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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 19th Aug 2020, 5:53 pm   #1
DMcMahon
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Default Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Thought I would start this Thread because I think they are not well known and when known maybe not well liked in the UK, would be interesting to know if anybody else has any experience of them.

Up to just over a year ago I did not realise that Braun had done tape recorders, I did vaguely know they had done some Hi-Fi equipment. At this time a friend told me he had watched an interesting TV documentary about the German designer Dieter Rams. I watched the documentary on catch-up and learnt that Dieter Rams had been a chief design engineer at Braun for a long period, during the documentary there were several brief shots of Braun tape recorders in the background.

I then read up on them and found they had produced six TG Reel to Reel Recorders starting with the TG 60 around 1964, then later following on with the TG 502, TG 504, TG 550, TG 1000 and their last R2R recorder being the TG 1020 around 1974 with production finishing around 1977.

The TG 1020 is an improved TG 1000, the main design work and manufacture of the TG 1020 evidently was carried out by Uher & ASC for Braun.

As far as I know all are solid state, stereo, 2 or 4 track.

I assume TG stands for Tonbandgerät which is the main generic German word for a tape recorder.

By the way the TG 60 and TG 550 must be quite rare and sought after as they seem to sell sometimes well over £2k up to £3k sometimes, so if anybody has these particular models in their attics then worth hanging onto them.

I think the models prior to the TG 1000 are better looking, with the TG 1000 & TG 1020 having the better specs.

At this time I brought my first TG 1000, then fairly quickly followed by another 3 plus a TG 1020, I really like them a lot.

One of Braun’s main design philosophies is “Keep it simple/less is better”, so the TG series are fairly simple with no bells and whistles. They are quite compact units but surprisingly heavy, they have 3 speeds, speed control is all electronic, with top speed being 7 1/2 ips, my TG 1020 has had its bottom speed of 1 7/8 ips modified to 15 ips.

There are 2 main colour variants, the all black and the black with silver control panel. They are a 3 motor transport design with relay/solenoid control and their small Papst reel motors are fast and smooth, max pools size is 8 3/4" / 22cm.

No English documentation for them (in terms of Service and User information) and I find some of the German Service manual information rather strange, when auto translated, some of it does not make much technical sense and reads more like it was written by an art person.

The 2 examples in the first photo show some of the typical common problems, namely broken headphones volume control/missing control knob, broken push button switch (RWD/rücklauf in my case), both tape counter belts broken & blown VU meter bulbs.

One of the things I do not like about them is the small VU meters and no illumination of the VU meters in Playback (should be easily modifiable) and the fact like many other recorders the VU meters only display the record signal.

Service and fault finding wise they are reasonably easy to work on, although the main amplifier/control board can be difficult to get to some of the components.

There appears to be quite a few modifications to the TG 1000/TG 1020, finding any technical details on the modifications is extremely difficult.

David
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Old 19th Aug 2020, 6:52 pm   #2
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Have you got around to listening to them yet, if so what's the sound quality like (or are you still at the preliminary "safety" check stage)?

Do they use Bogen heads? Looks like no output amplifiers?

Mike
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Old 19th Aug 2020, 7:29 pm   #3
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Long past safety checks Mike, to my ears they sound good quality, they do not have internal power amps/speakers so have to be output (DIN) to external amp.

Currently unsure about the heads, they do look quite similar to Bogen heads on some of my Uhers.

David
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Old 19th Aug 2020, 9:43 pm   #4
Ted Kendall
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Woelke (Miniflux) heads, if memory serves. The Braun decks pre-date ASC, and as I understand it the designer moved and took his ideas with him when Braun abandoned open reel. Broadly similar quality to Revox, although without its modular construction and consequent serviceability..
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Old 21st Aug 2020, 10:44 am   #5
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

As a pretty neophyte reel-to-reel appreciator, I've never put a whole tape through one. On my list of 'machines I may be able to afford and like looking at' the TG1000 has a high placing. The Uher SG630's on that list too. I didn't know about the 550 or 60, but then they're far too collectible for me!

Your examples look very good. I think Ted Kendall's right. When I was trying to find out what this handsome machine was, my first point of collision with information was by looking for ASC machines, which apparently started up after the end of TG1020 production.
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Old 21st Aug 2020, 12:56 pm   #6
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

The omega drive on the 630 can be troublesome and the replay hum levels leave much to be desired.
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Old 21st Aug 2020, 1:17 pm   #7
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Bulgaria View Post
As a pretty neophyte reel-to-reel appreciator, I've never put a whole tape through one. On my list of 'machines I may be able to afford and like looking at' the TG1000 has a high placing. The Uher SG630's on that list too. I didn't know about the 550 or 60, but then they're far too collectible for me!

Your examples look very good. I think Ted Kendall's right. When I was trying to find out what this handsome machine was, my first point of collision with information was by looking for ASC machines, which apparently started up after the end of TG1020 production.
I always liked the look of the Uher 631 (very similar to the 630) and in another Thread Ted had said they can have poor hum levels.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Bulgaria View Post
Your examples look very good.
All my 5 Brauns are fairly good condition, close up there are the usual marks consistent with age.

Internally the worse condition one is the TG 1020 (the black one in the photo), the most modern of the 5. It had quite a bit of bad corrosion that had eaten away some of the metalwork plating.
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Old 21st Aug 2020, 2:31 pm   #8
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

A few more photos.
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Old 22nd Aug 2020, 1:14 pm   #9
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

They are very attractive machines. Like something that could jump out of Solaris. I like the unapologetic German-ness of these and Uhers. Square and black with good knobs. They're certainly more scientific-looking than the rounded pizazz of the '50s decks. I have one of my German friends keeping a lookout for an SG630/631, though I think a 560/561 might come first as they don't seem to be very sought after.

In these days of digital perfection, I find the fun of tape is mostly look and feel, since technical performance is not considered suitable for mainstream use beyond a particular effect. Perhaps that means 'design' and in this case Dieter Rams, has more of an effect than it did when they were new.

I'm interested in the hum - surely that's the kind of thing a determined fettler could reduce, though I'm surprised with Uher's reputation that they didn't iron it out.
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Old 22nd Aug 2020, 1:55 pm   #10
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

The main reason Uher didn't chase it down, I think, is that the DIN weighted figure was OK, but it still defined the noise floor on replay. Some judiciously applied mu-metal sheet would probably improve matters - there was a simillarly field-induced problem on the early Revox A700s. Problem now is finding it - Telshield was a brand name - and working it without spoiling the magnetic properties. Cut it with scissors and don't kink it.

As for design, it's a pity the clean external appearance of this school is not carried over to the innards. The interior design of the Revox A77 was so clean and obviously right that full page colour photographs of the works featured in Revox's adverts.
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Old 22nd Aug 2020, 1:59 pm   #11
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

TG60 styling matched TS45 tuner amplifier,which I remember used germanium devices.
It required major dismantling to replace the counter belt which was a pain.

The design of these decks survived under a different brand name and were used in
language labs, with full remote servo operation possible.
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Old 22nd Aug 2020, 6:11 pm   #12
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

I think the TG60 is the best looking of the lot - clean and simple. And like hen's teeth.
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Old 22nd Aug 2020, 6:33 pm   #13
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Quote:
Originally Posted by Uncle Bulgaria View Post
They are very attractive machines. Like something that could jump out of Solaris. I like the unapologetic German-ness of these and Uhers. Square and black with good knobs. They're certainly more scientific-looking than the rounded pizazz of the '50s decks. I have one of my German friends keeping a lookout for an SG630/631, though I think a 560/561 might come first as they don't seem to be very sought after.

In these days of digital perfection, I find the fun of tape is mostly look and feel, since technical performance is not considered suitable for mainstream use beyond a particular effect. Perhaps that means 'design' and in this case Dieter Rams, has more of an effect than it did when they were new.

I'm interested in the hum - surely that's the kind of thing a determined fettler could reduce, though I'm surprised with Uher's reputation that they didn't iron it out.

Many months ago I was very close to getting an SG 631 but got outbid by a few pounds at the last second of an auction. Fairly shortly afterwards I saw Ted's comments in another Thread about the hum issue which surprised me as assumed that Uher would be quite good in that area.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Kendall View Post
The main reason Uher didn't chase it down, I think, is that the DIN weighted figure was OK, but it still defined the noise floor on replay. Some judiciously applied mu-metal sheet would probably improve matters - there was a simillarly field-induced problem on the early Revox A700s. Problem now is finding it - Telshield was a brand name - and working it without spoiling the magnetic properties. Cut it with scissors and don't kink it.

As for design, it's a pity the clean external appearance of this school is not carried over to the innards. The interior design of the Revox A77 was so clean and obviously right that full page colour photographs of the works featured in Revox's adverts.
Yes agreed the TG internals do not compare favourably with the Revox A77.
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Old 24th Aug 2020, 11:39 pm   #14
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Replaced blown bulb on TG 1020 right channel VU meter.

Started replacing the Headphones volume control on the TG 1020 that has a broken shaft but found the replacement part was a 1Mohm log, should be a 1kohm log, checked order from many months ago, had ordered correct part but incorrect part received !
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Old 2nd Sep 2020, 9:35 am   #15
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Ordered another 1k log stereo/dual potentiometer for the headphones balance from the same supplier but again received a 1Mohm Log pot. Contacted the supplier and turns out all their stock of the 1k Log pot is the incorrect 1Mohm Log version. They found out from their supplier that the 1K is no longer available so have refunded me.

I have now ordered the pot from another supplier, had to order one with a splined shaft.
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Old 2nd Sep 2020, 10:40 am   #16
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

"spoiled' mumetal can be recovered by annealing.

If you can find a domestic oven with the 'pyrolux' self cleaning feature, they go to 500C for 2.5 hours and then slowly cool over the next few hours, and they seem to do the job nicely. Gave me a good excuse to get one when I redid the kitchen 20 years ago!

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Old 16th Sep 2020, 10:25 pm   #17
DMcMahon
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcMahon View Post

By the way the TG 60 and TG 550 must be quite rare and sought after as they seem to sell sometimes well over £2k up to £3k sometimes, so if anybody has these particular models in their attics then worth hanging onto them.

David
A TG 502 on sale in Germany for 4,000 Euros !
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Old 21st Sep 2020, 11:21 pm   #18
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Default Re: Braun TG Reel to Reel Tape Recorders

Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcMahon View Post
Ordered another 1k log stereo/dual potentiometer for the headphones balance from the same supplier but again received a 1Mohm Log pot. Contacted the supplier and turns out all their stock of the 1k Log pot is the incorrect 1Mohm Log version. They found out from their supplier that the 1K is no longer available so have refunded me.

I have now ordered the pot from another supplier, had to order one with a splined shaft.
Quite a while ago received the new pot but the shaft is too short ! my silly mistake by not noticing its length correctly.
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