Cassette buying tips?

[Zippy]

Hi there,

I just recently got really interested in buying tapes to record some tunes for my boxes. I've done that before but just bought some tapes that were still available in the local electronic stores or on amazon and never cared too much about the quality - which I'm sure was at least adequate.

However, now I'm looking for tapes from back in the day and would like to know which brands I should keep an eye open for and which product lines are highly recommended

Cheers,
Fred

 

[Reli]

Seems like in Germany you should be able to pick up BASF chromes for cheap, since they are probably considered "commonplace" and not as "exotic" as TDK, Denon, etc

 

[stormsven]

And of course some cheap reel to reel tapes. They are deffo fun to be watched when playing . If you are not ok with the quality of the tape still can change it really easy with some good from some chrome or metal not so good lookin cassettes . The problem is normally you should sacrifice some of the length. Most of the cheep reels are taking 45 minutes My favorite all round tape from back days till now are TDK SA-X .

 

[Brownlow]

My favorite all round tape from back days till now are TDK SA-X .

Hi Stormsven, I think there's a good deal here, considering the SA-X is such a heavy hitter. I think this is a great price. Zippy, I think that TRK-9900E might be loving one of these SA-Xs too.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270945116797? ... 1439.l2649

The real key is to keep an eye out, even on ebay, some prices for tapes present you with a pleasant surprise.

TDK SA before (probably) 1997 is a good call too, as would Maxell and as Stormsven said BASF. I have heard excellent things about Denon and Fuij tapes. I do not know as I have not used them.

Hey, where's Jaytee? I wonder what he would recommend?

Good luck Zippy


Cheers


Brownlow

 

[Strānj-Bōōmbŏks]

 

[Zippy]

Thanks for your advice guys
I'll be posting what I'm able to score

 

[lilo777]

Seems like in Germany you should be able to pick up BASF chromes for cheap, since they are probably considered "commonplace" and not as "exotic" as TDK, Denon, etc

Also, back in the 80s I had one Agfa tape that worked great. I believe Agfa is a well known German brand.

 

[jaetee]

If you just want to make some mix tapes, don't bother with expensive new tapes. I'd recommend buying some gently used ones that look okay. There is a relatively low risk that you will get garbage if you stick to the "good" ones.

Maxell - XLI, XLII, XLII-S, MX
TDK - AD, AD-X, SA, SA-X, MA, MA-X
Fuji - ZII, Metal-Z
Sony - UX, UX-Pro

Are all very good tapes...

And there were also good tapes from BASF, Agfa & That's which were common in Germany back in the day. The best formulations were made from 1982-1995.

Here are some examples (ignore if you're looking for sealed examples to collect):

[ebay]190670947949[/ebay] In deiner stelle wuerde ich versuchen diese Auktion zu gewinnen. Heir sind 80% verdammt gute tapes dabei. Da machst du nichts verkaert.
[ebay]150801894629[/ebay] Good looking batch of early 90's Maxell XLII for cheap.
[ebay]280869665311[/ebay] expensive for a batch of used tapes, but the 1982 SA is a VERY VERY GOOD formulation! One of my faves.
[ebay]261007013702[/ebay] Not bad, but the 1982's above are better sounding and better looking, IMHO.
[ebay]261007460770[/ebay] I've used these. Sehr gut!

Good luck!

 

[Brownlow]

I
[ebay]280869665311[/ebay] expensive for a batch of used tapes, but the 1982 SA is a VERY VERY GOOD formulation! One of my faves.


Good luck!

I have a couple sealed 1982 SAs that I will use when I've secured a top drawer 3 head deck, although I have a Sony which is a nice deck. Tell you what, I'd love a couple sealed 1982 SA-Xs, even though I have been gathering a few blanks now. I'd still like to capture a few blanks between 1982-88.

Much success in your quest Zippy.


Cheers

Brownlow

 

[Zippy]

Thanks jaetee! I'll keep an eye on those auctions