Tomorrow just before sunrise I’ll embark on yet another roadtrip/raid to secure a few reel-to-reel recorders. This time I’m on the hunt for a Revox PR99mkII and a Tascam ATR-60-2T in its console – with bridge and monitor unit!
My first stop is scheduled just 35kms into the journey to switch to a rental van in Alcañiz.
Though my own little Fiat Spider has crisscrossed Europe hauling up to three Revox recorders (one in the boot and two upfront) at a time, it will not hold this oversized Tascam; not even with its console disassembled.
On my way up, after crossing the Pyrenees at Pont del Rei, I’ll stop in Saint-Hilaire where I just may secure a Revox PR99mkII. The machine seems to be in excellent condition, sparingly used by an old lady, and accompanied by tapes, reels, hubs, original printed manuals (user and service), and a pair of AEG DIN ‘pancake’ plates.
However, I do need the seller to revisit his price. It’s a bit high (of course it is…). Normally, if the asking price is fair, I don’t haggle. I find it somewhat unbecoming. Anyway: two targets on this raid.
Departure
I did oversleep by an hour or so but still managed to get underway by 07:00. The small van was a delight to drive with a powerful AC and cruise control, a must-have for longer distances. The first part of the trip went smoothly until the entrance to the Juan Carlos I tunnel which cuts under the main spine of the Pyrenees.
An overturned truck blocked the roadway in both directions. The officer in charge of directing all traffic to a rest area next to the tunnel entrance assured all drivers that it would take “una horita” tops to clear the truck and its cargo.
Some 2.5 hours later, hungry, thirsty, and tired of waiting, I was on the verge of making a three hour detour through the Bielsa-Aragnouet tunnel when a big tow truck emerged hauling a severely mangled truck carcass. Patrol cars started moving and soon traffic started flowing.
A scenic drive followed through the Val d’Aran, dotted with picturesque villages clinging to the mountainside. After a while, the road joined the excessively boring A64 toll road towards Toulouse. Just before merging onto the city’s ‘périphérique‘, I veered to the west and after a few kilometres arrived in Saint-Hilaire. It’s a somewhat unremarkable hamlet but it did harbour a Revox PR99mkII.
The seller had advertised its condition as ‘impeccable‘ but it was not. The machine did, however, come with a box of goodies. I always wonder how owners and users of PR99s and B77s manage to push in and dislodge the VU meters and transport controls. Anyhow, a low-ball offer was promptly accepted without argument.
The sorry-looking machine and the accompanying haul of tapes, manuals, etc. was loaded up and after about 15 minutes I resumed the trip north to ‘Le Gite de Perruquines‘ (Wig Cottage) where my Tascam ATR-60-2T would be waiting.
The Big Prize
Without further ado Stéphane, the seller, took me to see the machine – sitting in a barn. Though everything else was covered by thick layers of dust and adorned with cobwebs, the Tascam had only arrived days before from Brittany. Stéphane, an accomplished recording studio engineer, lives there and was visiting his mom.
The Tascam ATR-60-2T looked absolutely stunning. We played a few tapes through its monitor unit (MA-650). The headphones I had brought along attested to its quality. The only imperfection I could spot was a non-functioning digital counter. The lights were on but remained at 00:00 with the reels spinning. Most likely a simple-to-solve problem with the tacho light source or its sensor.
After Stéphane disassembled the meter bridge, we coaxed the behemoth into the van and back I went. Bolstered by excitement over my cargo, I briefly considered driving strait back to Spain. Then the realisation hit that after breakfast I had not eaten at all. Google Maps showed me the way to the closest ‘MacDô‘. After devouring a super-sized order, I pointed the car towards the nearest Ibis, my favourite hotel chain for overnight stays in France.
Return
The return trip proved rather uneventful; no road closures or other obstacles to navigate. However, as per tradition, the best was saved for last.
The charming village of Saint-Béat-Lez sits on the Garonne River and is overlooked by a castle and armoury once known as the ‘Key to France’.
Verdant and with an impressive collection of statues, the village seems lost in time. Motorists on the Route Nationale 125 usually miss out for Saint-Béat-Lez is bypassed by a tunnel.
Onwards then to Spain. At first, the road cuts through a breathtaking scenery with deep gorges, azure reservoirs, tall dams, a rough-hewn tunnels. Here, villages are few and far between as the Pyrenees almost reluctantly make way for the fertile undulating plains of northern Catalonia and Aragón.
However, before long the idyll is broken by the mind-numbingly monotonous industrial flatlands around Lerida – an intermezzo as unavoidable as it is disagreeable between the dramatic valleys to the north and the lush olive and almond groves to the south.
In all, a wonderful albeit brief road trip with good results. Read more about the plight of both machines in ‘Restorations‘.
