Wollensak Model 5750 Vintage Reel to Reel Tape Recorder Restoration/Rebuild Project
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ClydeSight Channel on YouTube features 84 videos for vintage tape recorder lovers. Some are about reel to reel machines, others are about vintage cassette tape recorders.
ALL feature a narrated walkthrough of the functions of each machine, voice and music tests, and an exploration of the inner workings of each machine that has been lovingly restored by ClydeSight.
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This Website page is about the restoration of a vintage tape recorder, the Wollensak 5750 reel to reel tape recorder dating from approximately 1967, that was purchased on E-Bay and came as a DOA (Dead On Arrival). There is more about this on the Restoration Page in the Wollensak Discovery section.
There seems to be very little information about Wollensak tape recorders on the Internet, and these pages are presented to provide information that was gleaned during the restoration process, as well as some history of this machine, and the method of restoring it to functionality.
Exact dating on the origin of this machine is almost impossible because Wollensak produced two models of the 5750. The EV (early version) had a slightly different tape management and pinch roller assembly than the 5750 LV (late version). When Wollensak made the change is unknown.
Wollensak tape recorders were produced by the Wollensak Division of the 3M (Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company) -- probably best known for Scotch Brand® adhesive tape and today for Post-it® note paper. In the 1950's and 1960's their audio products had a tremendous impact on many lives, and Wollensak AV equipment (tape recorders, cassette players, etc.) were found in many schools and libraries.
3M also supported their machines with reel to reel tape, promoted the concept of "Living Letters" (cute little 3-inch reels of recording tape intended for correspondence), and were producers of the Dynarange reel to reel tape, which came on 5 and 7-inch reels of various lengths. Of course, 3M and Wollensak got into cassettes and 8-tracks as well. They were a major player in the audio equipment market for many years and Wollensak tape recorders were sometimes considered higher end audio equipment. More about 3M and Wollensak is outlined in the History section of this Web site.
The Wollensak 5000 series of audio reel to reel tape recorders date from about 1965 to 1969 and are an example of a "designer series" of reel to reel tape recorder. In addition to very good specifications for audio equipment, this reel to reel tape recorder - some models with "wing speakers" (i.e. the 5750) - had a very pleasing appearance, quite different from competing machines of the time. Yet even today this vintage audio reel to reel tape recorder is just as visually appealing as it was in 1967. At the time the machines were sold, Wollensak was careful to play this up in their advertising. It was a pioneering approach in mass marketing, and the design of the 5000 series was a fine example of thinking "outside the box". In some ways, they even re-invented the box (see the Restoration section for some of the innovations inherent in the 5000 series.)
The author of the information on these pages is neoclassical composer, Tim Thompson. His musical works can be heard elsewhere on ClydeSight Productions' many pages. Tim worked with a Wollensak 5750 EV reel to reel tape recorder when he was in college, so this restoration/rebuild project has great nostalgia for him.
Tim purchased his 5750 EV tape recorder from E-Bay and it arrived as a complete DOA (dead on arrival), vintage tape recorder. He expected as much from the way the seller was describing the unit, so this was no surprise. However, since he had worked with this type of reel to reel tape recorder in the past, he knew how to repair the dead unit that arrived.
This Web site is a chronicle of the restoration/rebuild process for a vintage reel to reel tape recorder dating from the 1960's, written to create an archive about this wonderful piece of vintage audio equipment for technical and historical interest. It uses FLASH and Javascript for some demos and illustrations. It discusses the historical importance of the reel to reel tape recorder in what is now the vintage audio equipment arena (in the Reel To Reel section), gives sources and examples of information about the Wollensak 5000 series of vintage reel to reel tape recorder (in the History section), a complete detailed description of Tim's restoration/rebuild of his vintage tape recorder - with images and movies in FLASH (in the Restoration section), and has a links page where tape recorder fans can find sources of parts and information about Wollensak as well as other vintage audio equipment, to help them in their own projects.
Seeing is believing, or in this case, hearing is believing. To see/hear a demonstration of the quality of this vintage audio equipment - the restored/rebuilt Wollensak reel to reel tape recorder - including a video, (FLASH demo - 2.5MB), please click here.
Please DO NOT ASK US how to sell your old machine or tapes or records. We will NOT respond to selling or value estimate inquiries.
