This page is dedicated to the two TEAC x1000r machines I currently own. Yes, I have two of them. My story on that is here, too, along with a few videos of each machine in operation, and general discussion on the operation and setup of this iconic machine.
My first TEAC x was purchased from a gentleman in a small town in North Carolina. He wanted $450 for it, stating it was in fine working order. Knowing the price was good (even back in 2009), I made the decision to do the 4-hour drive and get it. The fellow lived in a small single wide trailer, and the machine was located in a cluttered room in his home. I’ll admit it was a bit unnerving going into someone’s home I didn’t know, being taken into a room to look at a piece of stereo equipment 4 hours away from home, but I did it anyway. The desire to secure this deck overtook what I can only assume was my better judgment. The fellow demonstrated the basics of the deck, and I completed the sale, turning right around and driving back home to Virginia.
Upon getting it home, I realized the right tension arm had been super glued into place (for reasons unknown to me at the time). The deck played just fine, but curiosity got the better of me and I chiseled away the glue and let the tension arm move as it should. Absolutely no change in the deck’s performance. I immediately noticed it needed a new belt, so I ordered one. Never having worked on one of these machines, I’ll admit it was quite the project, but I prevailed, and it’s still operating on that same belt to this day (2023).
I have a number of reel-to-reel decks in my music room (too many, my husband would say), and I’ll tell you this – the TEAC x-1000r is probably my favorite. It is an incredibly well-built machine, robust and packed with some amazing features. Bi-directional play/record, continuous play, search-to-zero, etc. Plus, it’s build quality and the “feel” of the machine scream quality. These machines were produced in the very early-80’s, and many of them are still playing tape today. Certainly they need servicing from time to time (most mechanical things do), but I do believe these machines will be around for many years to come.
Here’s a video of my first x-1000r playing one of my favorite singers, Ella Fitzgerald. My apologies in advance for the less-than-stellar video quality. This was some years ago. The audio quality, however, was recorded through a Behringer 200, which comes to you in great stereo from a pre-recorded tape of her Gershwin Songbook. Enjoy.
Not looking for another, but one came to me via a cursory look on Craigslist back in 2017. I live in a military area (primarily the Navy), and a retired Navy fellow was packing up and moving to Florida. He purchased his x-1000r in 1983 while a young Navy seaman while overseas, from the military PX. He purchased additional add-ons (dust cover, takeup reel, remote, etc.). Fast forward to 2017, and he didn’t use the machine anymore and his grown kids had no interest in having it passed on to them. So, he put it up for sale with the hopes of someone who recognized its value and quality would buy it. Enter me. Right here in my hometown, I paid him a visit one Saturday morning and he pulled the machine from his trunk, and all the goodies that came with it. He asked if he could come back to the house, have me hook it up, test it and if I was happy, we could make the sale. I agreed (again, a bit uncomfortable with someone coming to my house, but after meeting him and hearing his story, I felt a bit more comfortable with the setup). I set the deck up and played a couple of tapes and immediately recognized it was in fine shape. He had certainly cherished this deck and it looked brand new. He not only gave me the “goodies” he bought with it, but a mess of quality Maxell tapes, too.
Work has since been done to the machine. One of the VU meters was not working properly, so Bob (at Action Electronics in Williamsburg) acquired a replacement, and then did a full workover on the machine to keep it in good running condition.
Here’s a video of it in operation taken in