help with finding tape player please!!!

[cdemchuk]

To whomever knows the answer to this question:

I am looking for a tape/sound machine that is capable of playing a sound that is recorded on 3 3/4" IPS monoaural half-track.  Does anyone know a machine that has this capability by chance?

thank you so much for your time and responses,
sincerely,
cdemchuk

[Ki Choi]

Please clarify... are you saying the tape is 1/2 track and both tracks have same mono information?

Or are you saying it's a full track tape with one track of mono information?

Judging from 3.75 ips speed, it is more than likely a 1/4" tape correct?

Ki

[ironbut]

I sounds like he's talking about 1/2 track mono (half width mono in each direction) at 3 3/4 ips. I think it really depends on how high a quality playback you need? If it's spoken word and you're looking to do a digital transfer than you could use any 1/2 track machine and just use one channel. At 3 3/4 ips you won't get super high fidelity in most cases. If fidelity is totally irrelevant, you could play back one channel at a time with a 1/4 track head or 4 track. The only configuration that won't work is a full track mono.
For the best sound, you'd need a 1/2 track mono playback head but outside of archivists, it's a pretty rare bird. If it's an important recording, it may be worth sending it to an archivist to have a top notch transfer made.

[steveidosound]

In the home market that was one of the most common mono machine configurations. Unfortunatly that means dealing with an old consumer machine. Any non stereo machine from the 50s forward would likely cover that configuration.
such as an old VM or Webcor like this:
http://cgi.ebay.com/WEBCOR-ROYAL-CORONET-REEL-TO-REEL-VINTAGE-1957_W0QQitemZ300277922127QQihZ020QQcategoryZ15000QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 I would find/buy a solid state consumer machine from the late 60s.
similar to this type:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Reel-to-Reel-tape-player-Rheem-Califone-works_W0QQitemZ290281180896QQihZ019QQcategoryZ15000QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

something closer to this might be ideal:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Sony-Tapecorder-TC-105A_W0QQitemZ290281273447QQihZ019QQcategoryZ67813QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


You didn't say what size reel but many battery portables were 5" reel max and mono at that speed and 1 7/8.
similar to this type:
http://cgi.ebay.com/CONCORD-350-PORTABLE-REEL-TO-REEL-TAPE-RECORDER-PLAYER_W0QQitemZ290281350679QQihZ019QQcategoryZ15000QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If it is to try and recover the very best sound, yes the left channel of a 2 track stereo machine would give the best playback. Only trouble is
most 1/2 track (2 track) studio machines don't run @ 3 3/4.

[steveidosound]

By the way, the Technics RS 1500 will play such tapes properly too on it's left channel. It is one of the few machines to do 2 track stereo (which is the same track width as 1/2 track mono except that 1/2 track mono goes one pass either direction) and have 3 3/4 ips. speed. And one of the very few to combine that with 10.5" reels.