We've pretty well worked out our Otari MX-5050BII/BIII shipping box and we're ready to take machines in for modification. We will do our tape path mod, which is composed of replacing all of the guides under the head block and the tension arms with ball bearing guides with ceramic edge guides, check the brakes tension and reline them if necessary and carefully align the machine. The tape path mods turn the Otari from a prosumer quality machine to a machine with transient snap and dynamics that are closer to the big studio machines. We also rewire the playback heads to direct output for use with an outboard preamp. Price is $600 for the tape path mod and alignment, and $100 for the head rewire (free if you buy a tape head preamp from us). We can also send your heads out for relapping at (I think) $85 each, and there may be an extended response head upgrade available soon for $650. We can also install new pinch rollers from Athan if necessary. The new packing box uses some more expensive cushioning material than we have used in the past, and the deposit for the shipping box will be $85. It's a good solid double wall box with a foam lining that is more absorptive than the previous material. The direct head out mod uses existing XLR jacks on the back, so you will need an XLR to RCA cable to connect the Otari to one of our preamps. We've been using some from Monoprice that are inexpensive, well made and sound quite good.
If you are ready to have your Otari taken to the next level give me a call and we can discuss the mods and arrange to get a shipping box sent to you - 360-697-1936 M-F 10-5 PT