Walked in to my local thrift and spotted this nice black deck with nice VU meters and a black polished face it was heavy so I knew it was well built, pick it up for 10.00.

Who is BIC and how well manufactured are these decks??

Did I make a good buy??

OK, you are in for a treat. That is 3 head two speed cassette deck. It is one of the best decks around below the T-3 and most Nakamichis. In fact, in the old days, they were known on the street as the working mans Nakamichi. If it is running well, you probably have the best deck in your stack :)

Parts are still available, although getting scarce. B-I-C was a small (ish by Japanese standards) audio company that did a lot of inovative things. They made turntables, a line of cassette decks, speakers and such. They really tried hard to build as much quality into their products as the price point would support. Their speakers were the "Venturi" line and ported. They made big sound, but could get boomy. The cassettes are jewels. The turntable still have a following today.

You done REAL GOOD - that's a score in my book :)

I was gifted one last weekend. The belt is so loose that it doesn't play and it is going to be a pain to measure for a generic belt but it sure looks to be a quality piece. Have fun with yours! :)


Carl

Do a search for original B-I-C belts. There was a guy on the 'Bay sells original sets (and NOS drive motors). Also, I think Turntableneedles.com may have them listed? Or Marrs have them by catalog #?

This link may start you'all in the right direction: http://cgi.ebay.es/BIC-T-2-TWO-SPEED-Cassette-deck-REPAIR_W0QQitemZ270254588511QQihZ017QQcategoryZ478 4QQcmdZViewItem

thanks, probably will pick me up a set for the JUST in CASE

Thanks, the local generics are @2.75 and no shipping costs so I will try that first.



Carl