Mara Machines MCI JH24 2" 16-Track #PB (Vintage)

The Mara Machines JH24 2” is the machine that made MCI famous. You have heard this machine before - it was the workhorse machine for studios all over the United States for all of the 1980s. These machines record at both 15 & 30 IPS , and have separate controls for both speeds, so you can toggle between speeds at the flip of a switch.

Your Mara Machine will be completely restored, aligned, heads adjusted, re-soldered, every connector cleaned and re-seated. Even the power supply fans are rebuilt during the restoration process!

Features

• Totally restored
• New IC sockets
• Repainted deck
• Wide-track format
• Support for first-time tape machine owners
• Six-month parts warranty - 90 day labor

The Restoration Process

"I achieve the same level of restoration for each machine. I basically tear the machines completely down to the frame, and re-assemble as I re-solder the Molex connectors and other stress points on the machine. This takes place in the power supply, transport and audio boards. Roughly 500 solder points and 80 IC chips are reworked, re-soldered or cleaned... and that’s on the two track machines. The total number of solder points and connectors multiplies quickly as tracks are added.

All of this happens before I even turn the machine on. I re-solder everything to help insure that future problems are headed off at the pass.

After that, every transport adjustment is made - lifters, brakes, tensions, etc., then on to the audio. All head adjustments are made (heads are not re-lapped unless needed) and all audio channels are aligned at all speeds. Certain capacitors get replaced, like the capacitor that controls the accuracy of the counter. I do not recap the audio cards unless they don’t meet spec. I strive to have a complete restoration, yet meet an affordable price point. For instance, a total audio recap and head re-lap on every machine would increase the price drastically and is rarely actually needed.

After all of that I burn them in by using them in my all-analog studio called "Welcome To 1979" to make sure no other issues pop up before they go out the door.

I should also mention that every machine comes with a six-month warranty! The beauty about the MCI decks is that they are very, very modular. Each channel is broken up into separate cards to handle the different tasks of the channel. If a problem is to occur, we can diagnose it together by swapping cards and the problematic card can be shipped to me for repair or replacement. The same goes for the transport and power supply.

Regarding the heads: These machines were built to run tape across the heads 10 hours a day for years. Typically the heads are the best part of the machines we select to become Mara Machines. If the heads are bad, it’s an indication of the condition of the rest of the machine. Heads, like tires, have a wear indicator so I can easily judge whether a machine is worthy of refurbishing. I’ve had my own 2” machine running full-time in my studio for three years - a machine that’s been running full-time from the early 80s to the mid 90s - and I've have had no reason or inclination to re-lap the heads."

Chris Mara | Mara Machines

Stock Photo used - Actual item will be in similar condition