Ampex AG-500
A studio recorder that fits in a rack at 12¼ inches high and 6 inches deep. Ampex packed the whole transport and solid-state electronics into 0.8 cubic feet.
Overview
Ampex built the AG-500 as a rack-mount studio machine that could double as a portable. The company's own advertising claimed it would "pack true studio quality into 0.8 cu. ft.," which in a rack meant a recorder standing only 12¼ inches high and 6 inches deep. Most studio transports of the period were furniture. The AG-500 was designed to slide into a rack or be carried to a remote session, and Ampex leaned hard on the idea that the same chassis served both roles.
The transport used a true studio tape path rather than a consumer mechanism, and the electronics were solid-state and cool-running. Ampex's ad copy noted the electronics were arranged for instant adjustment and service, with easy channel add-on and head changes. The machine came as one-channel full or half track, or two-channel two or four track, with input controls able to mix two incoming signals. Buyers who needed a mono machine could start there and add a channel later rather than replacing the deck.
The AG-500 turns up on the used market occasionally, and period classifieds show where pricing sat. A four-track AG-500 with sel/sync was advertised brand new with warranty at $1,995.00 by Gately Electronics in DB Magazine (February 1975, p.40). Buyers today should expect the usual: hardened grease in the transport, tired belts, and capacitors that have drifted in the solid-state electronics. The modular construction that made the AG-500 easy to configure when new also makes it serviceable now, provided the correct assembly numbers are matched.
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