Otari MX5050Bii 2 Heads

[falconerone]

I am new to the R2R world. The picture is of the head block and I wanted some feedback on the conditions of the heads. Are these in good shape or is some work going to be required to get them in shape. Sorry for such an easy question for you guys but I am a newbie

William

[ajmich]

Hi & welcome to the wonders (and frustrations) of R2R!  I am new here, but have been into R2R for 50 years.   Surprised no one seems to have answered your question.  I have the same model, and your heads look much like mine -- that is, what appears to be some normal wear but not bad.  Best if you haven't already is to get your photo examined by a head relapping expert like JRF Magnetics... http://www.jrfmagnetics.com  ... AFAIK, they are the "masters" of tape heads.  I didn't send a photo but had them quote me for relapping or replacing heads in my Otari, and the reply was prompt and complete -- this was from John French, [email protected]:

1.     Relap each Otari MX5050 (BII) 1/4-inch head @ .........$ 65.00 each
2.     New replacement 2-track record or playback head........$165.00
3.     New 1/4-tk playback head (Nortronics)..................$145.00
4.     Mount heads and Optically Align assembly...............$ 65.00
The heads that we relap will look and perform as new and the assembly will return aligned and ready to re-install.

Hope this helps!  ...Alex