Quantegy comeback?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Blue Jinn
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Yeah, I too am a bit peeved that the talk of "new old stock" is being mentioned continually. Quantegy had made it clear in previous messages, both online and email, that they are indeed bringing back 499, GP9 and now also 456! The NOS talk has to do with the fact that they're selling off what's currently left over in the warehouse but they are indeed going to restart production of the fore mentioned tapes. Here's what is says on their site:

The Quantegy products listed are a few of the remaining items that we have in our warehouse until we bring back the 456, 499, and GP9 Mastering Tapes. If there are any items you do not see, please call or email for availability.

Yes, that is indeed the "best news any analog enthusiasts could hope for", as Tim already pointed out.

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Yeah, I too am a bit peeved that the talk of "new old stock" is being mentioned continually. Quantegy had made it clear in previous messages, both online and email, that they are indeed bringing back 499, GP9 and now also 456! The NOS talk has to do with the fact that they're selling off what's currently left over in the warehouse but they are indeed going to restart production of the fore mentioned tapes. Here's what is says on their site:



Yes, that is indeed the "best news any analog enthusiasts could hope for", as Tim already pointed out.

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1. Until they actually come out with new product, iffy NOS is all you can get from them.

2. Regardless of the intent, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for new Quantegy audio tape in this economy. If it happens, great but I'm not all that optimistic.
 
My point is that considering how spotty (and that's being kind) the quality of Quantegy products were in the last few years, especially the very last runs, why get excited over new old stock? The performance won't have improved in storage no matter how rare the stuff is.

I'm not excited about recent NOS. I'm looking forward to them beginning the manufacturing process again and having new stock.

In fact I've recommended on this form in the past that people are best off buying 456 manufactured between 1995 and 2004 for best results. I think my exact words were something like, "before 1995 you have sticky-shed and after 2004 you have poor QC."

That doesn't mean they didn't make any good tape after 2004, but the QC is one of the things I mentioned that the new owners screwed up, so the amount of bad tape coming out of Opelika was unacceptable. When Quantegy had their fire sale this last time there were some pretty good deals on certain tapes, but I didn't buy a single tape because of QC issues. I did and still do buy NOS Ampex/Quantegy between the years 1995 and 2004... never had a bad tape yet.

Quantegy knows they can't put out crap tape and expect to succeed this time. RMGI has put out enough crap tape that perhaps Quantegy sees an opportunity to do it right this time and regain their former position as the leading tape supplier in the world.

If it doesn't work out there is plenty of NOS tape from the good years to keep me stocked up for the foreseeable future. When I see a good deal I buy it. Otherwise someone else can have it. I’ll wait for the deals. By the way, I’m also still buying NOS BASF and EMTEC due to RMGI QC issues. ;)

My music comes first. When manufacturers get their shit together I'll be happy to buy their tape... and that's what I'm hoping for.
 
Too bad we cant all get together and do a group buy of some of their tape. That way we could all rate it and give a good idea on what the quality actually is. If everyone here that wants tape buys a few reels and gives a report it could help out others that are iffy about buying and maybe we could some type of group discount...
 
I'm not excited about recent NOS. I'm looking forward to them beginning the manufacturing process again and having new stock.

In fact I've recommended on this form in the past that people are best off buying 456 manufactured between 1995 and 2004 for best results. I think my exact words were something like, "before 1995 you have sticky-shed and after 2004 you have poor QC."

That doesn't mean they didn't make any good tape after 2004, but the QC is one of the things I mentioned that the new owners screwed up, so the amount of bad tape coming out of Opelika was unacceptable. When Quantegy had their fire sale this last time there were some pretty good deals on certain tapes, but I didn't buy a single tape because of QC issues. I did and still do buy NOS Ampex/Quantegy between the years 1995 and 2004... never had a bad tape yet.

Quantegy knows they can't put out crap tape and expect to succeed this time. RMGI has put out enough crap tape that perhaps Quantegy sees an opportunity to do it right this time and regain their former position as the leading tape supplier in the world.

If it doesn't work out there is plenty of NOS tape from the good years to keep me stocked up for the foreseeable future. When I see a good deal I buy it. Otherwise someone else can have it. I’ll wait for the deals. By the way, I’m also still buying NOS BASF and EMTEC due to RMGI QC issues. ;)

My music comes first. When manufacturers get their shit together I'll be happy to buy their tape... and that's what I'm hoping for.

Ok, forgive me if this is common knowledge; I don't get to read through this site as often as I'd like.

RMGI is putting out crap tape too? :confused: I hadn't heard about this. I thought their stuff was fine. So Quantegy NOS from 95 to 2003 and NOS BASF and EMTEC is the only you're buying? Where are you buying this from?

Again, forgive me if these are stupid questions. I haven't bought any tape yet because I don't get my 38 until June (it's sitting at a friend's house in TX until then), and I don't want my first batch to be crap.

Thanks
 
When RMGI moved their production facility to its current location in the Netherlands they didn't anticipate that the change in climate would require changes to their curing process...there were batch runs that had shedding problems because the oxide wasn't properly bound to the backing. We're not talking SSS here or anything, but shed that was bad enough to have some oxide stuck in important places on the tape path, like heads...:D Easy cleanup but not acceptable to work with. Personal experience. I had a bad roll and RMGI replaced it no-charge once they confirmed that it was from a bad batch and had reasonable assurance that I wasn't running the tape on a belt-sander.

Every now and then a bad roll crops up and RMGI wants very much to be made aware of it it and fix the issue.

Would it have been better to anticipate the effects of the move to the Netherlands? Sure. I'm not perfect either. Some may be bitter and expect more, I'm not and I don't as long as they back their product up and make good bu the customer which in my case they have. The replacement tape is wonderful.

So, to answer the question:
RMGI is putting out crap tape too?

I say a resounding no, and it would be unfortunate if the rumor got started that they are. They're not. ;)
 
I'm the one...

I'm the one who's apparently been hiding under a flat rock for a decade or two,... that I was dismayed at the fact that the price of tape had doubled since my heyday of buying reels retail.

Thru a few of the Post-2K years I'd been finding mind boggling & unbelievable deals for reels on clearance at a particular media supply house, out-the-door for $1/reel,... of which I'd snatched up dozens! This included new 1/4" media on 7" reels and even 1/2"! There was a variety of 3M and Quantegy media I'd scored. Emtec 911 and 900 (1/4"~10.5"), too! There was a case of 10.5" 631 1/4" tape that I'd passed on for $1/reel, just to back out gracefully and review if this was a good media for me, whereupon my returning the following week to purchase, it was all gone. You snooze, you lose!

Did anyone catch the post where I scored a 14" reel of 2" BASF 468 tape for $55? That's a $355 reel of tape, (5000')! Does anyone know how truly huge a 14" reel of 2" tape is? Don't ask me why,... it was in hopes that I'd find a suitable Tascam ATR-80/24 to put it on, but that has eluded me all these years. I saw one for $4500, but at the time I didn't have that kind of scratch. I got the reel, though!

Likewise, I'd found an outlet for "456 compatible 031" new media from Quantegy, (456 media that didn't pass QC at the factory),... that I'd bought 2 cases at $2.99/reel, 80 reels of 1/4" tape on 7" spools. Of the few reels I've had opportunity to use, I've not found any defects or anything unsatisfactory about this tape.

Honestly, I have bins & bins full of reel media and cassettes. Dozens and dozens of reels and well over 1000 cassettes, of new media. So much that I could become a scalper myself, but that's not where my head is at. I'd have to take inventory to quantify it all. It's a lot, though.

Nonetheless, I'm encouraged that Quantegy would be giving magnetic media manufacture another go-round. I'm hoping for the best in Quantegy's recovery. After all, isn't RMGI an Dutch concern? Shouldn't the USA be preeminent in any technology market it practically founded? I don't want to get on a tangent that the US nipped this technology from the Nazis. That's another post, maybe for the Cave. I just think the US should reassert it's preeminence in this field, for now before the tape market goes the way of the dinosaur.


========
OT: Hey, has anyone noticed that SIGNATURES are back??:eek:;)

/DA
 
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I forgot to mention,...

A few years back I scored an MS-16, M520, some wooden desk/racks, a GIGANTIC patch bay with Neutrik connectors and yards of Canare cabling included,... plus 75 reels of 1-pass 1" 996 tape (with actual Playboy promos on the first few minutes of tape), and 1" MRL 520nW/m cal-tape,... for $1100/local pickup, cash & carry?

For this reason, and what I'd detailed above,... I may not be buying any new reel tape for myself, for a while to come. Maybe ever.

That's incongruous with the fact I'd still like to see Quantegy make a solid comeback. I'm not sure I'll be lining up to purchase any time soon, though. Probably not!:eek:;)
 
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I'm the one who's apparently been hiding under a flat rock for a decade or two,... that I was dismayed at the fact that the price of tape had doubled since my heyday of buying reels retail.

Thru a few of the Post-2K years I'd been finding mind boggling & unbelievable deals for reels on clearance at a particular media supply house, out-the-door for $1/reel,... of which I'd snatched up dozens! This included new 1/4" media on 7" reels and even 1/2"! There was a variety of 3M and Quantegy media I'd scored. Emtec 911 and 900 (1/4"~10.5"), too! There was a case of 10.5" 631 1/4" tape that I'd passed on for $1/reel, just to back out gracefully and review if this was a good media for me, whereupon my returning the following week to purchase, it was all gone. You snooze, you lose!

Did anyone catch the post where I scored a 14" reel of 2" BASF 468 tape for $55? That's a $355 reel of tape, (5000')! Does anyone know how truly huge a 14" reel of 2" tape is? Don't ask me why,... it was in hopes that I'd find a suitable Tascam ATR-80/24 to put it on, but that has eluded me all these years. I saw one for $4500, but at the time I didn't have that kind of scratch. I got the reel, though!

Likewise, I'd found an outlet for "456 compatible 031" new media from Quantegy, (456 media that didn't pass QC at the factory),... that I'd bought 2 cases at $2.99/reel, 80 reels of 1/4" tape on 7" spools. Of the few reels I've had opportunity to use, I've not found any defects or anything unsatisfactory about this tape.

Honestly, I have bins & bins full of reel media and cassettes. Dozens and dozens of reels and well over 1000 cassettes, of new media. So much that I could become a scalper myself, but that's not where my head is at. I'd have to take inventory to quantify it all. It's a lot, though.

.... [sigh] ..... I hate you Reel Person.

:)
 
Heh, heh.

Yeah. I hate myself, too!...........:eek:;)
 
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RMGI is putting out crap tape too? :confused: I hadn't heard about this.

Yes, as all tape manufacturers have. Meaning RNGI have bad batches and IMO a few too many for my peace of mind. At this point in time, when I have a choice between buying NOS BASF or buying new RMGI I will go with the BASF... it's never let me down. Over my 30 years of recording I've seen bad batches from every company. When people slam Ampex/Quantegy I have to point this out -- they made more tape than any other manufacturer so of course people ran across more bad tape from them than anyone else.

There are still too many reports coming in of shedding RMGI... width issues, curing issues... I've heard a lot of different explanations. But the bottom line is until they get all that worked out I don't have time to mess with it. So I’m intrigued by what Quantegy may be able to offer.

The best places for NOS tape are eBay and craigslist.

I don't mean to say not to buy RMGI. But I am saying at this time I am not buying it. Most likely it will be ok and if it's not you can return it... but that process is what I don't have time for.
 
Yes, as all tape manufacturers have. Meaning RNGI have bad batches and IMO a few too many for my peace of mind. At this point in time, when I have a choice between buying NOS BASF or buying new RMGI I will go with the BASF... it's never let me down. Over my 30 years of recording I've seen bad batches from every company. When people slam Ampex/Quantegy I have to point this out -- they made more tape than any other manufacturer so of course people ran across more bad tape from them than anyone else.

There are still too many reports coming in of shedding RMGI... width issues, curing issues... I've heard a lot of different explanations. But the bottom line is until they get all that worked out I don't have time to mess with it. So I’m intrigued by what Quantegy may be able to offer.

The best places for NOS tape are eBay and craigslist.

I don't mean to say not to buy RMGI. But I am saying at this time I am not buying it. Most likely it will be ok and if it's not you can return it... but that process is what I don't have time for.

Thanks for the info! :)

Just out of curiousity, what is it that you do where you don't have time to deal with bad tape? Do you run a studio commercially?
 
In case any of you folks missed it, Larry Crane of Tape Op blogged about the Quantegy comeback awhile ago and one of the Quantegy people posted this comment:

by Jahret Sylvester on October 24, 2008
Hello Larry, Thanks for generating more buzz about what we are currently working on. The company we will have OEM this product is still not officially determined, but as you are well aware, there are only so many poeple around the world that are capable of manufacturing it. Please be assured that we will not release any product that is not to the same specifications that everyone else has grown to love. We are currently working on putting the Quantegy Online store back up which will list what products we still currently have available in our warehouse as well as other Hard Drives we have tested and are marketing. Please stay tuned in for further updates via our website, and if you have any immediate needs or concerns, please feel free to give me a call. Best, Jahret Sylvester

I wonder who'd be the OEM?
 
Shouldn't the USA be preeminent in any technology market it practically founded?

*cough*ATR Magnetics*cough*
ATRAward.gif
 
In case any of you folks missed it, Larry Crane of Tape Op blogged about the Quantegy comeback awhile ago and one of the Quantegy people posted this comment:



I wonder who'd be the OEM?

Probably an offshore concern that doesn't have to adhere to our environmental laws.
 
I think the Germans beat us to the basic technology of tape recording. The US didn't join the game until after WWII. Bing Crosby was a major player, money/influence wise, getting things off the ground here.
 

Yeah,
I emailed him wit the packing 101 suggestion and he told me they hardley ever have problems with damage in shipping and thanks for the suggestion. So hes off my list...
What Id really like to do is trade someone my M-30 for a 1508 plus the difference in cash. Id rather deal with someone on this site anyways as they are a little more honest than the average person...
 
Yeah,... I know.

I think the Germans beat us to the basic technology of tape recording. The US didn't join the game until after WWII. Bing Crosby was a major player, money/influence wise, getting things off the ground here.

Thanks...............:eek:;)

A Reel Person said:
I don't want to get on a tangent that the US nipped this technology from the Nazis.
 
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