Ampex 351 tube recorder

[RicharD]

I still have an old Ampex 351 tube recorder needing a rebuild.
Another reason to join this forum.

Me too....   :-[

[el grillo]

I still have an old Ampex 351 tube recorder needing a rebuild.
Another reason to join this forum.

Me too....   :-[ 

OMG!!

What a beautiful Ampex - where did you find that?

[RicharD]

fleaBay!

It's been at least 5 or 6 years ago.  I saw this listing for what I'd later found out was the remnants of Central Recording Studio of Topeka Kansas. I bid like $400.00 or something ridiculously low and actually won.  It had never dawned upon me I'd hafta drive to Topeka, but drive I did.  I arrived in Topeka around 9:00 at night.  The seller invited me over to have a look.  "You must be dieing to see this" he told me on the phone, so I went on over.  We hit it off right away.  Turns out his day job was he had been an electrical contractor too.  I ended up having a late supper with him and his wife and I even spent the night in their house.  The next morning we literally packed my truck to the gills.  He tossed in a bunch of extra stuff, like a box of tubes, a little devil drawer full of resistors, books, manuals, cable, and the sleeper of the deal,  A pair of Western Electric 121A line amplifiers.  I've been offered crazy money for their iron.  This was really my first tube project (kinda sorta).  It works.... does what it's supposed to and is as quiet as a church on Tuesday, but I got scared to use them because of the value of the iron.  I haven't had a decent experience on fleaBay since.   :D

[el grillo]

That was a great deal, $400 is probably what I paid for my ampex 601

Is that 351 a two track 1/2" ?

[JerryErickson]

I had a  2 track that I bought in the early 90's for $300. i was going to get it fixed up and never did. Put it on ebay last year and got  around a grand for it form Wayne Gunn at Audio Village. He's an interesting guy
and rebuilds and resells a bit of Ampex gear.

[Animatic]

So any progress on the Ampex 351?

I still have one my dad bought new, and it needs a rebuild.
Granted it is half a world away literally.

Still these are made into Monster Recorders to be used as
1", 2 tracks as mastering recorders and live tubes to tape systems, 
and are said to have an awesome sound.

[TubeGeek]

Are there compressors in the rack?

[RicharD]

No progress.  All that nice vintage Ampex gear rotting away in my garage.

No compressors.  1 - 351 1/4" stereo and 3 - 350 1/4" mono machines.