Reel to reel deck -Talk me in or out of buying

Reel-to-reel tape is the ultimate hair shirt medium. You can't find any particular track in the middle of the tape, the tape can break or shriek or has had the treble shaved off by being played via magnetized heads. As a mechanical device, a tape deck needs regular maintenance by someone who really understands these beasts. Parts are rare or nonexistent. And you want to compound all this by buying a TUBED unit, and you don't even have any tapes.

I say go for it.

Kkurtis, I would suspect that lots of us use R-R decks on a regular basis. Otherwise, why are all those tapes -- the good ones at least, not the junk -- snapped up at increasingly higher prices on Ebay? I have two Teacs, one with a Dolby capability, and can assure you that they see a lot of service. Dave