A thing Pinknik didn't need, but he bought anyway: Nakamichi CR-3a cassette deck

From ye old eBay. Hasn't shipped yet. Hope it's nice.

 

Good for you. I keep browsing ebay for cassette decks (Pioneer CTF 8xx) - but in the end I just cannot justify it. It sure was fun recording cassettes - the ritual of it.

 

I like the green.

 

Oh you need it. You sooooo need it. Nice deck broski!

 

@costerdock, I do the same thing. Why?

I have 6 unopened Maxell XL-II 90 minute cassettes with no where to go. Even though they were practically free at Goodwill, I have no idea why I bought them.

 

I've been doing the same thing for months. Insanity? Perhaps. Now, at least, I can stop looking. That's a step, right?

 

Every household needs at least one Nakamichi cassette deck. If you don't play tapes, they are wonderful to look at and make great furniture

Congrats on the purchase - nice deck!

 

Thanks. I recently got a big stash of cassettes at a yard sale, so I plan to at least work it out for a while and I've always liked the idea of having a Nak.

 

If it feels good....

 

Here’s hoping it gets to you in one piece! I have nostalgia for cassettes but don’t really miss em. My nak does make for the best sounding cassette playback I’ve ever heard though, which is saying something.

 

Looks good. Do you know if it was serviced lately?

 

According to the seller, yes, with new belts. I figure if it gives me any issues, I'll send it to Willy Hermann. I did ponder getting a non-working model just to send to him anyway, but that could be a 5 month wait.

 

You should be good do go! Willy did his standard service on my Dragon a few years ago and told my I'd be good for another 20 years. He also suggested to me if for some reason that I'm not using it to play a tape at least once a month to keep it happy. Congratulations on you Nak purchase.

 

Thank you!

 

Tapes are not my favorite format, but they can be fun. Enjoy your new tape deck.

 

I had a two head RX-202 once before my Dragon and that was great sounding deck too. I don't think you can go wrong with a Nakamichi.

 

Now I want to get something better than the CR-1A I picked up for 75 bucks last year. Although I have no real reason to do so. Unfortunately, I practically gave a way a non-working BX-300 several years ago.

 

A tip from the owner of a CR-2A: Don't let it sit. Naks don't take kindly to inactivity. Run a tape through it daily, even if you're not listening.

When you do find the mechanism seems to be stuck, there are solutions on the web.

Cheers,
Larry B.

 

Seller is dropping it off at FedEx today.

 

That thread title

 

Congrats! I seriously long for my old CR-7A. Shame on me - it started making some noise one day and I unplugged it, then eventually gifted gratis to a very happy Nak tech. I'm sure it only needed a quick service of a pinch roller. Those decks are a thing of beauty.

 

I bought a used CR1a about 20 years ago, and it's pretty decent. One channel records at a lower level than the other one now; I'm not sure if that's a simple fix or not.

Maybe I should look into getting something nicer. I've also been hoarding sealed XSII's and SA90s found at thrift stores, etc.

 

That would be my dream machine, but a pricey dream, so I opted further down the CR line.

 

Good choice and happy ownership! I've owned CR-3E (european variant) of this for 8 years and gets used regularly for a different vibe from the usual vinyl/cd/digital/streaming. My only full size deck, it fitted with ebay budget, availability and my usage need at the time (get the best playback out of my boxes of old home recorded & bought tapes/discrete 3 head to make a really nice recording for the occasional mixtape). They do make for a nice piece of furniture. It always catches the eye when passing by. Recently overhauled mine (New belts, bit of lube and a reel motor) and sounding great again.

 

Nice looking machine.