[brenellic2000]

Hmmm.. thankfully I am not an audio-engineer so won't comment on the (so-called) mods yours has suffered! Whereas Brenell knew what they were doing, as time has shown, neither Papst nor Bogen did!

The STB-1 was short lived, but the AEI spool motors on the STB-1 are very reliable; the STB2 had Papst spool motors and on many the more professional/powerful Papst capstan motor which carried on to the Mk.6... however these still go o/c. It is entirely possible to re-engineer the deck plate to take AEI motors, but I suspect the task is too mammoth for most to stomach, so most will canabalise a decent deck... alas.

Likewise most heads can be fitted with simple engineering skills; one of my STB-2/10-1/2" has a Uher head. Here again Brenell's own heads rarely fail. The moral of this story is stick to an all-AEI Gold Mk.5 and fit stacked stereo heads... or the truly stunning Mk.7S - which is truly stunning and I know of one other (incomplete) example other than mine.

STB-1 vs STB-2? The STB-1 was half-heartedly aimed at the (home) studio market whereas the STB-2 was seriously aimed at the professional market and was far better specified; some had internal playback amps... but remember, they are mind bogglingly complex to use though very satisfying when working well. Most STB-2s were well used before retiring, so few survive in tact.

A decent Mk.610 stereo or a Type 19 is a worthy alternative... or indeed a Ferrograph Logic 7... or Revox A77!

Barry