is, will they give you an inventory of what parts have been replaced or repaired and with what, so you have a record for future reference?
What’s a reasonable fee?
How long is a piece of string, right? Sorry I can’t be more helpful here, but it really does depend on a whole lot of parameters so it’s difficult (and potentially misleading) to give general figures. But once you’ve got a quote and you know your specific parameters, you can always ask around – canvas a few opinions on whether it sounds like a fair quote.
Rejection – do take it personally
By which I mean, not every deck is serviceable, and not every engineer will be able or willing to service every deck. To be sure you don’t end up with something that nobody can or wants to fix up, it’s a good idea to have an engineer in mind at the time you’re scouting around for a vintage purchase. That way, you can have a chat about what you’re considering (and maybe even send them a link to the item for sale if they’re up for having a look) before committing yourself.
Generalist or specialist?
You’ll find some techs who are ready, willing and able to service any and every deck, and some who specialise in specific brands or eras. Neither approach is universally better or worse IMHO – it all depends on how qualified and experienced the individual is. Someone who’s spent decades supporting professional studios with a broad focus on analogue may well have a raft of skills across all kinds of kit. Then again, someone who used to work for Revox may get straight to the nub of things on a Revox deck but not have quite the same level of skill on the nuances of a TEAC.
What I’ve tended to find is that the good guys usually have some humility about them and don’t shy away from deferring to someone else’s expertise at times, whereas the know-it-all types don’t always know as much as they’d like you to think they do. Just saying!
Don’t be bamboozled
You know the situation I mean – when a tech expert rattles off a whole gamut of terms that leave you scratching your head and feeling a bit stupid. Well, don’t. Feel stupid I mean. The ability to communicate complex information in plain language to a lay person is a skill that anyone working in any specialist field should really develop (but try telling that to my car mechanic!). That said, we can all get a bit geek-ish at times and it’s not usually deliberate. If your engineer of choice is having a geek-out, don’t be afraid to keep asking questions until you understand. After all, it’s your money and your tape deck.
That said, we do need to allow some room for manoeuvre. Servicing a tape deck is, IMHO, part science and part art, and the art part may not always be easy to quantify. So there’s always going to be some degree of gut feeling and trust involved (as there is in most things in life!).
Again, here’s my listing of recommended engineers. Right now it’s short and sweet and only covers the UK and some USA locations. Please do drop me a line if there’s someone you’d recommend (anywhere in the world), based on genuine personal experience. Thanks very much!
Dave Denyer: The Reel-to-Reel Rambler 