Repairing Sony Betamax

[lingyi]

Does anyone know: 1) A good place to repair a Betamax in Hawaii, 2) barring Hawaii, a reliable place in the Continental US, 3) about how much it would cost and related, 4) if these machines are worth fixing.

I have two ED7500's and a SLHF2000 (the 20th Anniversary Beta). All have the typical loading failure problem and I know at least one of the 7500's needs a replacement video head.

I haven't used them in years, telling myself that I'll get them fixed someday and defiinitely can't bring myself to trash them. I can't use a transfer service, because most of the rare tapes I have aren't copyright free (but aren't likely to see the light of day on DVD. Besides, I'd love to see the ED Beta quality once again!

[mazinz]

You might be up against the wall on this one. If you could find a repair place in the US it would cost you an arm and a leg (and that is even if they can even find used parts for it. I do recall seeing one website many years back that specialized in restoring beta vcrs but they were all like 400-600$). Your best bet might be to search Ebay for the same machines and swap parts (or pay to have it done), then again if you get a working version from ebay- there you go!.

[wulf109]

http://www.mrbetamax.com/

[moxiecat]

I concur with the Mr. Betamax suggestion. I used him last summer to repair a SL-HF1000. He was excellent--can replace worn parts, lubricate it, clean it. Much more reliable to use a real pro like him than going to a local repair shop (my local one screwed up one of my Betas because they wouldn't admit they didn't know how to fix it!). There is an up-front fee for cleaning/alignment, with additional costs (if needed) after he receives your machine and looks at it. There are also extensive packaging instructions so the machine stays safe in transit. Check out his site and just e-mail him to get started.

[lingyi]

Thank you for your comments.

I've visited the MrBetamax site before and had contacted him about possible repair.

Glad to hear the positive comment about his service.

I'll ask again about getting his services and charges.

[dmanyc]

I have sent three Betamax machines to Mister Betamax for reconditioning. I highly recommend him and his work. I don't know how old he is, but I pray he is around a lot longer. He is an invaluable resource!