Sony TC-399 Open Reel Deck - Noisy Input & Vintage Tapes 

Some time ago I finally got around to repairing my Sony TC-399 open reel deck. It was noisy and distorted when recording at first but the problem went away after a brief warm up. I had myself convinced it was an electrolytic bypass or coupling capacitor that was misbehaving. Well you can watch the video to see what I found.
I also don't recommend 35 year old TDK tapes. It's a quick way yo bung up your machine!