Tape decks for recording bands on, what's a good one?

[Test Electrix]

Well I've just had the dream of building my own studio. Better start planning before I do anything that would be a waste of time.
I'm looking for something a bit more than a 2 track cassette, price no boundary but cheaper would be better if it's not going to affect quality. Been proper inspired by King Tubby and the rest of the mad dub heads, mashing, splicing and altering 'til it's beautiful...

 

[Winchester]

Here's a link to a used gear website - I haven't bought anything from here so I can't comment on service etc - but there's a couple of Akai reel-to-reels here.

http://www.choice-hifi.com/index.asp?page=34

And another link - select the "cassette-tape" option, there are a few reel-to-reels here too. I have dealt with the Trading Station about 3 years ago, they were friendly and excellent for service.

http://www.hifitradingstation.com/

Neither of these sites seems too expensive either - maybe you could get a couple of machines for multi-tracking?
However, I'm not sure about recording/playback head wear on older machines.
Hope this helps.
Cheers

 

[Bill Fuss]

If you want a near pro quality deck find an Otari MX5050, they made 2,4, and 8 track 1/2" versions. I used an 8 track for about 20 yrs, built like tanks and parts are still around. Probably around $1200 for a refurbed 8 track these days, cost around $5500 new.

Bill

 

[Test Electrix]

Yeah I found a website reccomending them and MDM I think, I'm trying to find out how hard it is to get hold of the tape because I don't wanna buy the machine then have nothing to run it with!