CASSETTE WEEK: Old 4-track portastudios are now very, very cheap on eBay, rarely selling for more than £50. Ancient 80s models are even cheaper. The Teac 144 was the first ever Portastudio, launched in 1979. It's a cool looking thing, with big analog VU meters and loads of knobs. But it is very old. The last three on eBay went for £16, £30 and £17. However, if the machine has a 'celebrity' past, it can be very different. this auction for a Portastudio owned by Martin Degville (seen here in the fur coat) from Sigue Sigue Sputnik (it "comes with a 4 track master of one of their sessions circa 1980") is currently selling for £162 - and it still hasn't beaten the reserve. I can only imagine how SSS must have sounded before Giorgio Moroder got hold of them. And yes, you read that right. £162!
6/21/2005
Sigue Sigue Sputnik's old portastudio
CASSETTE WEEK: Old 4-track portastudios are now very, very cheap on eBay, rarely selling for more than £50. Ancient 80s models are even cheaper. The Teac 144 was the first ever Portastudio, launched in 1979. It's a cool looking thing, with big analog VU meters and loads of knobs. But it is very old. The last three on eBay went for £16, £30 and £17. However, if the machine has a 'celebrity' past, it can be very different. this auction for a Portastudio owned by Martin Degville (seen here in the fur coat) from Sigue Sigue Sputnik (it "comes with a 4 track master of one of their sessions circa 1980") is currently selling for £162 - and it still hasn't beaten the reserve. I can only imagine how SSS must have sounded before Giorgio Moroder got hold of them. And yes, you read that right. £162!
Go on Sabastian, you buy it and turn it into some kind of circuit bent multi-dimensional tribute to SSS... Then sell it on eBay!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of circuit bending... Not only could a second hand Portastudio be repurpose into a mixer, but the tape section could be hacked into a tape echo. Alternatively, through the magic of cassette loops, a four track loop recorder/player. £17 quid, did you say? Hmmm...
ReplyDeletecheck out the 5kg cellphone - dude, thats style
ReplyDeleteeasier to grip with fingerless gloves - yeh!!
Chris Thorpe -
ReplyDeletecan you provide more info? I just dumpster-dived a (mostly) working 144...
Housepig
Sadly all my suggestions were hypothetical as I don't have such a generous dumpster nearby! But for the lowdown on cassette loops, you can't beat this article - http://www.loopers-delight.com/tips/multitrack.html. Otherwise, you could just ignore the cassette portion and use it as a mixer.
ReplyDeleteJust cam across your post...Few years ago Martin Degville was in the habit of picking up guys from a pub in Maida Vale...luckerly I escaped.
ReplyDeleteI remember Sigue Sigue Sputnik best for the naked roadies!
ReplyDeleteCool Sputty site...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.zardsputnik.com
LOADS of free sSs Mp3's !
Thier album "Flaunt It" is a masterpiece. Having said that, SSS were only great because of Georgio Moroder,everything else by them pretty much suxxx.
ReplyDeleteAlso interesting(IMO), what is Georgio Moroder without Harold Faltemeyer? Just thought I'd put the idea out there...