AMPEX 631..IS this stuff the BAD stuff???

[technoplayer]

I have come across several cartons of Ampex 631, 7' reels. They reel boxes are still plastic wrapped. It is the old style gray box with AMPEX in the lower right. All the boxes have labels with lines and lines of numbers and etc, and what seems to be a date code....7/86.

Any way to tell the vintage of the tape by this label, and if it is from 86, is it sticky shed stuff??

[Beck]

Some of these general purpose non-backcoated tapes don't have sticky shed. However, Ampex 6x1 series is not a great tape. It is described as a voice grade tape in old Ampex literature. It is a +1 level tape -- will have more background hiss and distort at lower levels. 632 is music grade and compares fairly well to Maxell UD 35-90 -- also non-backcoated.

[A Reel Person]

1986 is right in the middle of the sticky shed era. Also, 631 is more of a "voice grade" tape compared to their topline "Grand Master" (456).

Anyway, in practical terms, if it's cheap enough, you'd just have to buy it and try it. If it sheds right out of the box, then hop over to Walmart and get the food dehydrator that Beck recommended, (can't remember the model #).

Eh, I'm just trying to forward info I got from Beck off this board, and I'd personally just try it. In practice, I've found that "XX1" media to hold up to hifi recording just fine. I scored a ton of 031 media last year, and it's dang near indistinguishable from actual 456, in practical use. Anyway, the lowdown is that 031 is "rejected" 456 that didn't meet their rigorous spec for "Grand Master", but at $2.95/reel, it's some great stuff. That's why I scored a couple cases of it!

When Beck wakes up, he can speak for himself!

[Herm]

I have some 631 in sealed boxes that is pretty old and when I put it on a machine it seemed to shed oxide all over the place so I just left it alone.
It didnt hang up like it had sticky problems but it did shed light brown crap all over the place and clog up the heads.
I would pass

[A Reel Person]

....................

[Beck]

Looking over the thread I thought I’d better clarify these tape types.

These Ampex/Quantegy numbers can be a little confusing.

031 is 456 that is deemed to be (or likely be) below uniformity standards set for 456. It is sold as a B-grade in a white box without the quality guarantee of 456. It could have more dropouts or could be just fine.

600 series like 631, 641, etc, is a completely different formulation that’s been around since the early 60’s. A model number ending in 1 like 631 is voice grade and a model ending in 2 is music grade.

Quantegy 642 is not bad for a non-backcoated tape and was recommended by Maxell as a replacement for UD 35-90 when they stopped making open-reel tape. They also recommended 407 as a replacement for XLI 35-90B (if you’re wondering).

I don’t see 631 listed as a Quantegy product. It looks like they just have 632 (1.5 mil), 642 (1 mil) and 652 (.5 mil).

Any Ampex branded 631 is at least 10 years old and could be much older. Just remember that it’s not a modern high-output tape.