Why you shoudnt buy tape off ebay...

[Bguzaldo]

Ad listed for 10 reels of ampex 456. Of course the typical "no returns" so i send him a message:

"hey im interested in buying some tape off you and you claim its in excellent condition but if its sticky will you accept returns?"

His response:
"im not sure i understand what you mean by sticky"

.....

When will it be 1975 again?

 

[Beck]

Perhaps a reason not to buy tape from that seller, but eBay in general is a good source for tape if you know what you're doing.

The onus is on the buyer to do the research and ask the right questions. Some tape will most certainly be bad and some tape will most certainly not be bad. The information you need is all right here in the Sticky Shed Help Thread and elsewhere in the Analog Only Forum. I’ve rarely seen an eBay seller that is informed about tape. And the long-winded sellers that present themselves as experts are the worst. I’ve bought loads of great tape on eBay and not one bad reel… but I know what I’m looking for.

That being said, eBay is no longer the best place to buy new tape if you're looking for the best price. I look for the rare deals, often Buy-it-Now listings.

If the tape is used, often so-called "One-pass" there's one simple rule... Don't buy it!!! The only good reason to buy used tape is for the reel if you can get it for a reasonable price. I suppose you could buy some to experiment with as well, but don't expect anything more out of it. Don't put important work on it.

 

[witzendoz]

I won't buy 456 even if it wasn't sticky.

There are 2 types of 456, sticky and will be sticky soon.

Alan

 

[SteveM]

I have A LOT of 456 I've had forever that is not sticky.

 

[Bguzaldo]

I was just lettin out some frustration. I've bought tape plenty of times off ebay and many of those times were successful and a few times I got some bad stuff but I was lucky enough to be working with a seller that was empathetic and took the return, one guy even gave me a refund and told me to keep the tape for the reels!

It's just right now I have a big list of clients coming in for the summer and I need to buy about 15 reels of tape and I really can't afford to get burned using my clients money. I had one guy check out his tape and so far I got that it was all made in Opelika which is good, but he hasn't responded about whether or not he's gonna take returns.

Can someone give me an alternative to 456? I have about 10 reels of BASF SM911 which I liked (They're all full now) but I can never seem to find BASF or EMTEC on ebay in 1 inch.

 

[Beck]

I won't buy 456 even if it wasn't sticky.

There are 2 types of 456, sticky and will be sticky soon.

Alan

Very close, but not exactly. As far as sticky shed goes there are two types of 456... that made before 1995 and that made 1995 and after. Your statement is correct for Ampex 456 made before 1995.

Can someone give me an alternative to 456? I have about 10 reels of BASF SM911 which I liked (They're all full now) but I can never seem to find BASF or EMTEC on ebay in 1 inch.

I see Quantegy 406 and 407 in 1-inch lately on eBay and at very low cost. It's a +3 tape but that doesn’t really matter too much, especially if using noise reduction you won't notice a difference. But even without NR +3 tapes are great. Same with 3M/Scotch 206 and 207, and AGFA PEM 468 (AKA BASF/EMTEC SM468). 3M/Scotch 206/207 are favorites of mine and Tom Scholz, founder of the group, Boston still calls 206 the best tape ever made. He tracked the first two albums and most of the Third Stage album with it.

AGFA PEM 468 is a superb mastering tape, but also great for tracking. It's technically a +6 category tape though not as hot as something like 456. It has a reputation for retaining high frequencies better than any other tape and also has some of the best print through specs of any tape.