The Official 'Factory-Made' Reel to Reel Tape Thread

[The Grand Wazoo]

I'm rather chuffed with myself this weekend.

Originally Posted by Beechwoods
I am however lucky that the artists I like aren't The Beatles, Led Zep and the like because their releases are prohibitively expensive - £50 or more... postage from the states is £7-£10 so that has to be added on too.

When I was a tiny nipper my family lived in Pakistan in a community of mostly Americans & Brits. People used to often accumulate a lot of extra 'stuff' in their 3 - 5 year stays & had to jettison stuff when they left. Also people used to go to Japan or Hong Kong quite a bit on leave, so there developed quite a market in used hi-fi's, cameras and various other bits of techno-kit as they upgraded.

One of the things my Dad bought from a departing Yank was a Sony R-R deck. It don't know what the model was, but we also got a box full of tapes. I came across this box once, years later in the loft at my folks house and looked through the tapes. I can only remember one, and that was a pre-recorded copy of 'Help!' by the Beatles - US release. Someone - and it may have been my Dad (he was a bit of a classical snob) had recorded over it & written in black felt tip on the box what the new recording was. I was only about 10 or 11 years old at the time, but I knew that there was something fundamentally really very, very wrong with this situation!!

Well, today I got a chance to repay the sins of my Dad (or some anonymous American engineer). This morning we took a drive to pick up a portable mono reel to reel player that I won on Ebay yesterday.
I wouldn't have looked twice at this machine, but there was something else in the description that caught my eye. No picture and just a few words, but I thought it was worth a sneaky bid.



Look - no writing on the 'Help!' box!!!!

[Jac Hawk]

you scored there mate

[Beechwoods]

Wow Chris. That was a dream deal, especially knowing how much you paid for them I can't believe the seller didn't realise what they had!

[The Grand Wazoo]

Nice lady & her husband - she told her sister that she really shouldn't chuck her teenage pride & joy tape deck in a skip. Someone might have a use for it & she'd try selling it for her on Ebay. She's only ever bought from Ebay nine times & never sold - she couldn't believe that this little tape deck was worth as much as £50-odd quid. The tapes were just some tapes that her & her sister used to listen to - I don't expect she had the slightest notion that they might be actually slightly desirable, never mind of value.
Crackin' deal - everyone's happy & no-one feels ripped off.

Even at 3.25 ips/mono they sound fantastic.
I've never seen the white album on reel before!
There's a pile of home recorded stuff too, one of which appears to be a Beatles fan club Christmas album.

Oh, and the tape deck works a treat. Not sure what I'll be doing that, though!

........back to the music - Sgt Pepper next!!!

[Beechwoods]

It's so nice that they're the mono's - and for some of the Beatles' biggest 'stereo productions' - more interesting than the regular stereo mixes I think.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Mono is a much derided medium, I reckon. I've always preferred their albums in mono where it's available. It just sounds right to me. Don't get me started on the early 'stereo' abominations!!

[Beechwoods]

I was much chuffed to see The Byrds' 'Younger Than Yesterday' has had it's mono mix rereleased in the last few weeks Unfortunately not one of theirs that got released on reel to reel, and it's got some classics on it.

[The Grand Wazoo]

Yes, that's probably my favourite of their albums.

I just heard 'A Day in the Life' with no locked groove at the end for the first time in my life! That's a bit better this way than the cacophony you usually have to endure before you get to the cueing lever!

'The White Album' next - God, I'm having fun!

[Jonboy]

very nice result Chris, shame the tapes are of the Beatles though

[Alex_UK]

Cracking result Chris - sounds like you're enjoying them too!