Is JVC SR-VS20 any good?
 

Hi. I’ve got a local seller with one of these for sale. I’ve been looking for an SVHS player so I can start a capture setup for my family VHS tapes. I see a lot of info about the JVC sr-vs30 both here and elsewhere but haven’t seen much about the SR-vs20. Is this model comparable? Thanks for the help.

It can be quite decent.

It's not quite the same quality of the VS30, but it's still excellent. The bigger issue here is condition, and the added fragile nature of the VS20. A good 20 would be better than a bad 30, but if both were identical condition, 30 would be better.

The VS20 is extremely fragile, and the front plate tends to shatter. That's why this model is almost never shipped successfully. Most eBay VS20 tales end in horror, a box of plastic shards and e-junk arrive to the unhappy buyer. The front board contains multiple PCBs needed for operation. I'm extremely careful with shipment, and will not ship this model without heavy bezel Gorilla tape reinforcement. I prefer to avoid it altogether.

The transport is a bit more "stick-y", and the transport mechanics usually don't glide smoothly.

All of these issues is why this model is seen less, in any functional condition, much less an excellent condition.

Picking it up local saves the shipping risk, but the internals can still give you grief. You need to have patience with it, give it servicing, before even attempting to use. It's more like the ancient not-great "professional" (big Bertha) decks, and less like JVCs usually praised and discussed.

Thank you.

Does the 20 also have a TBC?