Reel to reel - Revox B77 - maintenance


With the pandemic, this is a good time to look at old stuff..  I want to work on my old Revox B77 - 2 track.
I have owned it since 1984 and have never looked inside it.  Mine has probably less than 200 hours of use.
1.  What are the maintenance items that should be done.  Please help provide a list, clean heads, etc.
2.  Are there some items i should purchase and install.  Example belts etc.
3.  Mine is regular speed 9.5 cm/s and 19 cm/s (7 1/2 inch/sec).  It seems all new pre-recorded tape is 2 track 38 cm/s. Please share a source for purchasing pre-recorded tape.
dcaudio

Showing 1 response by scar972

There are very limited selections of 2-track 7.5 IPS pre-recorded tapes out there. Most pre-recorded tapes found on the bay are 4-track, and IMO not worth the trouble if you're looking for the ultimate sound.

A few years ago, I modified a 7.5 IPS Revox B77 to highspeed 15 IPS using an article written by Arian Jansen of Sonorus Audio, The instructions were really clear and it involves replacing some caps and resistors on the PCB. This mod allows you to play all the new pre-recorded 15 IPS tapes currently available from:
https://store.acousticsounds.com/c/397/Reel_to_Reel
https://tapeproject.com/catalog/
https://elusivedisc.com/music/reel-to-reel-tape/

Another option is to sell the B77 (reel to reel go for a premium these days on the bay) and get yourself an Otari MX-5050 B2, it plays 2-track and 4-track tapes, has 15 IPS high speed, and is an overall a better deck.