Precision Reels

S

Splicit

New member
I just received information regarding new precision 6 hole aluminum reels.
These are made by the same manufacturer who has made them for Ampex and Quantegy. Specs are:
3 windows in the flanges (Can also be ordered with solid flange on one side)
6 scews
Phenolic hub..1/4" (1/2" 1" and 2" hubs also available, slightly higher)
10.5" x 0.90"
Price will be in the neighborhood of $34.50 ea. with box.
This is a major investment on our part to have these made. We need to order a minimum of 100 flanges (50 reels) so I would need to know how many people are seriously interested and how many each of you might want.
Let me know your thoughts on this.

Thanks, Teresa
Splicit Reel Audio Products
www.splicit.com
 
I have plenty for myself right now, but I will weigh in on the benefits of a balanced take-up reel. They’re a good investment for overall tape handling and stability, especially for multi-tracking. People commonly use standard reels that tape comes on for take-up use, but for ½” and above widths there are real issues with the relatively fragile standard reels.

You’ll notice a smoother tape pack at fast wind speeds and an immediate end to annoying and damaging tape rub with the balanced reels. It’s a good investment.

Are the reels you will be offering the classic AMPEX style or the one’s with the long windage cutouts that Quantegy acquired from 3M? And is that price $34.50 and up from ¼”?

~Tim
:)
 
Are the reels you will be offering the classic AMPEX style or the one’s with the long windage cutouts that Quantegy acquired from 3M? And is that price $34.50 and up from ¼”?

Tim...These arent coming from Quantegy. They're brand new...well, not even made yet. The windage cutouts will be pretty much like the Quantegy reels and yes, the price starts with the 1/4". At this point in time Im pretty much just "surveying" people's needs. Investing in 50 reels and hoping they sell is not good business. We'll see what the demand turns out to be.

Thanks,
Teresa
Splicit Reel Audio Products
www.splicit.com
 
Yeah, I think with ebay out there and the barrage of used take up reels available, it might be tough sledding to go and invest in new ones...case in point, I picked up a genuine TASCAM take up reel, six screw version no less for 20 bucks Canadian. ;)

Cheers! :)
 
Unfortunately, there is a need for information and education with an item like this as well. It won’t sell itself. This and many other things home recordists don’t even know they need. From items like this to degaussers to routine maintenance we’re seeing the dust of death settle on analog. That is, things that everyone used to know hardly anyone knows.

It’s like if a new generation had discovered automobiles after they had been mostly abandoned for some new mode of transportation (Beam me up?). Problem is no one knows to change the oil, check tire pressure or have tires rotated and balanced, etc. The devil is in the details.

We’ve seen a shift in the recording world, which by the way has a far greater ratio of amateur to pro than it used to. It’s not unlike when second or third generation immigrants forget the language and culture of their forbears. When they try to rediscover it they can only comprehend it in the broad terms of an archaeologist, with no more grasp of the day-to-day living it than a complete stranger.

When all is said and done, one of the most important things you can have on your website is information.

For example... I've heard people talk a lot about better slitting and more consistent winding of the German made tapes compared to AMPEX/Quantegy, which is true IMO. However, few people understand the role that the balanced reel played in making it so. Quantegy winds more smoothly on precision reels.

Other things many people don't know... why they should buy new tape instead of used, or why they should buy new straight reels rather than some mystery reel that's been rolling around someone's studio... and a thousand other things. :(

Here is a helpful pdf that outlines 3M's introduction of precision reels, which later proved equally superior for audio as wider tape widths and multi-tracking caught on. This is from 1960.

http://www.aes.org/aeshc/docs/3mtape/soundtalk/soundtalkbull36.pdf
 
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