Pioneer CT-F950 Vintage Three-Head Cassette Deck

[@quagmyer7230]

Took a chance and purchased a non working one of eBay in excellent cosmetic conditions a month ago for $289.00 plus $30.00 shipping, got lucky with the reel motor, (even though I was mentally ready to rebuild the motor), all it needed was belts, bought the belt kit with the idle tire, I took it apart, cleaned, lubed, demagnetized the heads, it works flawlessly. Nice video.

[@codyshive]

That happens for me as well. I get a deck that needs not much more than the mechanism serviced. The belts/pinch rollers/mechanism cleanup is always required. Idler tire and spring adjustment a must. However, since you're keeping this for your very own, when the take-up reel motor starts to give you problems, you can haul it to your bench, take it apart and fix it. For me, because I sell these refurbished on eBay, I want to do my best to make this deck last. So, rebuilding the motor and recapping at least the power supply and control board is part of my process. One other thing, though. Do recap the power supply and the control board. One cap had gone bad in a unit I received, and it took out a couple of transistors and a diode, overdrove the FL display and burned out the PD4004 chip that drives the display. That was an eBay parts-or-repair deal that wasn't such a great deal. Fun challenge, though. Costly repair.

[@grantross2609]

a very large part of the fascination for old hi-fi is their imperfection tho !

[@codyshive]

So true!

[@JamesE707]

Yes indeed, no matter how much work you put in, one cannot guarantee the machine will work flawlessly for 6/12 months etc. It's the one thing that puts me off doing your kind of work - buy, repair, align, and sell. Pioneer in the day had masses of resources, and we unfortunately do not, even with the best intentions we have to let the customer know our limitations. Beautiful deck.

[@codyshive]

That's correct, so I don't offer a warranty for that reason. That being said, I've reached out to some of the folks who have purchased from me to see how it's going. All of them still had the deck and it was working well for them.

[@JamesE707]

@@codyshive Hi Cody. One of the great enemies of analogue tape recorders is - lack of use. The very air that surrounds the machine is full of chemistry in slow motion - drying out grease, moisture, oxygen reacting with materials, ie slow motion oxidation. Most folk don't realise this. Thanks for the reply.

[@codyshive]

That's right! I encourage all my buyers to "use" their equipment at least monthly. I've noticed some of these decks exhibit transport noise when not used for a while. That noise quickly subsides as the unit warms up, but with regular use they're quiet as a mouse. Plus, from an electronics standpoint, keeping those capacitors exercised is a really good thing to do with regular use.

[@JamesE707]

Lovely clear video, the Pioneer design is very modular.

[@codyshive]

Many thanks!

[@michaelwhiles5282]

Lovely, I have a series of Pioneer silver era kit which I am slowly getting serviced here in the UK. My models include: CTF750/ 850/900. Back in the 70's Pioneer equipped a train stuffed full of all the highest kit much of which was never imported to the UK and ran this up and down the UK as part of their 'trade shows'. Happy days.....

[@codyshive]

Very cool! Where in the UK?

[@YannickRemungol]

Super vidéo

[@codyshive]

Thanks!

[@JamesE707]

Dual capstan machines can be a wee bit tricky to align, and if the supply pinch roller becomes suspect, then tape creasing follows.

[@codyshive]

That's exactly right. It's actually managed by three things: the feed capstan, the pinch roller (must be factory-spec, flat and not curved), and the pinch roller height adjustment. That last bit will lead to creased tapes. I have a special cassette with a cutout that I use to adjust the height and then paint-lock the new nylon nut I put on it. Never fails. Never creases. I've had these bench testing (while I work on the electronics) after fixing the transport mechanism for months. On all kinds of crappy and good tapes.

[@JamesE707]

@@codyshive Well done! Dual capstan alignment is critical. I made a cut out cassette too, and watch carefully the tape flow - without a tape pad! I even go as far as to check - tape flow when only one pinch roller (left or right) is engaged. Also check that back tension/take up tension is constant. Old machines 'stiffen up' with dirt, moisture, and salts - 40/50 years worth of varying atmospherics! ;o) Thanks for your video, I love to compare with a fellow engineer! :o)

[@Bound2glory]

​@@codyshive wow! This comment is very insightful for me. I recently purchased a "fully serviced" Aiwa F-660 cassette deck, and it's eating tape like a delinquent puppy! Now I just need to find a local tech that can make the necessary adjustments... Thanks for the video ❤

[@codyshive]

It might sound obvious, but tape path is critical. Also, pinch rollers vary. Some are a bit rounded, others are perfectly flat. Actually "seeing" the problem is tough, so I got a cassette tape with a clear case, cut some of the plastic off on the front, so I could view the pinch-roller/tape interaction and adjust for perfect path. I use that all the time now, to make sure the tape isn't pushing up on one side of the guide path or the other. And to make sure the pinch roller is pinching uniformly.

[@marcusfountain1694]

The year 81 i was at KAB i got a CTF-1250 for 420. & apair of JBL L-112s for 580. On BX credit, Had I ever saw a black version of this family, I'd still own it. It would've looked good with my GX-77BL, which i still use .

[@codyshive]

In 1981, I was at Standard Sales working and managing the sound room. I couldn't afford the 1250, even the floor model which was on clearance (SKU 985023, for those who might recognize their "trash" sku for clearance items).

[@marcusfountain1694]

@codyshive The rest of the story was The Base Exchange limit was a 1000 for a buck Sgt ,I brought a giant fisher receiver used from someone in the barracks 125. And a pioneer 1020L reel for 175. I had to wait for the Yamaha C-2 preamp being built in Japan to be shipped. I had the M-2 already 580. I think it was , Akai hadn't come out with the GX-77bl yet, so i waited. i paid 470. for it ,the silver only cost 430. I eventually sold the 1250 to someone in the barracks who had a 1250 as well, I brought a Nakamichi LX-5 520. I think ,before heading stateside and a Denon DP-62L turntable,I still use the turntable and reel to this day, The nakamichi is in the closet with its sibling a Nak cassette deck 1, I use a cassette deck 2 now. Now, if I can just find my good walkman. It's funny because before I went to Japan I already had some pretty good stuff I sold off Pioneer Sa-9800 with Matching Tx-9800 tuner, Teac C-3x cassette, Dual 704 turntable and 4 Altec model 7s, and a pioneer reverb which I hid so nobody knew how I got that sound,all ordered from WDS of Wisconsin, My future sees wireless Kef's and also looking at Cambridge audio all in one or something from PS audio.

[@codyshive]

No surprise. I've received one or two of these with military moving stickers on them.

[@akkoa420]

Thank you for the detailed presentation, this looks like a very clean deck. I have one like this and I also have the CT-F1250. Do you know if they use the same PLY/REC heads? The reason I am asking is that the CT-F1250 is known for losing high frequencies above 10K even if they were not used excessively, something about the head deteriorating over time, any thoughts?

[@codyshive]

Hi. Thanks for the note! So, I've had CT-F900s, 950s, and right now I'm working on my 1250 that's lost those crisp highs. What I can tell you is the heads on the 950 and the 1250 look the same -- both have the record head that's necessary for Metal tapes. I haven't pulled them off their mounts to see what the model numbers are, but I'm pretty sure they're the same in the 1250 as the 950. I don't know if it's a head issue or an electronic issue (like bad caps or problematic transistors) just yet. It plays-back very crisp highs; just has them dulled on record. That leads me to believe it's an electronic issue, not a physical head issue. Most likely in the bias circuit somewhere. Caps/transistors are the first to check and replace. FWIW: I haven't had any heads go bad on any of the decks I've serviced. I have had, however, some bad caps on the motherboard and the occasional transistor (pair) that I've replaced. When I'm done recapping the 1250, if the highs haven't returned, I'll swap-out the heads with a backup set I have from a 950 -- see if there's a difference. Those Sendust heads are pretty tough. If you have any intel on why folks think the culprit is the head, I'd like to know more.

[@androidgamephonefun1619]

Piekny chciałbym takiego mieć

[@codyshive]

I just started buying broken ones on eBay and fixing them. Then, I had so many I had to start selling them.

[@ЭдуардВасильченко-х9я]

Класс!👍

[@codyshive]

Thanks!

[@rico5870]

Nice machine and awesome job mate!! Well, done!! I'm restoring two Dual C-844 and I'm desperately looking for Pinch Roller, so I have bought something via web but unfortunately the size it's really particolare and its not fit well so, do you know where could i find something? Thanks

[@codyshive]

That's a tough one. Lots of pinch rollers on eBay, so you might need to test a few. If you have the originals, you could see if Terry's Rollers will re-roll them for you.

[@rico5870]

@@codyshive Thanks for answer! I have the original in both of the machines.! I didn't know someone like Terry Rollers existed till now so thanks a lot mate!

[@codyshive]

You could also try Rubber Renew, which is a good way to clean serious build-up off the rollers. It rejuvenates the rubber (to an extent). Use gloves, and do it in a well-ventilated area, as the stuff is a bit toxic.

[@bricks312100]

How do I contact you. I have an item I may wish to get repaired or sell to you.

[@codyshive]

I'd be willing to buy one, but not repair it for someone. I'm not a repair shop, just a hobbyist. I could buy one from you and not touch it for six months. Just the way hobbies go.