Tape Project Forum
General Category => Prerecorded Tapes => Topic started by: docb on August 11, 2011, 03:55:12 PM
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I have just received somewhere around 150-200 commercial pre recorded tapes from an estate. The owner kindly wanted to be sure that they didn't end up in the dump and went to someone who would appreciate them. A lot of the tapes will be available for sale. It will be a while before I can catalog them all. There are many Londons, Columbias and RCAs, some DGs, some Philips, a few Vanguard Stereolabs, a couple Deccas, and other odds and ends. There are also around 10 B-Cs. So far it appears that all but nine of the 7.5 ips titles are 1/4 track, and there are maybe 10 or 12 3-3/4 ips Epic titles. Oh yeah, and there are not one but TWO Trini Lopez albums. Don't hurt yourself sprinting for the phone.
I have listened to two of the 2 track tapes today and they seem to be in pretty good shape - no mold, very little shedding, no serious dropouts and only a little print thru on one tape.
For starters here are the B-Cs (all Dolby encoded and, no, I have not listened to them yet):
PHI G 6500 174 Mozart Oboe K314 New Philharmonia
ARG F 910 Mozart Flute K314,313 Bennet English Chamber Orchestra SOLD
UNC N 0302 Mahler 3 LSO Horenstein SOLD
MHS C 3760 Kreisler Kavafian
MHS D 3637 Bagpipe SOLD
SPC D 135 Mozart K. 423, 424 Shumsky SOLD
MHS D 3855 Marches Herrick Organ of Westminister Abbey
PHI Z 6769 047 Haydn Creation St. Martin
PHI G 6500 048 Strauss Ein Heldenleben Concertgebouw Amsterdam
ARG E 554 Mozart K.136,137,138 St. Martin
I have priced these based upon the current average ebay price of $18 each.
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If you have Beethovan: Violin Concerto - Zino Francescatti - Bruno Walter on Columbia Masterworks, first play it then get the master tapes and rights to add it to the Tape Project list. This is a fantastic album and would be a super Tape Project addition.
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Hoo-Hoo-Hoo!
I finally got the bagpipe tape!
My neighbors are gonna love this.
I guess it's time to dust off the Koto tartan and thaw out that Haggas (or is it the other way around?).
Anyone up for a evening of Robert Burns and the 'pipes?
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Oh yeah, and there are not one but TWO Trini Lopez albums.
Sadly, I probably have both of them already, but, uh which titles are they? ;-)
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arrgh, my wife and I just spent 4 days tooling around in your neighbourhood from the 10 until last night (edmonds, Kingston, PG, Union, Port Townshend, Coupville, Anacortes, St. Mary's, home)... my daily reading of the forum was on hiatus until just now.
missed opportunities....
again.
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Stevideo, I'm playing the role of Mercedes mechanic today (a fairly constant job with three of them in the family), but will check the titles tomorrow.
Lance, sorry we missed you. We love visitors and during the week we are usually around for demos in the afternoon. A call an hour or two ahead will guarantee I have my messed picked up and that the amps will be warmed up when you arrive.
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Stevideo, I'm playing the role of Mercedes mechanic today (a fairly constant job with three of them in the family), but will check the titles tomorrow.
I am embarrassed to say that I looked and I have 7 tapes already, with a duplicate of the title "On the Move" !
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The ones I have here are Trini, Reprise RS-6196 and Lopez Live at Basin St. East, Reprise RS-6134.
Found an interesting article about MTD master duplication, who duped Reprise tapes as well as Capitol, Columbia, Angel and Dot tapes:
http://books.google.com/books?id=BikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA10&lpg=RA1-PA10&dq=mtd+master+duplication&source=bl&ots=VqBmK424C5&sig=eOaqHb1LhVLcKne1CwPrH52ZArA&hl=en&ei=RF9NTp3rA-LmiALDoZl6&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ (http://books.google.com/books?id=BikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA10&lpg=RA1-PA10&dq=mtd+master+duplication&source=bl&ots=VqBmK424C5&sig=eOaqHb1LhVLcKne1CwPrH52ZArA&hl=en&ei=RF9NTp3rA-LmiALDoZl6&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ)
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Thanks Dan!
There's so much cool stuff in those old Billboards.
The big issue is finding what you're looking for and then, keeping from spending the rest of the day (or week) bouncing from one issue to another.
Just to let any of the members here know,.. I'm trying to compile as much info regarding the duplication facilities during the early years of reel to reel tapes as I can (I must say that it's been on the back burner for well over a year now).
Any links regarding these facilities and better yet,.. contact info for folks who worked or ran these, would be much appreciated!
Thanks in advance.
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The ones I have here are Trini, Reprise RS-6196 and Lopez Live at Basin St. East, Reprise RS-6134.
Found an interesting article about MTD master duplication, who duped Reprise tapes as well as Capitol, Columbia, Angel and Dot tapes:
http://books.google.com/books?id=BikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA10&lpg=RA1-PA10&dq=mtd+master+duplication&source=bl&ots=VqBmK424C5&sig=eOaqHb1LhVLcKne1CwPrH52ZArA&hl=en&ei=RF9NTp3rA-LmiALDoZl6&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ (http://books.google.com/books?id=BikEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA10&lpg=RA1-PA10&dq=mtd+master+duplication&source=bl&ots=VqBmK424C5&sig=eOaqHb1LhVLcKne1CwPrH52ZArA&hl=en&ei=RF9NTp3rA-LmiALDoZl6&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CCUQ6AEwAQ)
Well, I have the 1st one but not the 2nd, live one. I guess I should contact you to get them both.
BTW, in noticing all the stuff about cart. duplication, I have a 4/8 track car player and a 4 track AC operated home one with an amp and speaker outputs as well as line level. I also have quite a few pre-recorded tapes. It seems that some early duplication was done in the south SF bay area. One place, "General Recorded Tape Inc.", listed an address on Lawrence Station Rd. Sunnyvale, which has been Lawrence Expressway since I was young! It also appears from the labeling on some of the tapes, there were places at one point where you could take your records and they would dub them to 4 track cartridges for your car player. This before car 8 track players and home 8 track recorders were available.
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It was surprising to me to go through that issue of Billboard and see all of the articles mentioning 4 track auto players. I'm guessing it must just be the specific era, right as 8 track was starting to happen, so anyone who had dabbled in 4 track was professing their experience in order to pick up 8 track clients. I sure don't recall 4 track cartridges being much of a success, in fact I don't really remember them at all. I do however remember the eight track player that came in my mom's 78 Olds, well after cassette had ascended to the throne. And that makes me think of the late 80's and early 90's Mercedes we have around here, that came stock with cassette players - a little out of step with the times. No wonder the aftermarket car audio industry became so successful, all three cars have had an aftermarket Alpine CD player installed.
At the moment I am without a 1/4 track reel to reel playback setup. I'll see if I can borrow tech Shawn's tricked out MX 5050 next week so I can start to go though more of the tapes and see if they are OK. So far about 10 two track tapes are all I have listened to. Most are RCA acetates and some are missing a lot of the first track due to breakage. Others are still complete and I have leadered the head and used hold down tape. I imagine the 1/4 tracks will be in a little better shape. Haven't seen any signs of mold, the HF seems unmolested (in fact some of the tapes seem surprisingly on the bright side - were they compensating for the HF response of 50's playback heads?) and most seemed to be pretty well packed in spite of the lack of hold down tape.
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I have a few very old tapes where the HF seems to be "hyped" up. I don't think it's from any type of degradation since that and any issues with the duplication would've almost certainly "dulled" the highs.
So, maybe you're right about the compensation for the rolled off freq. response of the old heads. That's the kinda stuff we'll probably never know for sure as the guys that made those decisions are all but gone.
I too didn't recall 4 track carts but I never was a user of the 8 tracks either.
Here's some good info on what they were (seems like a car player for the most part).
http://www.8trackheaven.com/4track.html
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I have a few very old tapes where the HF seems to be "hyped" up. I don't think it's from any type of degradation since that and any issues with the duplication would've almost certainly "dulled" the highs.
So, maybe you're right about the compensation for the rolled off freq. response of the old heads. That's the kinda stuff we'll probably never know for sure as the guys that made those decisions are all but gone.
I too didn't recall 4 track carts but I never was a user of the 8 tracks either.
Here's some good info on what they were (seems like a car player for the most part).
http://www.8trackheaven.com/4track.html
OK, this thread has been thoroughly hijacked and is need of moderation! Glad it was you two that did it. :-)
Yes, I think that there was some subjectivity in the eq used for tape duplication - perhaps worse in the late era of ultra high speed duplication 3 3/4 run speed 1/4 track R2R tapes. I believe many might exhibit a bit of a peak then rapid roll off in the area above, say, 12k in an effort to "push" a system that was lacking in HF response.
Further tangent - WAS there ever a very firm standard for NAB 3 3/4 ips EQ?
Another contributing factor might have been the use of a master tape with some additional compensating HF EQ for vinyl, the same problem that plagued some early CDs, don't know when or how much that practice was used.
The 8 track website is fun. I have not been there for a while. Yes, I have those too in both the stereo and quad formats as well as the Playtape cartridges and the giant RCA cassettes. I did have DCC and Elcaset as well but no longer. You have to stop somewhere. LOL
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So do you still have tapes for sale?
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So do you still have tapes for sale?
I got the Trini Lopez :-)
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That means there is still *one* left. :-)
I am looking for the standard tapes, not the B&C's.
Ben.
BTW I was kind of expecting today , April 1st to have the tape project
state session #4 will be all released as 7 1/2 IPS staggered head 1/4" tapes
for all the users of vintage equipment.
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Hi Ben!
It's been a long time but I guess if I had to make a wild guess which day you'd re-surface, it would be April 1st!
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So do you still have tapes for sale?
Still have them, still haven't had much time to go through them. If and when I get some time to check some out I will try to l list some titles.