I got a 440 1/2 4 track awhile back and its been good /frustrating
thing . People have done the mic pre thing with the line channels but ive heard , they arent that great . The older tube models are the ones that people convert . go to the ampex mailing list site and talk to all the guys there . From what Ive been through its probably better to sell yours for a parts deck and wait for a more complete machien to buy . Email me and tell me what you got , I may need something .
gary

i got a 1/4" 2 track at a university surpluss store for very cheap. it was a 7.5 ips only machine, and the heads were in average shape. i ended up selling the heads for as much as i bought the machine for, and i use the line amps as outboard line amps. the ouput transformer and electronics in those things sound great . they really help stuff "stick out" in the mix. i often use them on vocals and lead gtr lines, and sometimes on snare. try it out.
mtar