Tape Project Forum

General Category => Prerecorded Tapes => Topic started by: magaoidh on March 14, 2009, 04:07:04 PM

Title: Bel Canto
Post by: magaoidh on March 14, 2009, 04:07:04 PM

I have been noticing on ebay that a company, Bel Canto used to produce OR tapes.Can anyone enlighten me as to whether they are any good or not?
  Regards Geoff

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: ironbut on March 14, 2009, 10:23:14 PM

HI, the only Bel Canto that I have is "Meet the Jazztet" with Art Farmer and Benny Golson (side men- Curtis Fuller, Addison Farmer, Lex Humphries and a very young McCoy Tyner). I bought it sealed so it's in excellent condition. It's recorded on acetate but I'm not sure what brand. It sounds great and I'd consider it one of my better jazz tapes but not the best. Certainly worth having but I wouldn't go crazy on the price (the definition of which depends on the size of your wallet).

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: magaoidh on March 15, 2009, 03:33:58 AM

Do you know when they stopped production.I never knew the Beatles were on OR until recently.I started collecting in the mid to late 70's so Bel Canto are out of left field to me.

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: ironbut on March 15, 2009, 11:40:09 AM

There were a number of Bel Canto's but I don't see them come up for sale very often. I see 2 track Bel Cantos every once in a while and some are promotional items for Webcor tape recorders. I'm not sure when their tapes were produced.

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: U47 on March 15, 2009, 05:24:23 PM

Bel Canto was a duplicating house that made tapes for many labels. Many prefer the Bel Canto duped tapes to the Ampex(Mercury for example). Here is a rare jazz title(bel canto 16) two track. Bel Canto was associated with mood music for the most part.


Rich Brown
Acoustic Arts
Portland, Oregon

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: reel zealot on March 17, 2009, 08:03:00 PM

As I recall Bel Canto claimed to 'dup in real time', hence why they were better than Ampex.  However, keep in mind that there are very few overlaps between Ampex and Bel Canto duplicated tapes. Tapes duplicated I have run into are Bel Canto, Mercury, Philips, Buena Vista, Liberty, and 20th Century.

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: JoeG on March 19, 2009, 05:36:47 PM

I came into possession of a Bel Canto today. The first one I have ever seen. It's a dupe of Anderson "The Music of Leroy Anderson" Fennell/Eastman-Rochester Pops. 7.5 ips 4 track ST-90009

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: EMB on July 16, 2009, 09:59:46 PM

Ive had a couple Bel Cantos and they were very good.

Title: Re: Bel Canto
Post by: steveidosound on October 28, 2009, 12:34:42 PM

I have quite a few.
I posted elsewhere that they were a division of TRW  (Thompson, Ramo, Wooldridge) and apparently associated at least by the same parent company, with Bell Sound, manufacturer of electronic equipment including amps, tuners and reel to reel decks.