Reel Pro Sound Guys

I can't say enough about the courtesy, professionalism, passion and care that these gentlemen gave our family just recently. Our quest was an audio search through several hours of 1970's style reel to reel tape filled with music, to find a couple minutes of a sweet little boy's voice.
Not only did they find this clip, but they screened it for it's sensitivity with compassion unheard of in ANY other business today! They had full length, in depth,caring conversations with 3 members of my family about the tape, sound quality, final product, etc etc, they gave unheard of time to each of us that had questions and needed something on very different levels.
All of this was accomplished within 24 hours of receiving the package delivered to them, and turned around with the originals going to one address and the hoped for treasure sent to another, with full explanations of what would be heard, and how to hear it optimally.
I will never rely on any service to help me with other audio needs again, these folks set the bar at THE TOP, and no one is going to do better.
ACES in time, transparent and true in price estimates, genuine compassion and passion about what they do professionally, and I can't thank them enough or say enough about the pleasure and privilege it was to have their advice and advocacy in such a matter that is beyond our understanding in technology, but beyond our hopes of achieving at such a reasonable price with stellar work!

Thank You Reel Pro Sound Guys

I recently had Phil at Reel Pro Sound Guys service two Pioneer RT 909 decks that I bought in the mid 80's. The two decks had been used extensively in my home system for creating a very large catalog of 60's and 70's music. If you can name it, I probably have it in my 10" reels. I tried to maintain the decks as best as I could but years took their toll on "The Twins". Phil brought both of them back to what seems to me to be better than their out of the box performance. Living fairly close to his shop in Harlowton, Montana I was able to both deliver and pick up them up directly from his shop. On both occasions, Phil was very good about taking the time to explain everything to me. He bench tested both decks when I received them back from him and showed me what was done to bring them back to like new or better than new performance. It was during this testing that I noticed a very discernible increase in the brightness of the sound. I'm no golden ear but it was impossible to miss. Upon placing them back into my system, I noticed many little things that Phil had done without even being asked. Among other things, he had taken the time to re-lacquer both outer cabinets. Little details like that told me volumes of what a true perfectionist he is. I could not be more pleased with his work. With no reservations, I would recommend his shop to anyone. Thank you again Phil!

Jim A. Butte, Montana

This is the second time I have used these guys. This time, I sent my Technics 1500US deck to them. I had picked this up a while back, and to say it was in rough shape is an understatement. It was missing the wood side panels (probably had been rack mounted before, but had no rack ears either); several of the knobs on the "flipper" levers were gone, and one of the knobs had been replaced with something like a Radio Shack knob. Scratches and general shabbiness everywhere.

I was mostly concerned with performance (FF and REW were sluggish at best, among other problems), since it's a home-studio machine that no one sees. To say that the deck looks "as good as new" is an understatement. The addition of custom, walnut side panels are actually nicer than the original wood panels. It also now has custom feet and all the stand-offs on the back are replaced. The knobs and lever switch covers are all matched to the originals, and the front panel is beautifully restored. They had said they weren't sure how the top would come out -- just perfect. No scratches visible and you can see the tape path diagram.

None of this would be worth much if the deck didn't work. Performance is likewise out-of-the box. They did identify a very slight frequency response issue (due to modifications made by the previous owner), which were corrected to near-spec, but not perfect. To my ears, it sounds great, so that's not an issue.

With my previous deck, I had taken it to a local "expert" on reel-to-reel who did not correct the mechanical problems (and did nothing to the physical appearance). After these guys got their hands on it, it also looks pristine and works perfectly.

I would heartily recommend these guys. You will speak directly with Phil who will go over everything before starting work. It's obvious that the folks here are among that breed who take seriously pride in their work and taking care of their customers.

My 25-year old Tascam TSR-8 needed service, and I chose the Reel Pro Sound Guys based on their detailed Web site. It was the best thing I could have done. My TSR-8 looks and operates like new, just as they had promised. I'm frankly blown away by the time Mr. Wilsman put into documenting each aspect of the operation of my unit in a video sent back with my repaired recorder, and in the time he took on the phone with me and in the return documentation to explain the issues and evaluate my recorder. This of course indicates their level of thoroughness and consideration with every customer. The work was expertly done. I said this to Mr. Wilsman in an email, and I'll repeat it here: This is about the best service I've experienced from anyone ever, for anything!

July 18, 2018
Mr. Phil Wilsman, owner and accomplished electronics technician at REEL PRO SOUND GUYS, is the very best.
My top of the line, AKAI GX 747 reel to reel, had stopped working.
After searching the Internet for repair opportunities, I chose REEL PRO SOUND GUYS in Harlowton, Montana. My choice was based upon their very professional web site.
Phil replaced several parts, one of which was special ordered from China. When a hairline crack was discovered in the motherboard, Phil found a 'genius' technician in Canada who completely reworked the board to bypass the problem.
When the motherboard was returned to Phil's shop and the deck reassembled, everything on the unit worked perfectly! Hats off to Phil for his perseverance!
My AKAI GX 747 was recently returned with a DVD video showing Phil's complete testing of all the Unit's functions. WOW!
My unit, over 35 years old now, looks and sounds BRAND NEW!
As I write this, I am listening to a tape I made a number of years ago. Six hours of uninterrupted classical music. The fidelity is unmatched! My home is filled with sound seamlessly playing throughout in every room.
Thank you again, Phil. You are the very best!
Skip in Florida

Mr. Wilsman of Reel Pro Sound Guys is a fine gentleman who provides superb customer service; I was very impressed with his repair of my 45-year old Sony open reel tape recorder. He provided excellent advice and maintained constant communications with me during the process. If you need your vintage tape recorder repaired, look no further!

I've worked with these guys extensively on a project and I can firmly attest to the fact that they are easy to contact, talk to, and their shipping was handled very promptly. They are currently doing a restoration on my Panasonic RT-707 and I trust them completely.

James
Kentucky

Review: I purchased a rack ear kit for a Tascam TSR8 deck and what I received was not what was described by the salesperson or exactly what was listed on the web site. Before purchasing I contacted seller and provided a detailed description of what I was looking for - rack ears to mount the deck into a 12U flight case that I could use the deck in once mounted. The salesperson guaranteed the product was perfectly suited for my needs, and reassured me everything I needed was included in the package. When the package arrived the screws wound up not being properly sized for the tolerances in the deck (which I couldn't have known ahead of time), and wound up damaging the decks internal and external mount points, while also bending the outer shell. When I contacted the business they tried to blame me, saying I used too much force on the screws instead of acknowledging that the mounting screws were the wrong size. In addition, although the ears are made of the high quality aluminum the vendor described, they were given a cheap paint coat which immediately scratched off. Finally, the screw holes do not align with standard rack rails and otherwise make the deck impossible to mount.Desired Settlement: To have the vendor ship my deck to them and fix the outer housing and the inner mount points, ship back to me, and provide me with rack ears that fit a flight case with 1U standard rack rails. If not that, then repair my deck and refund my money.