Akai X-1800 SD reel to reel w/ 8 track player from the 1970s

[MrSandMan]

Found one of these near mint with original box and packaging. Would you consider this vintage? I cannot find much info on it. It's a really nice system. It has speakers built in... just flip the aluminum doors on either side. Another neat feature is it plays 8 tracks.

It has input areas for a remote control, headphones and "REC/P.R." I also found some videos on youtube of this very same model in action. The owner is playing a recorded live radio station from 1965 'Robert W. Morgan' "Morganized" See the video [HERE]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BzKqW7wPMj4

I don't see myself using this machine, so I threw it up the GEAR-VAULT. (http://www.gear-vault.com/classifieds/Akai-X1800-SD-Reel-2-Reel-from-1970-mint-w-original-box-and-packaging,name,100836,auction_id,auction_details) (not 56k friendly)

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/Chazzy29/X1800SD%20recorder/DSCN4438Medium.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/Chazzy29/X1800SD%20recorder/DSCN4444Medium.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c66/Chazzy29/X1800SD%20recorder/DSCN4443Medium.jpg

[Brian Krashpad]

Wow, that's cool and definitely vintage. My Dad had a very similar Sony reel-to-reel that had speakers in the removable lid as well. People used to ask me to bring it to parties and put it outside for party music-- that way they didn't have to tear down their home stereos, plus iirc those tapes were like 3 hours long if you recorded at the slower speed. Set it and forget!

For a long time we had ours connected to our home stereo system, I used to tape stuff of the radio, like the "King Biscuit Flour Hour" concert series. Those tapes probably still exist somewhere.