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In Reply to: RE: Getting Started with Reel to Reel posted by Bromo33333 on October 24, 2013 at 06:53:35
Bill Way's suggestions are spot-on (maybe, in part, because I have the same model Otari as he does and recommend it highly). Some things to understand and think about:
* You'll need a tape-competent tech. Almost all the tape decks available now are decades old and because of their age and complexity are VERY likely to need service, especially if they have not be in regular use.
* In addition to the Otari, I'd personally recommend Teac decks in the 2300-3300 series. I'd avoid Akai. Again, check Bill Way's post for other recommendations.
* Although there are many thousands of prerecorded reel-to-reel tapes available daily on Ebay, they all date from the 70s and 80s, so it helps to be fond of artists from that era.
* The "best" tapes from that era -- sonically and musically -- tend to be quite costly on Ebay. Things like Kind of Blue and Brubeck's "Time Out." You CAN get lucky, but you have to work at it :-)
* As a general recommendation, Columbia pop and jazz tapes are usually excellent. Columbia classical tapes, on the other hand, tend to be average or worse.
* Stick with tapes recorded at 7 1/2 ips (or faster, if your tape deck allows). Don't bother with the slow-speed tapes (3 3/4 ips). There are exceptions, but not many.
* Speaking of "stick," the bane of tape users is something called Sticky Shed Syndrome (SSS) which afflicted many brands of raw tape beginning in the 80s. You can find more about this by Googling. It does NOT affect commercial pre-recorded tapes IME.
* Consider joining the Yahoo reel-to-reel tape group. Much useful tape-related info there.
That's just for starters. I love the medium but it's pretty "hair shirt" and can be frustrating for a newcomer. Feel free to email me via AA with questions.
Follow Ups:
I have had a number of Barclay-Crocker tapes that had this problem. Fortunately it is limited to tapes from a small time period and only on issues from certain labels. Details about this, and a lot of other info on B/C tapes is at the link below. The sticky-tape info is at the end of the article. All of the tapes that I had a problem with fit into the parameters that the author gives.
* Many or most of the reel-to-reel tapes on Ebay are sold by people without a tape deck to audition them. They are from estate sales and garage sales. The good part: these tapes would never otherwise be available. The bad part: Obvious, tape quality is totally unknown and unknowable.
* Related to the above, I've bought two tapes off Ebay in the past couple of months
that were not what the box said they were. The most recent: six Telemann flute sonatas in a box supposedly containing three Haydn symphonies. It's all part of the fun.
* Threading a tape deck quickly is an acquired skill and takes practice. I'm still acquiring it :-)
* Finally, tape decks (this applies to cassette decks too) must be played regularly or they will need even more frequent trips to your tape tech.
I forgot to mention Lawrence Jones' Polyphony record auction, which always has a large selection of pre-recorded 1/4" quarter-track tapes. Note that tape quality is always an unknown unless you listen all the way through, which he does NOT do. (His method is perfect for LPs, but you can get surprised with tapes that have print-through, long drop-outs, or curly-edge in the middle, none of which is visible when the tape is spooled on the reel.) So, with that warning, some of his tapes might be worth it if the price is right.
I have never heard of sticky-shed on pre-recorded tapes either.
WW
New Orthophonic High Fidelity
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