The heads were fixed, on 6 pairs of mounting bars,
with a critical
air gap between the head the drum surface.
In the machines made in Gottingen the procedure was to a cigarette paper as a shim...
a machine made in the GDR seems to be the kind of machine the OP was thinking of :
http://rechentechnik.foerderverein-tsd.de/d4a/d4avortrag/img6.html
Jos Dreesen