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Interesting vintage find in my mother-in-law's garage

BobWestbrook

BobWestbrook

Mr.
Mar 13, 2006
2,843
74
North Poconos
#1
Recently, my 82 year old mother-in-law told me of some "musical equipment" that her now deceased husband had stored in their Philadelphia garage.

So I went over to take a look at it. Turns out it is a vintage Ampex reel to reel recording system, Model 350 or 351 (not sure yet which). These were popular in recording studios from the early 50s through the 60s.

I know that it's been sitting there absolutely untouched since at least 1987, and probably long before that. At first, I thought perhaps it was worthless, because of the age, and my plan was to have someone just haul it away.

But then I started doing more research, and whaddya know! Each of the four tube preamps (see pictures below), if in working condition, may be worth as much as $400-$500 apiece! My Google search showed multiple recording studios which use these.

I have no idea if these work, as the garage was not climate controlled. But I've been told by some knowledgable folks it's possible the tubes may still be functional.

Looks like I have a fun project coming up to take these four out of the rack and fire them up!

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#5
salcott said:
I wouldn't start dismantling until I had someone with real knowledge look the complete unit over. You could be doing the equivalent of stripping a '62 PBass for parts.
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+1

I've seen the TV show where somebody brings in a piece of furniture and they say "It would have been worth $150,000 if you hadn't had restored it."

If you got photos, history, manuals - get them all together.
 
#6
Hey Bob, your electronics (preamps) are the 351 black-dot models, and your transport is the 350 type.

I've got a 2-channel version of yours:

DSCN1318.jpg
 
#9
BobWestbrook said:
Thanks for the info! I knew the TB folks would have good knowledge to share!

For what purposes do you use yours, Anderbass?
Click to expand...

I used mine for 2-track live band recording with a couple mics. I've also sent my digital recordings to it used as a mastering deck. I also used just the 351 electronics as front-ends patched into my digital recording setup. Mine sounded great with mics and stellar used as a DI for bass or guitars. You can leave the tape transport all connected to do this.

Mine had been sitting unused since 1962 and was in near prefect/unused condition. It was originally purchased by a guy that passed away just a couple months later, then it sat unused for 45 years until I got it from his family. I'm certainly no expert on these but after some serious researching on the net, I found out how to lube the transport and replace the motor-run capacitors, and mine worked fine. Yours may have other issues, but If you want to contact someone in your area for help you could try here:

ATR Service Company
2101 Pennsylvania Ave., Suite 23
York, PA 17404
Voice: (717) 852-7700
Fax: (717) 852-7755
[email protected]
ATR Services, Inc - Tape Recorder Repair Parts
Contact: Michael Spitz: [email protected]
 
#10
Update: After making some calls, got into contact with a guy named Joel Katz from north Jersey. He's got a recording studio with all vintage analog equipment, and was an Ampex sales tech "back in the day". Turns out he believes he was the one who originally put this unit together. He came down to look at it today, and we're negotiating a sale. Joel is very enthusiastic about acquiring this to refurbish it for his use.
 
#15
Your Ampex is not stock. Those are 351 electronics. The transport is a model 300. It appears to be a ½" 4 track. It also appears to have the original "sel-sync" unit, which is for a 3 track machine.

Good luck with your find. It would be a shame to part it out.

GY
 

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