Please Help.. Which Nakamichi?

Hi Guys, please can anyone offer me some advice, my husband is very Nostalgic when he looks back at the Nakamichi's, I know absolutely 'NOTHING' about Stereos etc.. I know he was considering a BX-125e a short time ago which needed some work, however I have seen an RX-202 for sale (More expensive) and just wondered how it would compare to the BX?? Unfortunately I cant afford to get him the Dragon for Christmas so hoping something a bit cheaper will do the job.. TYIA :0)

 

I can understand your husband’s nostalgia, I run a Nakamichi ‘Dragon’. However I have access to that rare persons, a skill Nakamichi cassette deck technician. The Dragon is he admits a nightmare to service, so much so many techs today won’t touch them.
The first thing you need to do is locate a good Nakamichi technician not too far from where you live. Discuss with them which deck you should buy and what you should look for in it’s condition. There are many, many traps you can fall into and as parts for some models are now as scarce as hen’s teeth you need to be very careful before you plunge in. Idealy if you do find a good tech ask them if they can negotiate the purchase, especially if buying off ebay or some similar site.
Also try and contact Tim Schwartz at Bristol Electronics who has posted on Nakamichis on this forum.
He knows what he’s talking about better than me.

 

You shouldn't scare her Some Nak's are a nightmare but most of them are very easy to service. Also cheap. But it must be said that it has to be a non-butchered one. A dragon ... Everyone has heard of the name but really, the BX-300 is a wonderful three head deck. A three head deck is what you husband wants and, the BX-300 is an outstanding deck for a normal price, and probably the most sold one as it was a huge hit. Over the decades it turned out that those plastic mechanisms with their worm wheels are actually very good as, most of them still survive today. And that makes any cheap Nak of interest. But be sure to have it properly serviced, which is under a 100 euros (fresh capacitors, cleaned motors, fresh brushes, new belts if any, new pinch roller, idler tyre, etc) I still have all my ancient cassettes from when I was young. I use the BX-300, bought long ago and fully serviced it. But I also have a BX2 in the shop (not a three head) for playing cassettes. One of the cheapest Nak's there was ... But then, even the cheapest nak was an outstanding deck. The RX-202 is an autoreverse deck, more expensive, a good one but do you really need it ? You don't need a nakamichi specialist, just a good tech. But at least give your husband a three head deck. He will love you for that.

 

Did I say ALL Nakamichi’s were a nightmare to service? Did I say all Nakamichi’s need a specialist ? How many Nakamichi specialists are there out there anyhow? " Idealy if you do find a good tech ask them if they can negotiate the purchase, especially if buying off ebay or some similar site” doesn’t appear to imply so.
Something neither of us remembered to warn the original poster about is the lack of availability today for most brands of cassette deck , not just for Nakamichi’s either.
Everyone has heard the Dragon’s name? I don’t know what planet you’re living on but it’s not the same one I’m on.

 

The CR7E is the model to have and in many ways better than the Dragon. It's also likely to be expensive though.

 

No, yes, enough of them, Usually we choose a deck, then go looking to find a deck first, then determine the condition it's in and then make the calculation before bringing it to a tech. A tech repairs, services, restores, with occasionally an item for sale. There is no lack of cassettedecks. Look and you'll find. Some types are rare as top models were not sold that much. I am living on a planet where it's all electronics. I do service, repair and, rebuild pro tape machines and electronics for a living. But then I'm very close to so many sources. Yes Arkless, the CR7e is a very good deck but far too expensive for a gift, as the lady pointed that out. This is why I opted for the BX-300 as an example. It is in her price range I think, and she's looking for a nak. I opted that she should go for a three head machine as that is what we all want from a good cassettedeck, while keeping an eye on the money.

 

In a previous post I’ve just reread I left out something important.
Where I wrote "Something neither of us remembered to warn the original poster about is the lack of availability today for most brands of cassette deck , not just for Nakamichi’s either.’ I should have written “ Something neither of us remembered to warn the original poster about is the lack of availability today of spare parts for most brands of cassette deck , not just for Nakamichi’s either.”
Sorry.