While in the sixth form, we had a language laboratory installed in the shool and knowing my interest in tape recording a fellow sixth former an I were volunteered to load lessons and maintain the laboratory. It was built by Cybernetic Developments and had a Truvox master deck and 30 BSR based Truvox consoles. Great fun was had at the weekends recording the Beatles....

 

Though I hankered after a Ferrograph Series 7 or a Brenell STB with its mesmerising array of knobs, financial constraints only allowed me to buy a new Sony TC377 -  a truly delightful machine which served me well until I got a myself a Ferrograph Series 6 and a Revox A77 Mk.I, which to my mind remains one of the finest hi-fi decks made.

 

One day, when getting my Armstrong receiver serviced, I fell for a mint Brenell IC-2000 - it was love at first sight! I had heard of the IC-2000 in the late 1970s, but this was the first time I had seen one in the flesh. I was smitten and a week later, utterly broke! The IC-2000 now forms "the heart of my hi-fi system" connected to my Garrard 401, Armstrong and Mordaunt Short Pageants - and on a 'good' day it will still pick up short wave radio from Tokyo and Denver!

 

Thus begun my collecting of Brenells and researching their history,  M' Lud.

 

Now, I don't profess to be either an audio-engineer or electronics expert, so the following comments are from personal experience and observation. It has only been possible through the good friendship and trust of enthusiastic vintage hi-fi engineers, such as Colin Braddock and Geoff Kremer, that I am able to confidently enjoy the splendour of vintage valve hi-fi.

 

 

Fortunately, Brenells are very reliable, sustantially built and mechanically, "bomb-proof", just like pre-Series 7 Ferrographs. The BT-H and Papst motors are generally very reliable, though Papst motors are prone to hesistancy and dampness and do need to be regulalry powered up and run to keep them in fine fettle - but that is also true of any piece of mechanical equipment, be it a tape recorder or vintage camera, as oils and greases will oxidise and solidify over time.

 

The Mullard based valve pre-amplifiers are likewise pretty much bomb proof and are infinitely repairable, but recording heads are a major problem. The older 'Brenell' made heads seem to be pretty reliable and robust, but the Bogen 'Universal' heads, fitted to the majority of Brenells, are prone to being 'open circuit' often through exposure to dampness or over-enthusistic attention by ohm-meter wielding users checking for continuity - NEVER check a head with an ohm-meter unless you know what you are doing! Bogen heads are seemingly impossible to source new and are increasingly difficult to find secondhand in working order, especially stereo 1/4 and 1/2 track versions. New British made "Phi-Magnetronic" or the American "Nortronic" heads can be fitted, with some ingenuity, if all else fails.

 

Those parts unique to Brenell, such as the plastic head covers and Bulgin plastic rhomboid shaped control knobs, are prone to damage and crystallisation through ageing and are, to all intents and purposes, unobtainable unless one cannibalises another machine - but they are repairable by specialists, so don't throw them away! The Bulgin control knobs are now available again from RadioSpares through dealers. Pinch wheel rollers can be recast provided you still have the original hub! Back to Bulgin control knobs; these are very prone to damage at the grub screw entry hole. Use the correct size flat head screwdriver and exert firm but gentle pressure to avoid the screwdriver from slipping and breaking the knob. With great care, a really stubborn brass grub screw can be assisted by a  heated screwdriver to partially expand the thread but it needs great care. Make sure the shaft has a flat face and reinsert the grub screw with a slight smear of 'copperease' anti-seizure grease to ensure easy removal at a later date!

 

Industrial and professional models such as the STB, Type 19 and Mini-8 are invariably for sale simply because they are worn out! But good ones can still be found and like most British equipment, can be resuscitated by specialists. Be aware though that many professional decks will have been modified to suit specific needs - this is not always evident! It sounds obvious, but try and get the circuit diagram showing these modifications - it will save a lot of headaches later on! 

 

As with any piece of secondhand equipment, it is very much a case of  caveat emptor - let the buyer beware. Nothing is ever sold without good reason! Most vendors are honest but there are too many rogues who will disguise or not declare a fault, especially on internet auction sites. If at all a possible, always see the machine for yourself and test it with the vendor. Some 10-1/2" models which come up for sale have been user modified to accommodate 10-1/2" reels by re-drilling the deck and masking plates - a genuine 10-1/2" model will be marked as a Mk.510 or Mk.610 on the manufacturer's plate.

 

 

So, what are Brenells like? They are generally regarded as being more 'agricultural' and  mechanically, slightly inferior to an early Ferrograph and Revox. To a degree, that is fair comment, but when it comes to the more important quality of sound reproduction, Brenells are definately superior to a Ferrograph and, when correctly set up, are on a par with a Revox A77 - after all, Revox also used Papst motors and Bogen heads - as did Truvox towards the end!

 

A great blessing with Brenells is that, unlike the Ferrograph Series 7, they used non-degrading synthetic rubber idler and pinch wheels, which can of course be recast when the rubber cracks and dries - provided of course you haven't thrown away the brass hub! Mechanically noisy decks are invariably due to a hardened idler wheel or dry bearings.

 

A Brenell tape recorder comprises three components - deck, power supply and pre-amplifier - all available separately. Many Mk.4s and Mk.5s were sold thus and fitted into off the shelf cabinets, not necessarily supplied by Brenell, or cobbled together as packages by specialistic hi-fi dealers such as Sterns. All the machines illustrated here are in their standard Brenell cabinets.

 

That's it! There are no significant problems with a Brenell - after all the Mk.4,  Mk 5, Mk.6 and IC-2000 all shared, essentially, the same deck! The 3-Star is a truly delightful domestic machine, however it does have a unique deck and set of plastic parts which are extremely difficult to source new or secondhand. Mechanically, the belt driven 3-Star is considerably noisier than a Mk.5.

 

Which model to get? The mono Mk.5M Series 3 is undoubtedly the best alrounder for day to day use - stereo heads can of course be fitted. For an off the shelf stereo, the Mk.6 is superb, but for novelty and complexity, the STB1 or STB2 will give hours of totally frustrating fun!

 

 

When buying a second-hand machine avoid powering it up as soon as you unpack it, for despite the best efforts of the vendor and carrier, they will get 'shaken up' in transit. Check for loose wires, valves etc., or better still get a competent audio engineer to check it out for you.

 

Just remember!  - DON'T poke around inside with the mains swicthed on unless you really do know what you are doing!

 

Most machines will be grubby - a well wrung soapy cloth will clean off most of the dirt. Ingrained dirt may need methylated spirits or iso-propynol  - but generally I would avoid the widely advertised aerosol cleaning sprays as their powerful solvents can cause damage to screen printed legends on metal, but especially leathercloth.

 

A good quality, cream-furniture polish is ideal for that final sparkle - again be careful of aerosol polishes.

 

Most of the cabinet fittings are high quality 'Cheney' units, these were gilt on early models and nickel plated on later models. These will generally polish up with a fine toothbrush and metal polish, but if the plating has lifted there is not much you can do about it. 'Rexine' leathercloth trim can be stuck back down with a suitable adhesive.

 

Brenell's owner manuals and circuit diagrams are available as legible copies via the 'Links' pages. There are very few books on tape recorders, but I can recommend Phil Van Praag's excellent publication "Evolution of Audio Recording" which has a very useful servicing guide and history section.

 

Other than a smear of "Vaselene" on sliding surfaces and a merest drop of oil on bearings (BT-H motors require the occasional oiling) and pivots, there is no further maintenance required other than regular cleaning of heads and tape guides. Make sure no oils gets onto rubber wheels or tape guides!

 

 

Spool brakes need careful setting up and adjustment for back tension to prevent spooling spillage on over-run. Spool motors run at frighteningly high speeds and for that reason never run a Brenell without its spool retaining thumb-screws - avoid Ferrograph's "Hub-lock" spools as these tend to jam on the spindle!

 

Never leave a Brenell to fast rewind or fast forward unattended if you value your tapes!

 

Unlike the Ferrograph Series 7 and Logic 7, Brenells do not have a variable spooling speed control, so well before you need to stop the tape, turn the fast forward/rewind lever momentarily to the opposite direction to slow down the spools - you won't do any damage or harm the motors!

 

 

Aluminium and plastic spools are of a different thickness - tape guides and later Papst spool turntables are height adjustable to prevent tape edge damage. Aluminium10-1/2" spools need special attention and for that reason, the 3-piece 10-1/2" DIN/AEG/NAB centres included an aluminium spacer. Early alloy spools, such as those from EMI, were built up around a hub - most are horribly out of true and may need rebuilding! On 10-1/2" Brenells, there is danger of the two eccentric spools 'kissing' at  high speed and emitting static discharges!

 

..and finally - Long Play or Standard play? Either - but with the very high spooling speeds, standard play tends to survive better on 10-1/2 models, though standard play tapes tend to deposit more ferric-oxide on the heads and guides! As a matter of interest, early Brenells were supplied as standard with a spool of EMI-tape and a small Acos crystal or Lustraphone LD61 button mushroom - they later used the LFV59Z dynamic or VR64Z ribbon as well as Reslo models. With the Mk.5, they swapped alegience to BASF tape, simply because BASF offered a free spool and take up spool for every machine sold - as indeed BASF did for other makers. Thus Brenells were set up with a bias for BASF LGS and their later LH/Super LH tape. The Mini-8 was set up for Scotch tape to appeal to the American market.

 

 

As I say, these are personal observations and I cannot be held responsible for any damage caused to your machines, tapes or your pride.