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Thread: Reel to Reel Prices - are people just greeding about now??

  1. #1
    Join Date: Feb 2009

    Location: Surrey, England UK

    Posts: 591
    I'm Stewart.

    Default Reel to Reel Prices - are people just greeding about now??

    As the thread title suggests discuss.

    I personally believe that on the whole the majority of "sellers" who have these things and put them on ebay etc. have very little idea of what they have but nonetheless learn very quickly how to use terms like "full service" (you dusted it before listing it) and "full recap" (one or two in the power supply were replaced as far as you know maybe possibly) in their often rather scant and useless desciptions.

    I am personally doubtful that there will be any open reel tape release revival as the music industry will never get itself into a high enough gear to even attempt it. You need to reissue classic back catalogue material as well as contemporary right from the get go to raise any kind of potential interest from end users and thus from machine manufacturers and duplication operations.

    In terms of using the machines in the home for recording etc. again relatively few folk who end up purchasing a machine actually really use it or can use it to even part of it's full potential (if it is a studio recorder). Studio machines were not and simply are not really intended for use in the home - they can be of course but really you need the support of a full blown monitoring installation to take advantage of one in order to make correctly specified recordings each time you use it.

    Domestic machines were a massive compromise in this direction and were ok as far as they went but came nowhere near to their professional counterparts with very good reason from a manufacturing standpoint.

    I wonder if this rather silly price bubble is about to burst.
    Stewart.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

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    Very much agree. If cd recorders and mini disc cant make it then tape wont either. It looks great, and can sound great but few have a machine that they can use properly, and in the home is there really much of a need?
    Regards,
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  3. #3
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    I'm Adrian.

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  4. #4
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Galashiels

    Posts: 13,669
    I'm inthescottishmafia.

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    Have to say my Tandberg makes absolutely superb recordings to my ears. Obviously I'm just an amateur with these things, and I mostly record gigs and other stuff from Sky Arts, recordings of which can't be had any other way as they are not available on CD or download, but the SQ easily rivals and even betters what I can get from my vinyl setup.
    “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”

    Hunter S Thompson

  5. #5
    Join Date: Sep 2013

    Location: North Island New Zealand

    Posts: 1,757
    I'm Chris.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Lodgesound View Post
    As the thread title suggests discuss.

    I personally believe that on the whole the majority of "sellers" who have these things and put them on ebay etc. have very little idea of what they have but nonetheless learn very quickly how to use terms like "full service" (you dusted it before listing it) and "full recap" (one or two in the power supply were replaced as far as you know maybe possibly) in their often rather scant and useless desciptions.

    I am personally doubtful that there will be any open reel tape release revival as the music industry will never get itself into a high enough gear to even attempt it. You need to reissue classic back catalogue material as well as contemporary right from the get go to raise any kind of potential interest from end users and thus from machine manufacturers and duplication operations.

    In terms of using the machines in the home for recording etc. again relatively few folk who end up purchasing a machine actually really use it or can use it to even part of it's full potential (if it is a studio recorder). Studio machines were not and simply are not really intended for use in the home - they can be of course but really you need the support of a full blown monitoring installation to take advantage of one in order to make correctly specified recordings each time you use it.

    Domestic machines were a massive compromise in this direction and were ok as far as they went but came nowhere near to their professional counterparts with very good reason from a manufacturing standpoint.

    I wonder if this rather silly price bubble is about to burst.
    The 7 1/2 ips and 15 ips machines, can be very close to as good as a studio machine, by using one in tandem
    with a Type 1 DBX , note Type 1 not Type 2 that was made for cassette. the model numbers were
    DBX 180A ( used by Vangelis ) or 155 ( used by Anthony Phillips - first Genesis guitarist for his album Geese
    and the Ghost ) or the 150X, the 150 is to my ear inferior

    The 155 and 150x can also be used real time to improve CD playback.

    Cheers / Chris

  6. #6
    Join Date: Apr 2015

    Location: Central Virginia

    Posts: 1,736
    I'm Russell.

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    Back in the day when these home reel to reel's were popular, it was the ultimate hi fidelity machine! But only if you could get your hands on some copies of the master tape, expensive copies sold in limited quantities, and they sounded pretty amazing for the times. But, while you can get a refurbished machine, those old tapes couldn't hardly be of any use. With tape bleed, and dry rot, magnetic losses, etc. those tapes couldn't play anymore. And I don't think you could buy any new ones? So what good is the machine? It would be like a shiny new 8-track tape player.




    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  7. #7
    Join Date: Mar 2008

    Location: Galashiels

    Posts: 13,669
    I'm inthescottishmafia.

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    They are good for lots if you make your own recordings. There are still companies producing tape.
    “Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of fuel. Sentimental people call it inspiration, but what they really mean is fuel. I have always needed fuel. I am a serious consumer. On some nights I still believe that a car with the gas needle on empty can run about fifty more miles if you have the right music very loud on the radio”

    Hunter S Thompson

  8. #8
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: NE England

    Posts: 4,173
    I'm Jez.

    Default

    If you are not making live recordings I can't see much point to them beyond an engineering curiosity or objet d' art.. and I've got several of 'em! I don't think I've switched one on for several years...
    Arkless Electronics-Engineered to be better. Tel. 01670 530674 (after 1pm)

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  9. #9
    Join Date: Mar 2012

    Location: London and Somerset

    Posts: 2,097
    I'm Dave.

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    The whole point for me on recording was making compilation tapes.
    The very few whole albums i recorded ,were LP's i borrowed off a friend, and for love or money could never track down. A load of fun to be had editing Album tracks.
    A few friends would even go as far as double solo type of thing, they would record a guitar solo they liked twice, and kudos to the person who could do it with just the record/pause button, no splicing etc.. So the acoustic guitar solo on 'come up and see me, make me smile, would repeat, but you would think it was part of the song when done well.
    I enjoy a good tape comp...
    Kraken, Saturn, Emotion, Flying V Rocket, Planets.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jul 2010

    Location: Cheltenham

    Posts: 982
    I'm Charlie.

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    There is a limited supply of high end studio machines as most were chucked in skips 20 years ago. So with supply and demand economics, prices are just going up.

    There are now over 500 legit titles available on 15 IPS 2 track 1/4 inch tape. The Tape Project will even do you a 30 IPS 1/2 inch copy if you are well heeled. Chad Kassam in the USA is now re-releasing a number of classic albums and is planning to continue this programme over time. In the USA and the Far East, there are plenty of people who will buy high quality tape at USD 300-450 a title. Before people choke at this cost just think how much some collectors will pay for a first pressing of a classic album in good nick - now that is truly crazy.

    So maybe, people in the UK may not spark off a R2R revival, but I think it is burning slowly elsewhere and catching on. I, for one, am completely hooked. I haven't spun my Platine Verdier for 2 months now.Much more exciting things to do, like check my recently arrived copy of Doors-LA Woman and Dylan's Blonde on Blonde

    Charlie

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