I discovered something interesting sometime back while experimenting with different reels and tape. I noticed that my BASF/EMTEC tapes packed very smoothly even in RWD and FFD speeds on
my Tascam TSR-8. However, Quantegy/Ampex is very sloppy at these speeds. Some have complained about the cut of Ampex tape – that it isn’t as uniform as BASF.
I wonder if it might also have something to do with the reel design. I noticed that the metal reels on BASF tapes were much higher quality, being the 6-screw high precision type with superior balance and thicker metal compared to the traditional 3-screw Ampex/Quantegy style. So I spooled a reel of Quantegy 456 onto a BASF precision reel. I found that the Quantegy tape wrapped much more smoothly at high speed, and with no tape rub.
Quantegy sells (used to) the 6-screw precision metal reels, but they are a little pricy, and at this time hard to come by since the bankruptcy. They are the same as the old 3M reels, which Quantegy acquired along with the rest of 3Ms magnetic tape division back in the 90’s.
Rubbing tape will cause edge damage, so it is worth trying to eliminate it by adjusting the height of the reel tables and/or using precision reels.
By the way, one thing I don’t like about the TSR-8 is that it doesn’t have a spool mode. You have to play the tape to get a smooth pack. One of my future projects is to add a switch to engage the tape lifters in play mode to save wear and tear on the heads. For now using the precision reels helps in FWD.
The ones I use look like the 3M style below, but without the 3M label of course. They were sold by US Recording Media last year before the Quantegy crisis, but are no longer on site. You can find them on ebay now and then. The Quantegy and 3M are the same, so it doesn’t matter what you buy. The oldest reel I have of this style is labeled AGFA, so the design has changed hands several times. They are all the same reel.
Since I have only done this on a TSR-8, YMMV, but I hope this info will help some of you.
-Tim
