lonewhitefly
Active member
Here's a wrinkle though, the terminals on the backs of the heads are labeled "1" and "2", but that doesn't mean those connect to cores 1 and 2 as you count from top to bottom...since they are 2-track heads its possible that "1" is the first core at the top, and "2" *could* be the third core...that would explain why there are guard bands between the 1st, 2nd and 3rd cores of the erase head, but not between the 3rd and 4th cores. I would expect if the 1st and 2nd cores were the ones utilized there would only be a guard band between cores 1 and 2.
Also, I think it is reasonable to assume there used to be a play head mounted...there is a head can cover there for the play head on the gate, and burnishing of the machine marks of the mounting block where a head can was mounted. Plus the second scrape flutter idler is in place which really would be superfluous if there never was a play head mounted.
I think it should assumed there was a play head at some point.
Wish I knew of a way to test which terminals on the heads went to which cores...
Yeah, but its NOT a 1" 4-track setup. Its basically a 1" unidirectional quarter-track setup (i.e. half of a quarter-track setup for 1" tape).
I think we're talking about the same thing with different terminology ... ('quarter-track' vs. '4-track') ... I always called it '4-track/2-channel' ...
But yeh there is no way to know if it was for cassette duplication or 1/4" consumer reel duplication without knowing whether it's 1 & 3 or 1 & 2. But based on the guard bands you noted, it sounds like it was a dupe machine for 1/4" consumer reels. They probably used 1" for higher quality, or to use the same machine for 8-track duplication as I mentioned above perhaps.
But they play head -- whether it was attached to the same deck, or another -- would have to be standard 1" 4-track for playback ... (one 'side' would play forward, while the other plays backwards, to transfer to the 1/4" consumer reels). They may have used the 1" deck just to prepare the original masters, then made duplication masters on 1/4".
Standard duplication for 8-track cartridge masters used 1" tape. Quad & 4-track (or quarter-track) consumer reels used 1/2" 4-track masters I think (probably for cassette duplication as well). So this seems unusual to use 1" 4-track for 1/4" open reel or cassette duplication ... but that looks like this is what it was for (can't think of anything else, unless it was some crazy custom setup).
Last edited: