Can someone explain the appeal of Reel to Reel?
erewhon
1,123 Posts
I understand some of the advantages of reel to reel- sound quality, editing capability, rarity, etc.- but I consistently see the crappiest and commonest of common albums (Mantovani's Greatest Hits, Lynn Anderson Sings Songs from Oklahoma, etc.) selling for $5 and up on ebay. It seems as if people will buy anything in this format. I've seen the same phenomenon with audiophile versions of common records, but I guess I'm surprised to see it with an even more outmoded medium. Am I missing something?I'm ashamed to admit that I once passed up a sealed reel to reel copy of Bill Doggett's "Honky Tonk Popcorn" out of ignorance of a) the album, and b) the format. Even under those circumstances I still almost took it home with me. Had it been vinyl there's no question I would have taken a chance on it.
Comments
I am a bit disappointed.
This is what I learned:
1) People want quad reels.
2) People want 71/2 not 33/4 reels.
3) Reels fall victim to (oxide?) shedding, which means they may fall apart when played so buying them is a crap shoot.
When I searched for the titles I bought on ebay I found they all sold for under $15. I was going to try to sell them for $8 but was counciled to only ask $5. Did very well with them at $5.
People who buy reels, like people who buy direct to disc and half speed masters, really don't care about the music. The medium is the message.
Now I'm not a TapeOp nor an expert on this topic, but what I do know is:
There is a certain technique to make these old oxidated tapes playable again.
Its rather funny too... It includes waiting for probably a day or two, an oven and the right timing.
I remember reading a guide from an ancient 70s recording engineer, reading it was alot of fun, but before I give yall a halfhearted attempt of skimming those memories back together, I'll rather let the pros drop the knowledge...
Baking Tape / Restoration
Tape Baking (wikipedia)
perhaps I'll find that guide/article on baking tape. If so, I'll post it up.
Explaining the appeal of Reel to Real is like explaining the appeal of drinking water and breathing air - totally redundant. Physically fit - woman!
Ha ha that was my first thought on reading the thread title as well.
Even More baking tape
More info on the PSW Recording Engineer & Producer Forums
in case anybody is actually interested in this