I tried to post this on a thread already dedicated to the good ol' Otari MX5050, but didn't really get anywhere and kindof felt bad for hijacking the thread.

It's a BII-8 track version, 1/2" tape (2 reels included), and the guy is asking $400. it seems like a rather good deal to me, as i've seen the machines for more on ebay and elsewhere.

i have pictures (below), but i dont particularly know what to look for as far as nitpicking goes. this will be my first tape machine and i will be getting it primarily to learn the ways of tape recording on, as well as for the obvious perks of analog recording. i want to make sure that it's a good machine that will last me at least a while without any major work (though i'm willing to have it looked at and maybe tuned up a bit shortly after i buy it). i know that it's an expensive endeavor and will require regular maintenance, but is it a good buy?

pictures:

that's an mx5050 mkIII in those pictures. at least it sure does look a hell of a lot like mine... hehe. i did a bit of research before i bought mine and everything i read made it sound like the best 1/2" 8 track out there. i paid $525 (including shipping) for mine on ebay. $400 sounds pretty good to me (i think they retailed at $3,000 + brand new). unless of course stuff is broken on it. you should test it out real good to be sure it works (get some tape on there, press play, press record, etc etc). from my understanding, fixing these things usually costs a lot more than $400. oh and try to get the manual with it! it's $60 to get it from otari.

the mx 5050mk III-8 is a workhorse.
I bought mine 1987 and used it for lots of Foley and ADR sessions , also lots of band recordings.
The great thing is syncing to SMPTE as a slave.
It locks the quickest i've seen.
The only problem i've had was to change the relays, which were easily replaced.
As long as you can afford the tape and know how to maintain it , it's a good price.
I still use mine every day.

Love this machine. Got mine for $350 from ebay and
a local pickup. Haven't used it in a while but have
a project next week using it.. Nothing like committing
to stereo drums on the way in.

decided not to buy it.

bad time for me to get a tape machine. just another thing to move in june (already have to deal with a piano), and another debt to pay off.

win some, lose some.
hope the same deal is around when i can afford/deal with it

two years later...

the deal was here, i was ready, and i didn't have to pay for shipping cause it was local enough to pick up!

plus, i got a broken 4 track mx5050 for parts in the deal!



yeah, i'm pretty stoked right now.