Scully Model 100 Sixteen-Track Tape Machine of 1971

We had one of these jewels at Straight Time Productions in Pittsburgh in 1971. Tape handling problems, RF pickup in the heads and incomplete erasure in high output tape. Altogether a real dog.

I question the assertion that the model 100 was fundamentally flawed from a mechanical perspective. The use of HTL chips to control transport functions was an improvement in reliability over the relays used in the previous 288 transport. From a sonic perspective, the record/play electronics (designed and manufactured by Spectra Sonics) were very clean and possibly ahead of their time. I have a model 100 that I use nearly every day for recording. I purchased it from another studio in 1982 and have logged hundreds of hours on it. Like any piece of equipment of this complexity, routine maintenance is an ongoing necessity: I have replaced chips, transistors and bearings as needed. Any machine that lasts nearly half a century and still functions well is a testament to the team that designed and built it. I would rank the Scully 100 right up there with Ampex and Studer in the mechanical reliability department. The only time I have had “tape handling problems” is when something failed (usually a gate) and maintenance was required. I owned a Scully 284 8-track prior to the purchase of the 100 and it was a wonderful sounding recorder with its own unique set of problems. I agree that the two head design of the 100 poses some alignment challenges, but to call the 100 “a dog” is unwarranted.