Advice on new/used player + manual for Nakamichi MB-3s

[TDWesty]

My Nakamichi MB-3s has been down for some time with a tray problems, something which plagued this machine for several years before it finally refused to open the tray. Does anyone know where I can find a service manual? I found the sound of this player veyr nice when I bought it new (comared with NAD, Marantz and Denon at the time), but don't really know if it's worth fixing. Few people seem to know anything about these MusicBank decks.

On another note, I'd like to find a decent new or used CD player for cheap, preferably something that is known to sound decent, and can be made even better with mods. I see plenty of 80s vintage NAD, Denon, Rotel, etc. on Ebay, but is it worth spending money on a player this old? Is it possible to get a decent player new for under $200 today, or are they all junk in that price range?

Thanks

[TDWesty]

I'm looking at a Carver TL-3100, vintage 1989, for around $60. Are these worth considering? I've never heard any Carver gear other than their amps. I won't have the luxury of hearing it first, so I'd love to hear from someone who has.

[bonz]

Hello,

I too own Nakamichi MB model CD players (MB-2s, MB-3s, & MB-3). I have had the same problems on and off for years.

Nakamichi changed their disc changing mechanism on the MB-s series. They started buying them from China (I believe). Needless to say, they were not designed as well as the older music bank systems from Japan. They went from metal framework parts and heavy duty gears to cheap plastic (anything to save a buck...).

If you don't mind converting it to a single disc player, I have step by step instructions (along with pictures) that show you how to do the modifications (only takes about 1/2 hour). After I modified mine, I never had another problem...

I will be happy to email this info to you if you want it...

I have found it is hard to beat the sound quality of the old Nakamichi CD players for anywhere near the money.

Bonz

[GringoAudio]

I bought an MB-3S on Ebay for $45 and it jammed within a few minutes of operation. I had filled all 7 trays with CDs. I removed the changer unit and took it apart. I just went slowly and observed how it came apart so I could put it back together. I got all 7 CDs out and put it back together. After another day it jammed again. Ultimately I found through multiple jamming incidents that it works fine if only the first 4 slots are filled. Anything in 5, 6, or 7 and it jams. Other than that it is a nice CD player.

Any tweaks available for this player?