braxus
05-21-2008, 08:13 PM
I got the idea from Des Lab/ X-2000R (Mathew) last year on the Audio Asylum forum and decided to make up a tape display myself. I have many fond memories with cassettes and other tapes, so it seemed appropriate to do so. I figured I could hang them above my stereo some time. Anyway I gathered over time tapes off Ebay and some of the older ones I ended up paying quite a bit for just 1 tape. I decided to do a 16x20 size frame of about 20 tapes and went around looking for frames. Most places had no shadow boxes that would work and they ended up quoting me over $250 Canadian for a custom frame. I decided to hold off since that was just too much money. I went to a Photolab that also sells frames and I found some shadow boxes that would work perfectly. Each frame was about $17-20. Anyway I bought 4 of them originally, then got another bunch later. So I gathered the blank tapes I had kept in a bag for this purpose. The majority of these tapes all go back with me and have a story behind them. That's why I chose the ones I did. I didn't do quite what Des Lab did by collecting a certain series of tapes and framing that. I did however try and keep certain tapes together. All I did then was buy some black card, glue, and some sticky double sided foam tape.
So to start here's frame 1. Sony LNX- it was probably the first tape I ever bought for myself (after years as a kid having them bought for me) and I was shopping in a store with my Grandmother at the time. She always spoiled me by buying something I wanted in the stores when I saw it. I used the LNX 120 tape I got from her for a space shuttle mission recorded on a portable Radio Shack cassette player sitting next to the tv speaker. The second tape below was Sonys early mid 80s BHF tape. I don't know where it stands compared to LNX, or if it came before or after. All I know is there is also a AHF, JHF, and so on. Below that is the early mid 80s Sony HF which I bought for myself at a Flea Market when I was there with my Grandmother and my mom. As you can tell I love shopping and stereo stuff was big for me. Other side was Sonys early mid 80s series of UX tapes. I was again shopping with my Grandmother in a Safeway store and I always used to browse and look over their tape selection. These were the tapes they brought in at that time. All three are from the same year series and I remember them well.
Frame 2- Radio Shack changed the packaging slightly with this tape over the years, but this is one of the original tapes I bought. Supertape Gold was probably my first Radio Shack tape I bought in the early 80s. I was again shopping with my Grandmother when I got this tape. I also used that for space shuttle recordings (we didn't have a vcr at the time). I have many fond memories of browsing Radio Shack over the years as a kid. The second tape below is the same tape with slightly different packaging. Same story. The other 4 Supertapes I remember seeing in Radio Shack in the 90s. I never bought them, but do remember them well. I got them for this frame this past year or so, and have some left over to record on. As some may know Radio Shack is no longer in Canada and has been taken over by Circuit City calling the store "The Source". Its a shame since Radio Shack was so part of my life in the past.
Frame 3- First tape I got very recently. I never used this tape in previous years, but I had to try one lately. It also was the same year of tape of the ones below it. So it basically ends a long history with tapes getting this one. The XL-II below it was my first Maxell and have a few of this series. These were my first serious tapes. I learned a bit about cassettes from my ex-brother-in-law. He recommended these to me. Below it is the XL-IIS. I never got one of this series for myself, but my brother in law told me how great these tapes were then and I remember him having one of these. We were good friends at the time. Its a shame my sister's marraige didn't work out with him. We had some good times together. Over to the other side, is the Maxell XL-IS tape I only recently started to get. They weren't really available here back then and lately I've been trying out premium normal tapes for colored sound reproduction. This tape I got from Des Lab and completes the series of tapes below it. Next below was the XL-IIS tapes I did buy for myself back then. It was Christmas and my Grandmother spoiled me buy giving me some money to buy a box of 10 of these at the time. They were not cheap and were around $50-60 a box then. I still have these tapes with Pink Floyd on them from vinyl. My first Metal tape was the MX tape (of this series), which I also got from Des Lab. I got it at the same stereo shop as all my Maxells. The store allowed me to record one of their demo CDs on the Luxman tape deck I had on layaway. I remember riding home on my bike listenning to this tape thinking how clear the sound was. I started buying Metal tapes after that.
Frame 4- The same stereo shop recommended this TDK as being a hybid metal chrome tape. It was supposed to be the best chrome tape TDK had at the time to compete with Denon's HD-8. Some have said HD-8 IS TDK HX-S tape, but repacked. I bought a few of these tapes and used them for compilation recordings of my most favorite songs of the day. Below are the UD and UD-SII tapes. I got them recently, as I never used them at the time. No real story with them other then the UD tape being a better then average normal tape. Over top right was the TDK AD tape of the same series as the HX-S tape. I don't remember this tape when it was out, but they are common on Ebay these days. Below was the late 80s Maxell UR tape and I made up some fun compilation recordings on this tape. Same series of XL-II below. It was my continuation on supporting Maxell and this perticular tape.
Frame 5- The first tape a Triad tape that were in stores in the 80s, but I never bought these. I was stuck on Maxell by then. The FX tape I'm unsure if it was their lower or upper end Normal bias tape. Seeing these today is not too common. Below that is their best chrome tape, which uses metal particles in it similar to the HD-8 idea. On the bottom is a tape that caused me so much grief after I bought them in 1987. This tape I bought when I was travelling with a good friend and my mom on a trip to Kamloops. That was a good trip. They tooted this tape as a great Metal tape in the store, so I bought a couple. I'd later find out this perticular tape has severe shed problems and cloggs up the heads while recording. I always had trouble with this tape, even over the years re-recording on it. Over to the top right was a Radio Shack early 80s (or is it late 70s?) tape in the same series at the metal tape on the bottom. The middle tape is more of those old Supertape Radio Shacks, this time a chrome tape from early 80s era. It is the same series as the first Supertape Gold I had in my other frame. Below is the Metal version which is the same series as the second Supertape Gold in the other frame and the normal bias on top.
Frame 6- I bought this tape to use it, but I needed an usual tape to fill this frame- so I grabbed the Scotch normal bias tape to do it. I never saw these tapes before Ebay. Same story with the Denon tape below. These must be from the early 80s because DX7 tapes didn't stick around after that. They were replaced with the HD series of chromes. Below that is a Protek tape I remember buying so many of this brand in VHS. Funny how they made chrome tapes too. Other side was the BASF chrome tape which was well known for being the only "true" chrome tape made and was sold as being the quietest chrome tape around for hiss. I saw these in the stores in the early-mid 80s and bought a couple myself at the time. This tape however does not take high level recordings and usually has the be reduced in level to keep from being distorted. Below that is the mid-late 80s Denon HD8. I started going to a stereo shop learning everything to do with stereos at the time. I lived there for a while and bought a few Luxman pieces at the time. These HD8 tapes were sold in 5 packs and even had a free mini CD with them which I still have. This is probably the first time I started to buy tapes other then Maxell or TDK. Below that a JVC chrome tape which my ex brother in law gave to me when I first really started getting into recording in the mid 80s.
Frame 7- I got these tapes of Des Lab late 2007 and thought they'd be perfect for framing and adding to the collection. I never used these tapes either, but they do look good. I hear reel tapes like this are inferior due to the reel stuffed inside the shell.
Frame 8- Here is a collection of what I call "Best of the Best". These were the best cassette tapes the manufacturers ever made and were the top tape in their entire lineup (other then the 1 chrome). They usually had the better shells with the best tape inside. This frame alone would cost a mint to buy the tapes by themselves on Ebay. Its typical the tapes in this frame go for around $30-60 dollars each. I'll start with the top left tape. It was the best most expensive tape I ever bought for myself. This was TDK's metal frame MA-XG. I was planning to use this tape for a stereo master of the audio from the Super 8mm movies I made around then. It never got used for that and instead got used later on for some CDs. My tape degraded over time, so it was not used for anything too important. These tapes go for a huge amount of money these days and are better then the later MA-XG tapes which had less impressive shells. Below the TDK was Sony's answer to their top tape. It had a ceramic shell to reduce resonances. There may also be a chrome version of this tape, but I cannot confirm that. On the bottom was a tape I have bought before. I found these in a music store in the clearance bin in 1997 and they were selling them off for $5. Oh to get that price today. Anyway I had to get one off Ebay to add one for a frame. Over to the top right was the chome version of the MA-XG tape. I got this tape to complete the collection, though I never used one. Down from that was Maxells Vertex tape. These also command a huge amount of money today. Never tried it before, but I have bought a used one for that purpose. Thanks Des for selling me a Vertex for my frame as I needed a sealed one. Below that to complete the set was Triad's/ That's Suono tape. Some say it was the best tape ever made, but due to the brand not being as popular, they don't go for the prices the TDKs and Maxells go for. Still a good tape I'm sure, but I will try my extra copy down the road. It was also meant for mastering. So there you have it for my cassette collection.
Frame 9- What is a tape collection without some 8 tracks? I was a kid when these types of tapes were in stores. My grandfather had a couple players, including one in his '76 Ford F250 truck. I remember when he first got that truck, as I was with him that day. The dealer plunked in a complimentary Ford "Stereo For Today" 8 track (I have this tape too) and I remember it playing through the speakers in the vehicle. Many fond memories listenning to tapes in that truck on trips. Anyway I decided to put in a Star Wars 8 track, since the tape broke, and I have fond memories of the movie of that time. 8 tracks were in when Star Wars was out, so its only natural to include it. Next to it was the Radio Shack blank that was so common in the day. I never used blank 8 tracks till the late 80s when I got my 79 Mustang with 8 track player. The tapes I got for that are in the next frame.
Frame 10- Here is the lower end Low Noise tape of the late 80s series of Radio Shack blanks. Never got these, but it completes the frame. To the right was the tape I did buy. For blanks these Rad SHack tapes go for a decent amount, as they were the premium tape which is not too common on 8 tracks. Again I used this tape to play in my old Mustang, till I removed the deck for a cassette player.
Frame 11- I have yet to get my own reel to reel deck (I'm borrowing one right now), but I do remember when these Radio Shack Supertape r2r tapes where in stores. Again have good memories of Radio Shack tapes.
Frame 12- I added this just to show a better reel to reel tape and is of my favorite brand- Maxell. The XL-I tape was their best reel to reel tape. I did however never use this tape with reel to reel, so its just for show. I do have a spare of this tape and I will use it whenever I get my Otari deck. Gotta love Maxell tapes.
So there you have it. I don't have any plans to go more then 12 frames. I didn't really do much for the 90s since I was still using tapes strong well until 1997. After that I moved and no longer made tapes off of others peoples CDs. I only in the past year got back into tape and cassette. I don't plan on leaving it for a while since I've invested so much in it lately. Many of my good times where with my Grandmother who's past on for many years now. So what are your stories?
So to start here's frame 1. Sony LNX- it was probably the first tape I ever bought for myself (after years as a kid having them bought for me) and I was shopping in a store with my Grandmother at the time. She always spoiled me by buying something I wanted in the stores when I saw it. I used the LNX 120 tape I got from her for a space shuttle mission recorded on a portable Radio Shack cassette player sitting next to the tv speaker. The second tape below was Sonys early mid 80s BHF tape. I don't know where it stands compared to LNX, or if it came before or after. All I know is there is also a AHF, JHF, and so on. Below that is the early mid 80s Sony HF which I bought for myself at a Flea Market when I was there with my Grandmother and my mom. As you can tell I love shopping and stereo stuff was big for me. Other side was Sonys early mid 80s series of UX tapes. I was again shopping with my Grandmother in a Safeway store and I always used to browse and look over their tape selection. These were the tapes they brought in at that time. All three are from the same year series and I remember them well.
Frame 2- Radio Shack changed the packaging slightly with this tape over the years, but this is one of the original tapes I bought. Supertape Gold was probably my first Radio Shack tape I bought in the early 80s. I was again shopping with my Grandmother when I got this tape. I also used that for space shuttle recordings (we didn't have a vcr at the time). I have many fond memories of browsing Radio Shack over the years as a kid. The second tape below is the same tape with slightly different packaging. Same story. The other 4 Supertapes I remember seeing in Radio Shack in the 90s. I never bought them, but do remember them well. I got them for this frame this past year or so, and have some left over to record on. As some may know Radio Shack is no longer in Canada and has been taken over by Circuit City calling the store "The Source". Its a shame since Radio Shack was so part of my life in the past.
Frame 3- First tape I got very recently. I never used this tape in previous years, but I had to try one lately. It also was the same year of tape of the ones below it. So it basically ends a long history with tapes getting this one. The XL-II below it was my first Maxell and have a few of this series. These were my first serious tapes. I learned a bit about cassettes from my ex-brother-in-law. He recommended these to me. Below it is the XL-IIS. I never got one of this series for myself, but my brother in law told me how great these tapes were then and I remember him having one of these. We were good friends at the time. Its a shame my sister's marraige didn't work out with him. We had some good times together. Over to the other side, is the Maxell XL-IS tape I only recently started to get. They weren't really available here back then and lately I've been trying out premium normal tapes for colored sound reproduction. This tape I got from Des Lab and completes the series of tapes below it. Next below was the XL-IIS tapes I did buy for myself back then. It was Christmas and my Grandmother spoiled me buy giving me some money to buy a box of 10 of these at the time. They were not cheap and were around $50-60 a box then. I still have these tapes with Pink Floyd on them from vinyl. My first Metal tape was the MX tape (of this series), which I also got from Des Lab. I got it at the same stereo shop as all my Maxells. The store allowed me to record one of their demo CDs on the Luxman tape deck I had on layaway. I remember riding home on my bike listenning to this tape thinking how clear the sound was. I started buying Metal tapes after that.
Frame 4- The same stereo shop recommended this TDK as being a hybid metal chrome tape. It was supposed to be the best chrome tape TDK had at the time to compete with Denon's HD-8. Some have said HD-8 IS TDK HX-S tape, but repacked. I bought a few of these tapes and used them for compilation recordings of my most favorite songs of the day. Below are the UD and UD-SII tapes. I got them recently, as I never used them at the time. No real story with them other then the UD tape being a better then average normal tape. Over top right was the TDK AD tape of the same series as the HX-S tape. I don't remember this tape when it was out, but they are common on Ebay these days. Below was the late 80s Maxell UR tape and I made up some fun compilation recordings on this tape. Same series of XL-II below. It was my continuation on supporting Maxell and this perticular tape.
Frame 5- The first tape a Triad tape that were in stores in the 80s, but I never bought these. I was stuck on Maxell by then. The FX tape I'm unsure if it was their lower or upper end Normal bias tape. Seeing these today is not too common. Below that is their best chrome tape, which uses metal particles in it similar to the HD-8 idea. On the bottom is a tape that caused me so much grief after I bought them in 1987. This tape I bought when I was travelling with a good friend and my mom on a trip to Kamloops. That was a good trip. They tooted this tape as a great Metal tape in the store, so I bought a couple. I'd later find out this perticular tape has severe shed problems and cloggs up the heads while recording. I always had trouble with this tape, even over the years re-recording on it. Over to the top right was a Radio Shack early 80s (or is it late 70s?) tape in the same series at the metal tape on the bottom. The middle tape is more of those old Supertape Radio Shacks, this time a chrome tape from early 80s era. It is the same series as the first Supertape Gold I had in my other frame. Below is the Metal version which is the same series as the second Supertape Gold in the other frame and the normal bias on top.
Frame 6- I bought this tape to use it, but I needed an usual tape to fill this frame- so I grabbed the Scotch normal bias tape to do it. I never saw these tapes before Ebay. Same story with the Denon tape below. These must be from the early 80s because DX7 tapes didn't stick around after that. They were replaced with the HD series of chromes. Below that is a Protek tape I remember buying so many of this brand in VHS. Funny how they made chrome tapes too. Other side was the BASF chrome tape which was well known for being the only "true" chrome tape made and was sold as being the quietest chrome tape around for hiss. I saw these in the stores in the early-mid 80s and bought a couple myself at the time. This tape however does not take high level recordings and usually has the be reduced in level to keep from being distorted. Below that is the mid-late 80s Denon HD8. I started going to a stereo shop learning everything to do with stereos at the time. I lived there for a while and bought a few Luxman pieces at the time. These HD8 tapes were sold in 5 packs and even had a free mini CD with them which I still have. This is probably the first time I started to buy tapes other then Maxell or TDK. Below that a JVC chrome tape which my ex brother in law gave to me when I first really started getting into recording in the mid 80s.
Frame 7- I got these tapes of Des Lab late 2007 and thought they'd be perfect for framing and adding to the collection. I never used these tapes either, but they do look good. I hear reel tapes like this are inferior due to the reel stuffed inside the shell.
Frame 8- Here is a collection of what I call "Best of the Best". These were the best cassette tapes the manufacturers ever made and were the top tape in their entire lineup (other then the 1 chrome). They usually had the better shells with the best tape inside. This frame alone would cost a mint to buy the tapes by themselves on Ebay. Its typical the tapes in this frame go for around $30-60 dollars each. I'll start with the top left tape. It was the best most expensive tape I ever bought for myself. This was TDK's metal frame MA-XG. I was planning to use this tape for a stereo master of the audio from the Super 8mm movies I made around then. It never got used for that and instead got used later on for some CDs. My tape degraded over time, so it was not used for anything too important. These tapes go for a huge amount of money these days and are better then the later MA-XG tapes which had less impressive shells. Below the TDK was Sony's answer to their top tape. It had a ceramic shell to reduce resonances. There may also be a chrome version of this tape, but I cannot confirm that. On the bottom was a tape I have bought before. I found these in a music store in the clearance bin in 1997 and they were selling them off for $5. Oh to get that price today. Anyway I had to get one off Ebay to add one for a frame. Over to the top right was the chome version of the MA-XG tape. I got this tape to complete the collection, though I never used one. Down from that was Maxells Vertex tape. These also command a huge amount of money today. Never tried it before, but I have bought a used one for that purpose. Thanks Des for selling me a Vertex for my frame as I needed a sealed one. Below that to complete the set was Triad's/ That's Suono tape. Some say it was the best tape ever made, but due to the brand not being as popular, they don't go for the prices the TDKs and Maxells go for. Still a good tape I'm sure, but I will try my extra copy down the road. It was also meant for mastering. So there you have it for my cassette collection.
Frame 9- What is a tape collection without some 8 tracks? I was a kid when these types of tapes were in stores. My grandfather had a couple players, including one in his '76 Ford F250 truck. I remember when he first got that truck, as I was with him that day. The dealer plunked in a complimentary Ford "Stereo For Today" 8 track (I have this tape too) and I remember it playing through the speakers in the vehicle. Many fond memories listenning to tapes in that truck on trips. Anyway I decided to put in a Star Wars 8 track, since the tape broke, and I have fond memories of the movie of that time. 8 tracks were in when Star Wars was out, so its only natural to include it. Next to it was the Radio Shack blank that was so common in the day. I never used blank 8 tracks till the late 80s when I got my 79 Mustang with 8 track player. The tapes I got for that are in the next frame.
Frame 10- Here is the lower end Low Noise tape of the late 80s series of Radio Shack blanks. Never got these, but it completes the frame. To the right was the tape I did buy. For blanks these Rad SHack tapes go for a decent amount, as they were the premium tape which is not too common on 8 tracks. Again I used this tape to play in my old Mustang, till I removed the deck for a cassette player.
Frame 11- I have yet to get my own reel to reel deck (I'm borrowing one right now), but I do remember when these Radio Shack Supertape r2r tapes where in stores. Again have good memories of Radio Shack tapes.
Frame 12- I added this just to show a better reel to reel tape and is of my favorite brand- Maxell. The XL-I tape was their best reel to reel tape. I did however never use this tape with reel to reel, so its just for show. I do have a spare of this tape and I will use it whenever I get my Otari deck. Gotta love Maxell tapes.
So there you have it. I don't have any plans to go more then 12 frames. I didn't really do much for the 90s since I was still using tapes strong well until 1997. After that I moved and no longer made tapes off of others peoples CDs. I only in the past year got back into tape and cassette. I don't plan on leaving it for a while since I've invested so much in it lately. Many of my good times where with my Grandmother who's past on for many years now. So what are your stories?