Eico Classic 2400
A three-motor four-track tape deck that arrived as a semi-kit - transport tested at the factory, the rest of the wiring left to you.
Overview
The Classic 2400 was Eico's stereo/mono four-track tape recorder. The transport shipped fully assembled and tested. Only the electrical controls and amplifiers needed wiring. That was the Eico approach in miniature: the hard mechanical work done for you, the fun part left on the bench. According to Eico's own 1964 advertising, the semi-kit cost $199.95 and the factory-wired version $269.95. The walnut base came oiled and finished in the price either way.
The transport used three heavy-duty 4-pole motors. The capstan motor had an integral fan, and the reel motors used DC braking. Each motor could be optimized for its own job instead of being compromised into one shared drive. Eico argued this gave performance on a par with recorders selling at twice the price. That claim came from the manufacturer's own copy, so treat it as positioning rather than a measured verdict. The three-motor layout is still a real design choice.
Operation was built around the practicalities of tape work. Standby operation between all transport modes prevented tape spillage, allowed slur-free starts, and made cueing and editing easier. That helps once you're splicing tape instead of just playing it back. An automatic end-of-tape switch and a digital counter rounded out the transport controls. The jamproof belt-shift mechanism selected between 7½ and 3¾ ips, and an equalization selector provided proper equalization at both speeds rather than a single compromise curve. The head was a combination erase and record-play 4-track stereo head that required no head-wearing pressure pads.
On the electronics side, the 2400 had mixing mike and line level controls and dual electron-ray level indicator tubes. These were the green "magic eye" tuning indicators, used here as recording level meters. Eico built the unit in the U.S.A. The 2400 was also sold as part of a complete system. The "Classic Speed Kit" package bundled the recorder with a Classic 2536 FM-multiplex stereo receiver and a pair of HFS-8 two-way speakers for $445 in kit form, or $570 factory-wired. Eico's advertising in Audio (January 1964, p.13) pitched that package against comparable systems costing up to $850. The same campaign ran through the winter and spring of 1964 in HiFi/Stereo (February 1964, p.42).
Which version survived matters a lot to what a collector finds today. The three-motor transport is the reason to seek one out, and also the reason to inspect it carefully. The pressure-pad-free head design is a long-term advantage, since there's no felt pad to wear flat and drag the tape.
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