STUDER A80 Bearings and where to buy them - HELP!

[Tannoyista]

Hi all.

Can anyone recommend where to buy bearings for the transport of an A80?

I've seen Athan and PMW but the costs in shipping to the UK and minimum quantities are simply prohibitive. Athan charges $375 shipping!!??

Can anyone PLEASE give me a source of precise ABEC-5 or 7 bearings with the correct lubricant?

I've asked on so many forums but the only ones I've been recommended are the SKF ones which many say are noisy. Athan and PMW are not very enthusiastic in helping either.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Tannoyista]

anyone?

 

[Ki Choi]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fur-Studer...pe-Recorder-/132893173300?hash=item1ef10ce634

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fur-Studer...pe-Recorder-/132893178264?hash=item1ef10cf998

 

[Bruce B]

Just get a friend in the US to purchase them and send them to you.....

 

[jdza]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fur-Studer...pe-Recorder-/132893173300?hash=item1ef10ce634

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fur-Studer...pe-Recorder-/132893178264?hash=item1ef10cf998

Yes they’re the ones I use . Quiet and not gritty,plus a free baggie of gummi sweeties. 6 A 80s, 4 B 67 mk 2s, a an A 67,A 810 and every model Revox and no complaints. i have tried all sorts of high quality bearings and for a while I thought NTN ceramics were the greatest but not.

I post this with some trepidation as lately there has been all sorts of self styled Studer experts popping up ,denigrating us poor sods who,20 years ago when no one would touch these things,sat at the feet of the old Studer trained techs, trying to fish for info they sought to forget

 

[microstrip]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fur-Studer...pe-Recorder-/132893173300?hash=item1ef10ce634

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Fur-Studer...pe-Recorder-/132893178264?hash=item1ef10cf998

Do you have experience with these particular bearings? I had a poor experience with the pinch rollers I got from this seller.

Sometime in the past I could get NMB (Minebea Mitsumi ) bearings for the A80's and they were really excellent.

 

[audioguy1958]

I would not purchase bearings from Athan. The A810 replacement pinch roller I bought from them was junk, as well as one I bought from another supplier. I also need A80 reel motor bearings but I'm not sure what to expect anymore.

 

[Tannoyista]

Hmm... I must admit I've heard of another similar gripe about Athan.

They are really slow at getting back and not very helpful over email TBH.

 

[Bruce B]

I would not purchase bearings from Athan. The A810 replacement pinch roller I bought from them was junk, as well as one I bought from another supplier. I also need A80 reel motor bearings but I'm not sure what to expect anymore.

Have never had a problem with Athan.... been dealing with them 10yr.

 

[Tannoyista]

Fair enough... I'm still waiting for an answer from them though.

I'll keep searching anyway.

 

[audioguy1958]

Bruce, do you recommend the A80 reel bearings from Germany mentioned above?

 

[Bruce B]

Bruce, do you recommend the A80 reel bearings from Germany mentioned above?

Sure.... no problems with them either...

 

[audioguy1958]

Okay, I ordered both types they had for sale as I'm not sure which diameter my machine requires.

 

[jdza]

Okay, I ordered both types they had for sale as I'm not sure which diameter my machine requires.

You need 8 of the small bearings and a lot of the large ones (I'm guessing 16?). Please be very carefull with disassembly as flying circlips can be hell to find. A new supply of circlips is a very good idea. Carefully note the amount of thin spacer blades and washers in various locations and put them back exactly as found.This may seem odd in such a precision built device but it is this sort of fastidious alignment that makes an A80,well an A80. If the machine is at around 4000 hours most noise is going to come from the spooling motor bearings.Do not trust the mechanical hours counter on any Studer . After so many years the little teeth break and the numbers can be nonsense. Take great care in disassembling and reassembling those motors. Take great care in not damaging the brake bands and never disassemble the capstan motor!

Not an expert ,just learned the hard way.IOW let someone else do the job, if you can find someone .Most of the Studer trained techs I could find who did this servicing on a day to day basis in the heyday are now between late 70s and 90s and most preferred to forget that part of their lives.

In this country enormous amounts of A80s were used in all forms of radio studios, mainly news and program production , ridden hard 24 /365 for almost 30 years but were maintained with the manpower and budgets that only a state owned broadcaster can muster.

 

[sigitask]

Hi all.

Can anyone recommend where to buy bearings for the transport of an A80?

I've seen Athan and PMW but the costs in shipping to the UK and minimum quantities are simply prohibitive. Athan charges $375 shipping!!??

Can anyone PLEASE give me a source of precise ABEC-5 or 7 bearings with the correct lubricant?

I've asked on so many forums but the only ones I've been recommended are the SKF ones which many say are noisy. Athan and PMW are not very enthusiastic in helping either.

Any help would be really appreciated.

Thanks

I tried to use NACHI ABEC-5 bearings to my Telefunken M15, Nagra 4S, Ampex 350. And Abec-5 was more noisy then standard SKF bearings !

 

[sigitask]

I have bad experience with Athan. I bought pinch roller for my Ampex 350 from Athan, and bearings was extremely noisy. There is video:

 

[sigitask]

I put SKF bearings to my Ampex 350 tape stabilization roller, working quite silent.

 

[audioguy1958]

Try contacting Peter at Sepea Audio:
https://sepeaaudio.com/studer-parts/

 

[audioguy1958]

I have two new A810 pinch rollers of the 'roller bearing' type, and they are both garbage. Both are noisy as hell, one from Athan and one from another supplier.

 

[sigitask]

Lets look what this guy is selling. On picture possible to see that is the same SKF bearings Price for 1 bearing in Europe is 3-4 EUR.