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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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26th Sep 2019, 2:39 pm | #1 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,220
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Unknown Spinney tape recorder
I was offered another tape recorder this morning, and it's something I collect so...
Anyway, I can find no name or model number anywhere on it. It's a blue and white 'Rexine' covered plywood case. It uses the BSR TD2 deck, the amplifier is to the left of this rather than in front as is more usual. There are 3 features on the amplifier panel -- a recording level indicator (looks to be an EM81, although I have not extracted it yet), a combined on/off and treble control and a volume control (probably also used for recording level. There's a recessed panel on the back carrying the voltage selector and a strip of 4 phono sockets -- microphone, line in, line out, speaker. The unit uses 3 valves and a metal rectifier (I assume, I've not found it yet). The EM81 I mentioned, an ECC83 and an ECL86. The 2 latter valves are Mullard, the output transformer says 'Richard Allen Audio' on it, the internal (small-ish) speaker is Elac. So at least companies I've heard of. The only possible identifiction was a loose 'luggage label' type of tag loose inside (inside the 'works', not on top of the deck, so probably not just fallen there by accident). It has (I assume) the employee numbers of the people who built it, tested it, etc. And the indentification 'Spinney'. I understand that was a Littlewoods house brand (based on the obvious pun), but it doesn't look like any of the 'Spinney' machines I could find on the web. Now I know this was originally a cheap domestic machine and is nowhere up to the level of some of the other machines I own (Revox, Ferrograph, Brennell, even Philips N4450) but I'd still like to find out more about it. I'll try to put some photos up sometime... |
26th Sep 2019, 4:16 pm | #2 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kington, Herefordshire, UK.
Posts: 3,675
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
This is probably made by Sound (Tape Recorders) Limited, who supplied BSR and Collaro-decked domestics to chain stores and catalogues in large quantities and under myriad brand names in the first half of the 1960s. The indispensible Mac Hellyer wrote an article in his Tape Recorder Service series in Tape Recorder on these machines, headed "Some Sound Variants" if memory serves. Around 1965-66.
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26th Sep 2019, 5:18 pm | #3 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,220
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
Thanks for that. It gives me another thing to search for.
It's hardly a complicated machine and I am sure I can track down any faults without a circuit diagram but if I can find one it would be useful. |
26th Sep 2019, 7:11 pm | #4 |
Hexode
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Featherstone, West Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 386
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
Spinney was a trade name used by Littlewoods in the 60's.
There was a tread on these machines under member "Bumble Bee" on the 4th November 2013 Kevin |
26th Sep 2019, 7:56 pm | #5 |
Octode
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saltburn-East, Cleveland, UK.
Posts: 1,786
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
Hi, I have a "Spinney" branded Elizabethan LZ34 so it's possible that the machine you describe is an Elizabethan Popular 200 or 400, having said that mail order suppliers used a number of different badged machines over the years.
Looking forward to the pictures as that would help a great deal with identification. Andrew |
26th Sep 2019, 8:04 pm | #6 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Staffordshire Moorlands, UK.
Posts: 5,274
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
I think I have Which? 1960's tape recorder write-ups that include Spinney, might be in there if you can get a pic
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Kevin |
27th Sep 2019, 10:56 am | #7 |
Dekatron
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Location: Southwold, Suffolk, UK.
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
It's interesting to see that an EM81 was used as late as 1962 when the ECL86 was launched. Normally one would find an early version of the EM84.
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Edward. |
27th Sep 2019, 2:56 pm | #8 |
Dekatron
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Derby, UK.
Posts: 7,735
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
Are you sure it wasn't an EM85? This has the classic "angel wings" / "theatre curtains" display, but similar sensitivity as an EM84.
My Grandad used to have an Elizabethan tape recorder with a BSR TD2 deck and this kind of level indicator.
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If I have seen further than others, it is because I was standing on a pile of failed experiments. |
27th Sep 2019, 6:37 pm | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
It might well be an EM85. I just noticed the target shape on the panel and assumed it was an EM81.
Getting it out is quite a job so I haven't done so yet. [As an aside my digital camera has decided that even new batteries are flat. I've not had a chance to find out why yet, but it means no photos of this machine for a bit]. |
28th Sep 2019, 11:33 am | #10 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,220
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
Still not attemted to repair the camera...
But I did get the recording level indicator out of this machine. It's easier than it looks if you know the trick which is to remove the 2 knobs (pull off) then the plastic panel round the controls (4 woodscrews and a small nail). The indicator valve then comes out from the front of the panel. And it is a (Mullard) EM81. |
29th Sep 2019, 4:25 pm | #11 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: Biggin Hill, London, UK.
Posts: 5,220
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
I've bodged a repair to a digital camera (Oh, how I prefer working on film cameras like the Nikon F...) and taken a few pictures of this recorder.
They show (hopefully in order) the case closed, the cover removed showing the deck and amplifier controls, the insides of the machine (top panel removed and turned over showing the bottom of the TD2 and the amplifier) and the wiring on the underside of the amplifier (an end view of the last picture if you see what I mean). There was a date on that label I mentioned -- something like 'inspection' or 'test' -- anyway the last stages of the manufacture. 18/5/62. So that might help in identification. Anyone got any ideas what it is? |
2nd Oct 2019, 12:41 pm | #12 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Southwold, Suffolk, UK.
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
Be aware that many of the "Spinney" branded portable record players made in 1962 were built by ALBA. This might be a re-badged version of what Alba were selling at that same time. We had a Trade Account with Sound (Tape Recorders) Limited from 1959 until their demise and all of their products, even the most basic, used am EM84 level indicator.
I don't think they will have made this.
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Edward. |
3rd Oct 2019, 1:01 pm | #13 |
Dekatron
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Re: Unknown Spinney tape recorder
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