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Tape Trail

It's such fun to buy tapes on Ebay.

68.55.22.7

For the second time in a month, the tape I bought doesn't match what's on the tape box. Or that matter, the label on the tape reel itself.

In the first case, the seller had no tape deck to play it on (estate sale, obviously). Here the buyer of the "other" tape -- the one that was supposed to be in my box -- complained first. I ended up working with both tapes and boxes after volunteering to put things right. The seller was grateful.

In the second case, with an experienced seller involved, there is a mystery tape in a box and reel supposedly containing three Haydn symphonies. It's some kind of flute/harpsichord duo -- composer unknown, at least by me. Here, the seller offered a refund, not including the original shipping costs, and I get to keep the tape. Such a deal.

Incidentally, you might think that in the second case, someone simply recorded over the Haydn symphonies. That's what I thought. But side 1 of the tape ends at the exact point that side 2 begins which is the mark of a commercial 4-track -- many of them, at least.

Just thought it was worth sharing :-)

Follow Ups:

Buying R2Rs on Ebay is a complete crapshoot - vinyl phanatic 20:21:28 05/21/13 (1)
Sorry that happened, Dave, I've been there. In that situation I usually try to pay no more than half of what the tape is worth to me, figuring that the odds of getting a tape without some sort of problem are about 50%.

I've really gotten into 2 tracks lately, but with those, the odds are even worse! The ones from dealers that I am confident in go for too much and I will only buy them untested if they are really, really cheap. That's why if you develop a reputation for knowing what you're doing with reel tapes (i.e. Reel-Lady), there is some serious money to be made selling them. My best hauls of R2Rs have mostly been off of Craigslist.
- RE: Buying R2Rs on Ebay is a complete crapshoot - Dave Pogue 04:02:27 05/22/13 (0)
  Ironically, Chris, in the the second case I mentioned, the tape came from Reel-Lady's sister :-)
  
  I definitely agree with you about 2-track tapes on Ebay. And a dirty little secret -- in some (many?) cases, they weren't all that great in the first place. I have played a number of 2-tracks borrowed from a friend who no longer has a deck to play them on -- I'm talking early Reiner and other Living Stereo tapes dating to the mid-50s -- and for whatever reason, they can sound WAY worse than the equivalent vinyl. Still, they go for three-figures on Ebay and the prices seem to keep going up.
RE: It's such fun to buy tapes on Ebay. - Awe-d-o-file 13:13:57 05/20/13 (0)
eBay can be, no wait, is a crap shoot on anything where old(er) things electronic or related to electronics are concerned.

ET

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