faster and faster and faster it goes ... long

Tape Trail

Reel to reel, cassette and other analogue tape formats.

Hi, all - I have an Akai GX-280-D-SS, have had it for years - I got in the original boxes (one for the unit, one for the dustcover), with all the papers, etc., and so I think it lived a pretty quiet life until it came to my house.
So for all this time, it's sounded great - really really great, better sometimes than my Lenco or whatever else I compare with it. Recently, though, it's started acting out - for one thing, not playing at the correct, stable speed when I first start it up, and another (more distressingly), if no tape is playing or on the hubs, I can sometimes hear the motor spinning faster and faster until it gets up to what sounds like full-on fast forward. I have been able to "fix" it by engaging the other speeds/directions several times, but the problem keeps coming back. No smells, no other new or unusual sounds, etc., so I'm hoping that it's just a matter of dried oil or whatever.
I sometimes go for weeks sometimes without listening to it, but I usually turn it on when I'm listening to the big stereo (which is at least a couple times a week), so it's not a case where it has "stayed in the closet for 10 years" or anything.
Any ideas on what to do first to track this down? - is this "wow and flutter," or that and something else? the manual is cool and all, but I somehow doubt that address they gave me for service is good anymore ... I'm pretty adept at troubleshooting, but this is terra incognito, and I'd rather know the obvious dangers and standard answers before I go poking around

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Topic - faster and faster and faster it goes ... long - ToddM 10:15:17 07/11/06 (1)

Re: faster and faster and faster it goes ... long - Marantzguy 16:33:55 07/14/06 (0)

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