Come with me this time as I repair, service and partially overhaul this stunning end-game Pioneer CT-F1250 cassette deck from the golden era of cassette.

Happy Monday folks, I hope this story adds a little vintage audio goodness to your day 😉

I love proper 3-head cassette decks as many regulars will know and I own a number of them, probably too many, five at last count! I also own a range of cassette-specific test and measurement gear, calibration tapes, demagnetisers and other equipment.

Some will recall my beloved Pioneer CT-A9X, donated to me some years ago by my friend and Accuphase importer, Pierre. I resurrected that unit and it remains my main cassette deck to this day, a superb piece of gear from one of my favourite periods for Pioneer.

I have a deep fondness for Pioneer cassette decks from this era, so when a customer told me he was going to donate his dead Pioneer CT-F1250 3-head direct drive deck to me, the only proviso being that I had to collect it and fix it of course, I couldn’t pass the opportunity up.

I’ve repaired several of these incredible cassette decks over the years for lucky owners, and you’ll find images of these elsewhere on this site. For my first article on the Pioneer CT-F1250 though, I wanted it to be about a deck I have a more personal connection with – MY CT-F1250!

Like so many other pieces, I may need to let this stunning cassette deck go, for the same reason I’ve sold so much great hi-fi gear over the years – I simply cannot keep it all. Do I NEED a Pioneer CT-A9X AND a Pioneer CT-F1250..? I dunno. I haven’t decided to sell it yet though and I will live with it before making that decision. The more I use it, the less likely I am to sell it I’ve gotta say. This thing is a dream!

Features

The second from the top-of-the-line Pioneer CT-F1250 preceded my CT-A9X by about 5 years. It has a similar build quality and a superb 3-head, dual capstan, and direct drive mechanism. With the CT-F1250, the mechanism is solenoid-driven and precise but slightly clunky as solenoid mechs are. In my CT-A9X, the revised ‘reference’ mech is motor-driven and is easily the smoothest mechanism I’ve experienced.

I’m including various Nakamichi machines I’m familiar with in that category BTW. I serviced a Nakamichi CR-7 just the other day and I also own a pristine Nakamichi 670ZX. They are smooth and incredible-sounding machines, no doubt, but the CT-A9X is smoother and I enjoy the more robust ‘olde-worlde’ clunky charm of the CT-F1250. It feels immensely solid, and solenoid-actuated decks are generally more reliable in my experience than motor-actuated ones as there are fewer gears, motors, belts etc to wear out, as a general rule.

I know what some of you are wondering: “Mike if the CT-F1250 is second from the top of the range, what was at the top?” Ah, well that was the extraordinary Pioneer CT-A1, Pioneer’s 1000ZXL killer! Does it kill the 1000ZXL..? No, but it’s a bloody good machine and has a similar quality of build.

So what else makes the Pioneer CT-F1250 special? Well, the 11kg build, mostly metal and high-quality plastic ie no nylon mechanism, 24-segment ‘fluoroscan’ meters, electronic counter and another Pioneer exclusive, the ‘EqLB Tuning System’. Why is nylon bad? Ask any Nakamichi owner with a broken eject button…

The EqLB Tuning System is a real beauty, a system that evolved into the fully automated ABLE system in later decks like mu CT-A9X. With the EqLB system, you activate it, and a tone is recorded to the tape in the machine. You then tweak the bias, level and equalisation controls until the LEDs point to the exact right spot for each parameter. You’ve then calibrated the recording circuits to perfectly suit the tape you are about to record onto.

This was brilliant stuff from Pioneer at a time when manufacturers were trying to wring every last ounce of performance from the various cassette tape formulations available. The CT-F1250 will, of course, utilise any tape type, including the then-new metal formulations.

Direct drive is another killer feature, we mustn’t forget and is almost unheard of in the cassette world. The main capstan is driven directly, it IS the rotor of the direct drive motor. That then drives the second capstan via a belt, but the speed of the main capstan is quartz-locked via a phase-locked loop or PLL. This ensures perfect pitch – it literally cannot be out once correctly adjusted – and very low wow and flutter.

Pioneer CT-F1250 Specifications

Courtesy of HiFi Engine, adapted by Liquid Mike

Type: 3-head, single compact cassette deck

Track System: 4-track, 2-channel stereo

Tape Speed: 4.75 cm/s, pitch variable

Heads: 1 x combination record/playback, 1 x erase

Motor: 1 x reel (brushed), 1 x capstan (PLL direct-drive)

Tape Types: type I (standard ferric), type II (CrO2), type III (FeCr), type IV (Metal)

Noise Reduction: Dolby B, meh…

Frequency Response: 20Hz to 20kHz  (Metal tape)

Signal to Noise Ratio: 69dB  (Dolby B)

Wow and Flutter: 0.03%

Total Harmonic Distortion: 1.0%

Input: 60mV (line), 0.3mV (mic)

Output: 0.45V (line)

Semiconductors: 139 x transistors, 125 x diodes, 22 x IC

Dimensions: 420 x 187 x 369.5mm

Weight: 10.9kg

Year: 1980

Issues

Ever wondered why so many cassette decks are sold not working and “just needing a few belts”? Well, this example illustrates why. The “just needing a few belts” thing is a bit like saying your car’s gearbox “just needs a rebuild!” This work very often involves intricate remedial maintenance taking many hours to complete and this can be true whether the deck is a basic or a premium model.

This gorgeous CT-F1250 came to me non-functional after a failed repair attempt by her owner. He did his best but should have taken it to a specialist, no question. I’ve often talked about the issues created by DIY attempts at servicing equipment like this and this failed attempt highlights the validity of my advice on this.

In this case, the repair failed, leaving the deck non-functional. Several critical small components were lost in the process, including the small steel ball bearings used to retain the head slide mechanism. I found one ball bearing loose inside the cabinet, the other one I never found and had to replace. All the degenerated belt residue was there waiting for me, and the mech needed deep cleaning, lubrication, belts, alignment and calibration.

It would have been better to do nothing, though I am not complaining, the owner was kind enough to donate the deck, something I’m very grateful for. This job was an entire day’s work for me though, and I’ve done a few of these! Certainly not for the faint-hearted or anyone without all the necessary tools and test and measurement equipment, nothing like this ever is.

Without labouring the point, if you own a deck like this and it needs maintenance, just take it to someone who understands machines like this. It will save a lot of pain and possibly even killing the deck.

Repair and Overhaul

Without further ado, let’s delve into the repair and partial overhaul of this gorgeous Pioneer CT-F1250. There are various stages here including mechanical disassembly, cleaning of modules and assemblies, replacement of parts, reassembly, testing and adjustment/calibration.

Results

So, with all that hard work completed, was it worth it? Well, she didn’t work and was essentially a doorstop, so to now have a fully functional and great-sounding CT-F1250 for less than a day’s work is a huge win in my book! I now have yet another almost perfect, high-end cassette deck from the golden era of home recording that works flawlessly and sounds fabulous. That’s not a common statement to be able to make about cassette decks.

I love Pioneer cassette decks, in much the same way I love Kenwood shortwave receivers and turntables, and Accuphase CD players. There is something about these machines that aesthetically, functionally and technically appeals to me. There are many options when it comes to cassette decks and we all have our favourites, but I particularly like the Pioneer CT-F1250, the CT-A1 and my beautiful CT-A9X.

Now, the real question is, should YOU own one of these?! That depends. It’s more about the fun of making and playing tapes for me. These are powerful, punchy and warm-sounding machines, no doubt about it, but cassette tape will never be a reference quality source. That said, I find it tremendously satisfying to ‘keep my hand in’ when it comes to making and playing tapes, and using, servicing and repairing gorgeous cassette decks like these. They are audio time capsules from another era.

There are few more enjoyable pieces of hi-fi equipment to own and operate, but cassette decks are a hi-fi niche and they do require periodic, specialist maintenance, which can be expensive. All of this must be kept in mind as cassette tapes and cassette decks like this see a minor resurgence in popularity. Perhaps now is as good a time as any to sample the pleasures of a classic heavy-hitter like the Pioneer CT-F1250. I recommend owning at least one deck like this, at some point on your hi-fi journey.

As always, thank you for visiting and taking the time to read my article, written with love, right here in sunny Perth, Western Australia.

If you have a Pioneer CT-F1250, CT-A9X, CT-A1 or any other quality two or three-head single cassette deck that needs a little TLC, know that I genuinely enjoy working on them, but in limited numbers compared to the other equipment I work on. I take a handful of cassette deck jobs like this each year and if I can fit you in I will. Just don’t be disappointed if I can’t fit in an overhaul of your Nakamichi 1000ZXL!

Feel free to contact me to discuss your cassette deck needs.