Should I buy Panasonic AG-1980 VCR?
 

So, I've been on a VCR buying binge lately. First I bought my JVC S7900, and later a V10-U who became a donor to repair the S7900's transport (the V10 was $5, cheaper than ordering the required parts).

For fun I bought a 1984 "portable" Sharp VC-363 that I intend to repair (probably belts or something).

I found that the S7900 had some tracking issues with a few early 90's era VHS broadcast recordings, and so I went and found an old 1987 Magnavox battleaxe that plays them perfectly (running through my AVT inline).

The real question is...do JVC units just have tracking issues with some tapes, or is my VCR out of alignment from replacement of the rewind motor and belts?

Also, should I buy an AG-1980 or the non-tuner desktop model, in the hopes it will play those the JVC won't (but the Magnavox will)? I've only run into a few with these tracking issues - since the Magnavox is mono, I'll have to capture once on each of my current VCR's so that I can have both audio and video on the scant few tapes that require it, but so far, I've been happy with the JVC (because most of the time, the grain on a VHS is head or tape noise, not detail, in my humble opinion).

As you have read here, an AG-1980 in good condition is about the best VCR there is for some tapes. Whether it would do better than your JVC would depend on the condition of the specific VCRs in question, as well as the tapes you are playing.

Do you NEED an AG-1980? Not if you are satisfied with the results you are getting with your current gear.

But if you WANT an AG-1980, and can afford it (including any needed repairs, e.g., the capacitor issue) go for it. They are nice machines.

If you have 6-hour EP tapes, the 7900 is a poor choice. The AG-1980 is much better for those.

It's common for must of us restoration/digitizing addicts to have more than one VCR. One or the other machine will do a better job than the other. Depends on the tape.

I just wanted to confirm my thoughts before I bought yet another VCR :)

Thanks guys - I can afford one and as far as the cap goes, I'm able to fix stuff like that myself.

For LP the Panasonics most certainly are better performers than JVC. I was sceptical about this until I tried a JVC for an LP tape - the result being noisy AND soft. I'm in the UK but will say that you need both JVC and Panasonic machines.