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In Reply to: RE: An Epic Maxell Reel Tape Find posted by X-2000R on November 09, 2014 at 15:10:23
Bear in mind that the life expectancy of magnetic tape is about 10 to 20 years (depending on usage and storage conditions) before it physically degrades and sheds the magnetic particles.
After that it is possible to retrieve the stored info by baking the tape for a certain time but this is only ever a temporary solution and has to be done before every play back.
Blank tape that is 20 years or older is practically worthless.
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Ampex and Scotch tape may be worthless, thanks to sticky shed. But Maxell's have stood the test of time. I have plenty of others of both this vintage and older. All still perform as though new. And while *YOU* may think they are "worthless", a search of these on Ebay tells another story.
Hardly any of my tapes are YOUNGER than 10-20 years and they sound fine, including the acetate (pre-Mylar) ones I used for recording in the 50s. Just bought an Ella Fitzgerald tape on Ebay -- thought it was a commercial reel but it was homemade -- whose recording date was listed on the box as April 28, 1963. I had very low hopes for it (BECAUSE it was homemade) and it turned out to be one of the best-sounding tapes I own. And I have more than a few reels of blank tape dating back to the 1970s that play and record without any issues at all.I'm speaking from a great deal of personal experience involving many hundreds of tapes. Are you?
Edits: 11/10/14 11/10/14
Had that happen to me with practically every tape format from cassettes to 2".
Different makes are affected to a different degree, the worst tapes in this regards are those made in the '70s & '80s and tapes made by 3M and BASF are less prone than other makes.
Over the last 20 years or so an entire 'tape-baking' industry has sprung up.
My question would be, how often did it happen? I'm surprised you called 3M (Scotch) one of the brands LESS troublesome, since some of the later Scotch tapes were well known for being prone to "sticky shed." As long as you know the good brands (Maxell being one of the very best) and/or buy only the commercial tapes, I can't see what the problem is.
I'm not saying that commercial reel-to-reel tapes are any kind of slam dunk because they invariably sound great. Many were poorly recorded to begin with or had their highs removed by being played on decks with magnetized heads. Or they feature artists and/or performances that haven't, let's say, stood the test of time. But as far as the tape stock itself is concerned, few exhibit problems. On my Otari and Teac decks at least. And certainly the idea of a 10=20 year lifespan is just plain silly.
and they are among the best sounding things that I own. Most of them made between 1955 and 1958. I guess YMMV!
It depends very much on the storage conditions. Under the right conditions it can last much longer. In this case, at least the boxes are sealed so no outside air, humidity, pollution, etc. has come in contact with the tape. The rest depends mostly on storage temperature. If they were in a cool place, they might be in great condition. Sitting up in a hot attic....not so much. Hopefully we'll find out.
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