Ampex 960s were considered a high end home tape deck in the 60s and sold for a very high price. But today they aren't worth much, maybe $25-$50. You will see them quite often on ebay for this price range. The tube playback electronics sound very nice. The heads have limited high frequency response and the mechanical transport is good, but not great. A single stereo playback head is shifted vertically to switch from 1/4 track to two track playback, a clever if rather compromised way to play both types of tapes. It's a neat piece of history and I have restored a similar Ampex 934 in the past. To give an idea of their desirability I was given two more Ampex 960/1260 type decks to cannibalize for spares, free of charge, so the donor could make a little more space in his garage. My interest was mostly nostalgic, having used a 960 to make my first recording when I was about 14.
Charlie Parker died in 1955. I think the year of that interview must have been much earlier than 1975.
