We believe that the glass within the head develops hairline cracks. It seems to affect the earliest generation of glass heads (GX-260, etc, circa 1972) more than the later ones, however we have also seen two bad playback heads so far in the top of the line Akai GX747. We have, however, had the odd failure of Akai glass heads due to what we call ‘crystallization’. To date, while glass heads can fail, I have yet to replace a GX series head due to wear. Akai was correct with their 150,000 hour claim. I still have the deck, it still runs, and everything is still original on it. I was one of those people that used this reel to reel extensively, and I’d guess that I put a minimum of 2 hours a day on it for several years after purchase. I personally purchased an Akai GX-630 in 1980 when I was in Grade 11. That’s 150,000 hours, as compared to a more typical 3000-4000 hour life span of steel heads. As per their advertisements at the time, you could run an Akai GX series deck 24/7 for 17.5 years before they wore out. Akai GX-747Īround 1973, Akai introduced the GX series of tape decks which used ‘glass heads’. Generally speaking, Akai transports were very reliable, and usually overbuilt, with a few exceptions. Early Akai decks used relay logic for the transport, and later decks then switched to solid state logic with microprocessors to control the transport. Decks as early as 1973 used direct drive motors, greatly simplifying the transport mechanics, and increasing overall reliability. Akai was an early adopter of three motor transports, where the reel motors were direct drive, as was the capstan motor. The single motor Akai decks, such as the M and X series and the 4000 series did not generally suffer from motor failures as similar Sony decks did. Fortunately, with the advent of 3D printing, the Reel Pro Sound Guys in Montana have made up a replacement kit for these cams, and they are available on eBay for a reasonable price. Overall these decks were reliable, although some suffered from the cast metal cams cracking due to poor casting, locking up the transport, and rendering the deck useless. Roberts and Akai used the ‘dual lever’ mechanism for the transport, and many models of these decks were in production for over 10 years. In addition, as was typical for the era, the non GX series of Akai heads tended to be soft, and I’ve seen many non Akai glass heads being worn out due to use. While there are many ‘M’ and ‘X’ series Akai decks out there dating from the mid to late 1960s, many of these now need significant amounts of work to be reliable. The (sometimes confusing) history of Akai and Roberts can be found here.Īs with many reel to reel manufacturers, I find that the technology matured and quality improved around 1973. As with many manufacturers, Akai made several all-tube machines, then moving into solid state units around the mid 1960s.Īkai had strong ties to the US companies Roberts (who also made reel to reel machines), and Rheem and Califone. Akai made many quality reel to reel tape recorders from 1954 to 1985, and with the rare exception, Akai reel to reel tape recorders still work well today.
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