Where are you located? Looks like Florida. There is a nice resource guide on the AudioNirvana Forum, under Reel to Reel. Someone on WBF may also have a tech to recommend. I don't see any in Florida, but there are many across the country who specialize in Revox and Studer. You can also go to Tapeheads.net and the Reel to Reel section and ask for help. Several techs are regulars on that Forum.
Thank you so much chaps. I have received a couple of PMs highly recommending Jack Clark of JM Tech Arts in TN. I was not thinking of mods just to replace all the electro and tantalum caps and of course all the RIFA X2 type film as well as the motor start caps. Sure, some may still be good, for now, but once they are powered up again on a regular basis, there is definitely a more than 50% chance of them going south! It is no big deal to do them all since he’ll be working on each pcb.
Does any one know of a facility that can sandblast/beadblast a REVOX capstan in Europe? Although I know about a few around the world, I would like avoiding shipping and customs charges and delays, as this capstan is being used in a old Revox B77, not the Studer A80.
Are you repairing the B77 ? If so, you can "re-emboss" the capstan surface yourself if the cost/time for bead-blasting is too high. Using double stick tape, adhere a strip of 120 grit sandpaper to the pinch roller and put the deck into play for 5 minutes. This will fix the common B77 defect of loss of speed and high wow/flutter at end of reel due to a polished capstan. I have used this embossment method with success on Otari and Revox decks.
see if audiohouse.ch still has the capstans in stock, and then replace it your self. It is a simple clip on the back of the motor rotor and then it slides out. I replaced many of them back when.... (80s and 90s) May be another cir-clip to remove, don't recall.
Do not try this on later or more complex studer motors, only the B77/PR99 motor. The A810 may be made the same way, but don't do it.
I had the deck fully reconditioned by Jack Clark of JMTA Revox near Nashville. He was previously head of the service operations at Studer ReVox USA in Nashville.
He did an outstanding job and, as a person, he is of impeccable character. Highly recommended.
Jack overhauled a faulty capstan motor. The front bearing was soaked and it was cleaned and relubed with synthetic oil and all went very well. He doesn’'t think that I will have any future problems with the old oil that sometimes resurfaces on the bearing. He has had very good luck redoing these old-type motors (about 80% long-term success) so he was fairly certain when an overhaul is good. A reconditioned motor costs about $250 vs $750 for a new one. I don’t want to think what would have cost if the deck was a SP7 or a SM8!!!
