How to Find Vintage Reel-to-Reel Tape Recorders

Reel-to-reel tape recorders were used during the 1950s and early 1960s. Collecting vintage reel-to-reel recorders and recordings is now becoming popular with hobbyists. Many people have substantial collections of music and comedy that were recorded on reel-to-reel recorders several decades ago. Finding a recorder to play them is a lot cheaper than having the reels converted to cassette tapes or CDs.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Look on eBay. There are numerous vendors auctioning off vintage reel-to-reel tape recorders, and you can pick the brand, quality and price you want.

2. Check on the Internet for vendors of vintage reel-to-reel recorders. Find as many vendors as you can and compare their products, prices and presentations of the reel-to-reel recorders. You can learn a lot by researching these sites and may be able to determine the right make and model for you.

3. Try places like Goodwill. You may find a nice reel-to-reel tape recorder that someone donated after finding it in their attic during a spring cleaning.

4. Call or visit local shops specializing in the repair of recorders. They may fix vintage recorders as a hobby themselves or may have one sitting around that was repaired for a customer who never returned to claim it.

5. Read the classifieds in the newspaper. Someone may be selling a reel-to-reel recorder. Call them and ask about the brand, age, condition and price.

Tips & Warnings

• Vintage reel-to-reel tape recorders are large and heavy. The delivery of a recorder purchased on a Web site could be expensive.
• Buying any product with moving parts from a Web site or auction house carries some risk. The reel-to-reel recorder you buy may not work well, and the cost to return it would be high. If you do buy from a Web site, research the number of years they have been in business.