Akai GX-747 Professional Reel to Reel Tape Recorder - Restored

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The use of glass heads that are virtually indestructible make this one of the most desirable reel to reel decks.

While they require maintenance every 20 years or so they are very well built and a pleasure to work on.

We did *all* the maintenance work required to get it working perfectly including: tensioner belts, counter belt, cleaning of all contacts pots and switches, plus a full calibration and biasing.

There were six total versions of the GX-747 originally available for purchase from 1981-1985:
- GX-747 with Analog VU meters (silver or dark gray/black)
- GX-747 with LED VU meters (silver or dark gray/black) = This Listing
- GX-747dbx (silver or dark gray/black) only available with VU meters and very rare

This particular machine is the later edition with the LED VU meters. 

Condition is very very good.  Clean and no noticeable scratches.  The silver finish with wood side panels is simply striking, making it one of the best looking machines on the market.

Your purchase also comes with two metal take up reels and two hub adapters (Brand may vary from photos).

See our last photos for shots of the heads. *Heads are hard to photo due to reflectivity.

Click below to add our recommended matching cables from Kimber Kable, all brand new as SkyFi is an official Kimber dealer.

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Better

Kimber Kable - RCA Interconnects - Best

Click here to read more about this piece from our friends at The Vintage Knob (the last image in this listing is from The Vintage Knob)

PDF copy of the original Operator's Manual

PDF copy of the original Service Manual

Specifications:
Track system:
Auto Reverse, 4-Track, 2-Channel, Stereo System

Heads:
2 x GX Record
2 x GX Playback
2 x Erase

Motor:
2 x Reel Drive
1 x Capstan

Reel Size:
Up to 10.5 inch Reel

Tape Speeds:
3-3/4 ips
7-1/2 ips

Wow and Flutter:
0.03% (7-1/2 ips)

Frequency Response:
25 Hz to 33 kHz (7-1/2 ips)

Signal to Noise Ratio:
65 dB

Total Harmonic Distortion:
0.4%

Input:
70mV (line)
2mV (DIN)
0.25mV (mic)

Output:
0.775V (line)
0.3V (DIN)

Dimensions:
17.32" x 19.01" x 10.07"

Weight:
46 lbs

The SkyFi Testing Process for Tape Decks and Reel to Reel Machines:

First steps are performed to determine if the unit is a candidate for our full restoration process or if its just in need of a light service.

We first do a  basic functionality test to ensure proper playback fast forward and rewind.  We look for smooth operation of the motors, transport engagement and associated rolling parts.  

We then do an internal physical inspection to ensure the belts and rubber consumable parts are up to spec.  

Internal components are checked to make sure that there are no signs of heat stress or damage particularly in the power supply section.  Capacitors are checked for telltale signs of predictive failure including bulging, shrunken wrappers, or physical leakage. We also inspect the PCBs for discoloration from resistors or transistors that may have been running hot. On vintage units we often spot check select capacitors for value and ESR. 

A light service will involve replacement of belts and rollers, external cleaning of heads, mechanism and boards and basic record and playback tests.  

A full restoration will often include disassembly of the drive system and replacement of all consumable and wearable parts including pinch rollers, belts, brakes, bearings.  We then clean lubricate and re-assembly the drive and perform basic mechanical alignment to ensure proper tape path and head alignment. 

Final calibration will involved adjustment of playback erase and record heads and optimization of the bias for a specific tape type.  We do this with the aid of a  Soundtech 1510A tape deck analyzer and a Nakamichi T100 unit and reference calibration tapes.  

Final listening tests are done while monitoring with our reference Grado HP1 headphones and a variety of factory and custom reference recordings.  We find that there is no better system for critical listening on tapes than the headphones specially when comparing a live feed to a recorded feed.