No i never had a problem with it or them for that matter Neil... The things did need to be fettled though to make 100% sure everything was in precise alignment head wise. Take it from me, unless you have done that & know precisely what you are doing then forget it!
There is the control head azimuth & distance from the drum & then tape alignment around the drum. Alter one thing & the others go out
Like i say, i still have tapes full of music & as my SVHS recorder is no longer used for recording from TV that's the only use it gets.