reel to reel buying considerations

[christiannokes]

i was at a thrift store and saw a Symphonic S4 R09 and i was stoked cause i thought i had found some vintage treasure for 14 bucks. turns out there are a lot of really cheap reel to reels tape recorders for under 100 bucks.
I was wondering what people's thoughts are on these. Has anyone bought something like this and been really happy with it?
When would you know to jump on one?

[christiannokes]

oops i put this in recording techniques and it should be in gear talk.

[antilog]

like with any buying activities, market research

read, read, read

[Dakota]

i was at a thrift store and saw a Symphonic S4 R09 and i was stoked cause i thought i had found some vintage treasure for 14 bucks. turns out there are a lot of really cheap reel to reels tape recorders for under 100 bucks.
I was wondering what people's thoughts are on these. Has anyone bought something like this and been really happy with it?
When would you know to jump on one?

R't'R scavenger thoughts,

3 basic categories:

low: cheap fx/destruction/lofi/vibe/color device
medium: something with enough fidelity to sound nice as a treatment on some tracks, but not good (hifi) enough to print a whole mixdown on
high: a real mixdown/mastering deck, either 1/4" or 1/2"

I have and use some in each of those three categories. Each has a place.

3 head decks more useful than 2 head (can double as tape echo or quicker track treatment device, etc.). Old tube R't'R's often also make great low-watt guitar "color" amps for extra tones on hand.

Old cheap home consumer type ones I have and like/use/don't regret keeping around: webcor royalite (tube), roberts 770 (tube). I have some 70's solid state teacs that in comparison don't get fired up much. These things pile up easily, caution.

I have zero idea of that model, but $14 isn't much of a risk, and if you are new to reel decks, you'll have to dive in somewhere. Yes, there are a lot of cheap consumer R't'R's floating around though, so it's smart to be selective. Check your local craigslist?

Any given unknown old R't'R deck: start off assuming it is broken until proven otherwise.

[christiannokes]

thanks dakota. very helpful. is it hard to buy tape for these in your experience. the one i looked at was 1/4 inch tape i think

[Dakota]

thanks dakota. very helpful. is it hard to buy tape for these in your experience. the one i looked at was 1/4 inch tape i think

You're very welcome.

Easy to buy 1/4" tape. Ebay. For anything other than critical mix/mastering, used tape can be a great bang-for-buck option - a good formulation from a good brand that has been stored tolerably can be re-used quite a lot of times. Lightly used maxell UD, XL, or LN is good. Ampex 456 was a standard respected yardstick for years... but is risky now, as many batches do not age well at all. You must google the phrase "sticky shed" and read up thoroughly before you buy any tape.

For critical applications, there is also plenty of sealed NOS maxell on ebay. Be prepared to pay, but if you are not in a hurry you'll get tape that's worth it at a reasonable price.

RMGI is making new tape. There were consistency problems, but they seem to be trying really extra hard nowadays, so I rate them as worth a try as well.

[antilog]

Also ATR Magnetics in York, PA - those folks are friendly and highly regarded in the magnetic tape world.

http://www.atrtape.com/