Nakamichi 670ZX Cassette Deck

Hermitism

Need some advice. I've got an old Nakamichi 670ZX Cassette Deck. It was given to me years ago by someone I used to work for. It no longer plays. It used to work, then one channel stopped playing. Now it powers up, the lights, fast forward, rewind all work, but it doesn't play at all. When you push play, it hums but the tape doesn't move. He stored it in his garage for years, so the humidity must not have done it any favors. I know absolutely nothing about troubleshooting a tape deck. Is this unit worth fixing? Or is it too old to get parts for? I don't really see myself playing a lot of tapes, so it's not something I'd be willing to put much money into. Should I scrap it, or is it worth anything for parts? It's HEAVY, so it would cost a fortune to ship it to a repair shop.

Mikey081057

They sure were the shizzle in their day. I've seen them in good shape selling for 5 hunge, dunno what the problem is with this one, but there are lots of parts available for Nak, and can't tell if it would be worth fixing unless we knew what was failing... These things were built to last tho. Although this was not one of their high end models it still worked and sounded better than anything else out there at the time. She is a beaut.

Hermitism

I can tell moisture really took it's toll. The front of the unit looks great, but the top is pitted.

Attachment not found.Attachment not found.

boston1450

Attachment not found.If your not going to be using it id say save your money. It may be a easy fix but you sound like me & i would destroy it. I love my Nakamishi 500 so i would spend 50 buckaroos to fix it. It puts out a wondeful signal to my amp. Good luck deciding

cnh

That deck is a '79-'80 Nak. Three head, dual capstan, logic controls, it's original MSRP was $1150. Of course a lot of early cassette tech cost a fortune back then! Prices dropped some as the '80s rolled on. But it does look like a nice machine.

What you're describing sounds like a combo of the need for "new" belts, some lubrication, and some head cleaner. I doubt that it would cost much to put back into operation. As mentioned above, some of the construction on those babies was pretty durable. But there is a ton of wiring inside! And it's possible some caps might also have to be replaced. You won't know till someone looks at it. But you should get an estimate, most reputable repair guys will charge a small fee for a look/see!

If nothing else it's got to be worth something for "parts"?

cnh

stretchl

CNH, are you the fastest googler on the planet or a walking audio encyclopedia?

Hermitism

Thank you all for the help and info. Even though it wouldn't be used much, it would be nice to have it when it is needed. I have a Technics RS-B11W, but I was never really happy with the sound compared to other decks that friends had. I think I'll hold on to the Nak and start asking around for a good local repair tech. I have no interest in shipping it somewhere, the cost would be too high. Thanks again!

cnh

I knew that was a decent model but, yeah, I wouldn't know pricing, etc. off the top of my head. However, there are some here who "might"?

cnh

GospelTruth

Check out http://www.naks.com/. It has info on every nakamichi deck out there and has a links section that may prove helpful in finding more information on what you are looking for. My guess is that one (or all) of the belts should be replaced. Hope this link helps you out some.

BlueFox

Hermitism wrote: »

Need some advice.

Throw it away, and move on. Get a music server, high-res files, and enjoy the music, not fracking with old gear.

George Grand

BlueFox wrote: »

Throw it away, and move on. Get a music server, high-res files, and enjoy the music, not fracking with old gear.

From the guy who responded to a request for good Frank Sinatra albums, with a suggestion to buy a cd of some debutante singing Sinatra songs. Lotta help there.


I have been down the road quite a few times with these non-working Naks. A lot of Nak heavy hitters think that micro-processors are often to blame for the troubles, making the purchase of a belt kit nice, but it doesn't make the machine work again. For what it is worth, I find more busted Naks than good ones, and more busted Naks than all other busted decks combined. Yes, there was a certain cachet to the Nak name, but I think overall Teac and Tandberg could hold their own sound-wise, and certainly from a breakdown standpoint.

tonyb

BlueFox wrote: »

Throw it away, and move on. Get a music server, high-res files, and enjoy the music, not fracking with old gear.

Have to agree here, but I'm still a vintage fan of sorts. Cassettes however, not my cup of tea and not worth the effort imho anyway.

BlueFox

George Grand wrote: »

From the guy who responded to a request for good Frank Sinatra albums, with a suggestion to buy a cd of some debutante singing Sinatra songs. Lotta help there.

Hey, he asked for advice on what to do with an old, broken, basically POS cassette deck, that he did not envision needing much, or spending money on to fix. The CD is great, actually it is an SACD, and worth buying if you like that type of music.

jrc56

I still held onto mine too - Dont know why
Maybe its worth a few bucks as scrap metal