Used tape...again....

arjoll

New member
Hi - its amazing the kind of things you find on eBay.

This auction is a case in point.

Apparently "recording on both sides with the levels down" is better than bulk erasing the tape! :eek:

I'm guessing that because he's doing 'both sides' that he is probably running, what, a 2 channel 4 track format? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that if the tape was recorded in a different format - say 2 track - then this isn't going to provide full erasure because of the gaps between tracks.

Of course I could be wrong :) but somehow I don't really see this tape being worth US$10 a reel!

This reminds me of another query I had for the more experienced here - what would be the most recently manufactured non-backcoated tape? I can't use backcoated tape (407 etc) in the Ferrograph recorders because they use pressure pads to keep the tape in contact with the heads. Just would like a reel of known good tape to run tests with. No brand preference.

Cya
Andrew
 
I don't see anything particularly wrong with that,...

and that whole (Maxell) auction seems on the up & up.

You're probably right, that if the tape was originally a halftrack master, then a 4-track/2-channel erasure would not be 100% complete, due to the gaps, but I see this as a non-issue. Bulk erasure would probably be better, in most cases, but I don't see his method as being bad, out of the ordinary, or a deal-breaker. Used tape can often be as good as new, but I'll usually buy new tape, when available. $10 is probably a fair price for that reel. YMMV. ;)
 
A Reel Person said:
Bulk erasure would probably be better, in most cases, but I don't see his method as being bad, out of the ordinary, or a deal-breaker.
Fair enough. It was just the assertation that running it through the recorder was better than bulk erasure which I wondered about...

A Reel Person said:
Used tape can often be as good as new, but I'll usually buy new tape, when available. $10 is probably a fair price for that reel. YMMV. ;)
I thought it seemed a little steep for this reel - I have some in that packaging, and its probably 25+ years old. Still good tape, and an ideal match for my Akai, but it just seemed a bit much for the age of it.

Anyhoo....probably a message in there, for me to stick to looking at local auction sites and express amazement at people wanting NZ$10 for a pile of unbranded, unboxed, dubious looking 60's tape rather than commenting on eBay stuff :)

Cya
Andrew
 
Ah yes,...

the old "mystery tape", on which you could see the oxide just flaking off! Some people have some gall to put that stuff on Ebay! Worse yet, there's probably someone who'd buy it!
:eek:
Heh.;)
 
Yes, but it looks like he sold those two batches. Either that or he's decided against photos....this is the only tape currently on trademe.co.nz. :eek:

And people wonder why I get frustrated at what's available here :). My wife's happy though - spending NZ$45 on a parts Ferrograph and NZ$100 on a Tascam 32 isn't a problem; if I started seeing too much realistically priced gear I might have to give up other unnecessary things, like eating :D
 
arjoll said:
Hi - its amazing the kind of things you find on eBay.

This auction is a case in point.

Apparently "recording on both sides with the levels down" is better than bulk erasing the tape! :eek:

I'm guessing that because he's doing 'both sides' that he is probably running, what, a 2 channel 4 track format? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm guessing that if the tape was recorded in a different format - say 2 track - then this isn't going to provide full erasure because of the gaps between tracks.

Of course I could be wrong :) but somehow I don't really see this tape being worth US$10 a reel!

This reminds me of another query I had for the more experienced here - what would be the most recently manufactured non-backcoated tape? I can't use backcoated tape (407 etc) in the Ferrograph recorders because they use pressure pads to keep the tape in contact with the heads. Just would like a reel of known good tape to run tests with. No brand preference.

Cya
Andrew

The worst thing about that auction is the seller. It's the same guy that was trying to sell 3M data tape as Quantegy a few months back. If you'll remember he finally changed the wording of his listing after hearing from some of us.

Even worse though, this guy regularly lists old reels of various brands that he says he has "refilled" with new Quantegy tape that he bought in bulk. I don't know... you'd have to trust a guy more than Jesus to go for that. I don't trust anyone that much... except Jesus, of course. ;)

There's something about this guy... well, I picture him living in an old house with a broken refrigerator and old couch on the front porch (for the hound dog), and an old truck up on blocks in the front yard. That may describe a lot of people in Decatur Illinois though. :D

By the way Andrew, Quantegy 642 is a decent non-backcoated tape for your Ferrograph. It compares well to Maxell UD 35-90. The 631/641 you see on ebay all the time isn't the same though. Any of the 600 series ending in 2 is good standard grade for music. The Radio Shack “Laboratory Standard” sounds pretty good as well. BASF LP35 HiFi (not LPR35) is also non-backcoated. I have a few of those around – they sound fine.

-Tim :)
 
Beck said:
Even worse though, this guy regularly lists old reels of various brands that he says he has "refilled" with new Quantegy tape that he bought in bulk.
Beck said:
By the way Andrew, Quantegy 642 is a decent non-backcoated tape for your Ferrograph.
Thanks Tim.

And you wouldn't believe the coincidence - the same guy is selling 642 on an ancient Scotch reel:eek:. And he must have wound it inside-out because his stuff is backcoated ;).....
 
...actually the other question is - does anyone know of any US sites who will sell tape overseas? I've found a number listing 642 - at prices similar to what I last bought Maxell 35-90B for in the early 90s - but none seem to ship outside the US. The only NZ sites listing Quantegy tape are only doing 456/7, 499 and GP9 (I think there might have been one doing 406/7 as well).

If anyone has some to sell I'd be happy to buy a reel!

Cya
Andrew
 
This tape debacle makes me remember when I did work experience at a studio back in 2000 (read I was a TOTAL n00b). It was a studio that did a lot of audio for TV and radio commercials. I think the old guy who owned it and was the producer for most of the material was retiring or something. Anyway on one day they didn't have anyone in the studio so I was clearing up in their duplication room, there was a few open reel and some other recorders. I had to go through all their reels of tape (1/4" Quantegy stuff on 7" reels, not sure what tape because I was a n00b and thought wow these DAT things must be way better). It was on shelves, piled on the floor, everywhere! I was told to put anything that didn't have 'master' written on it into the bin. Anyway I filled a few bins, and then the engineer and I put the stuff into a trailer, and off to the dump.

WE FILLED A TRAILER, WITH A CAGE AROUND IT WITH QUANTEGY TAPE! The stuff had been recorded onto once, then put back into it's box and archived away in their duplication room. They also chucked a couple of recorders that looked really, really old and were broken. I wish I'd known even the little bit I know now back then!
 
So if anyone in SA wants to cash in on ebay, head out to Wingfield tip, you might have to dig around through 5 years of rubbish a bit, but somewhere there is a pile of as new quantegy tape, in original box, slight odour. :D :(
 
arjoll said:
Thanks Tim.

Minimum order quantity is 500 reels :eek:
Cheap tho' - US$5.11 = NZ$8.00

Think I'll keep looking!

Ouch!

Hey, send me a PM with how many you want and I'll see if I can scare some up in the states at my usual stomping grounds. Shipping might sting a little but there must be a low cost way -- I'll just have to do a little research.

The only thing I have around here that I don't need are 4 sealed reels of BASF LP35 HiFi. It's 1 mil/1800 feet non-backcoated. If you want those let me know. None of my machines are setup for them, so they're just taking up space. I'm pretty much using all 407, 456, 911 and 468.

-Tim :)
 
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MichaelM said:
This tape debacle makes me remember when I did work experience at a studio back in 2000 (read I was a TOTAL n00b). It was a studio that did a lot of audio for TV and radio commercials. I think the old guy who owned it and was the producer for most of the material was retiring or something. Anyway on one day they didn't have anyone in the studio so I was clearing up in their duplication room, there was a few open reel and some other recorders. I had to go through all their reels of tape (1/4" Quantegy stuff on 7" reels, not sure what tape because I was a n00b and thought wow these DAT things must be way better). It was on shelves, piled on the floor, everywhere! I was told to put anything that didn't have 'master' written on it into the bin. Anyway I filled a few bins, and then the engineer and I put the stuff into a trailer, and off to the dump.

WE FILLED A TRAILER, WITH A CAGE AROUND IT WITH QUANTEGY TAPE! The stuff had been recorded onto once, then put back into it's box and archived away in their duplication room. They also chucked a couple of recorders that looked really, really old and were broken. I wish I'd known even the little bit I know now back then!

That's actually heart breaking -- seriously :(
 
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