Scotch 206/207 - 1800' 7" Reels....any good

[macman007]

Does it suffer from sss? I have a reel that works and sounds sweet on my 2300s. Can I find it in quantity for a good price anymore and where besides the auction site?

If not what do you recomend, budget is a bit tight.

Thanks,

Phil.

[Nakdoc]

I'm not aware of any problems. 206/207 is excellent tape for all but the older consumer decks.

[macman007]

What would the tape number be for the same tape in 2400-3600 on 10 1/2" reels.

Did Scotch make the 206-207 formula on the big reels?

I know its older tape but its less expensive than new tape and my machine is already calibrated for it. I also like the warm rich sound of it...kind of hot on the highs, maybe more like crisp with beefy lows.

[Skywavebe]

Hi Macman,

Yes, 3M made it on larger reels and the 207 was the 3600 while the 206 was the thicker stuff-1.5 mil. The same was tru for 226, 227 but I think 250 was only 1.5 mil 2500 foot.
I have no rolls of 207 that show sticky shed but they may have been earlier than the binder chemical change. One must take note of the dates of manufacture of tapes not just the brand and formula. There are a lot of Ampex 456 that are still fine as well as Quantegy 456 that are still good.
I have a few rolls of 807 and it all seems to be bad- it was brand new tape too never anything yet recorded on it.

[macman007]

I have been unable to locate any 207 from a reputable source. The auction site scares me or else i'd own an A3300S as well but I cant find anyone I trust to buy either from, same with the other tape types. 3300's are rare in these parts. I have never seen a 10 1/2" reel of 207..does anyone have pics?

I want some 207 on 7" and 10 1/2" reels....and a 3300 too...Not trying to solicit.....just speaking about my desires.


...anyone...seriously. .. :')>

[Kent T]

206 and 207 were both offered on 10 1/2" spools. This tape was a standard in the early 1970's-late 1970's in the recording studios. Never had SSS on any of it I have. No longer made. The only 1 mil tape you can buy today is RMGI's LPR-35 which is on par with it quality and reliability wise.

[Nakdoc]

We used 207 pancakes for all recording at the Oberlin Conservatory. The tapes were archives of faculty and student performances, and still exist in cabinets in the basement. We used 207 to reduce print-through.

[macman007]

I aquired about thirty rolls of 207 1800' rolls in hard cases made of plastic with hindged doors. All of it passes the sss tape test. Total price payed for all delivered. .about a hundred bucks. Sounds great on my A2300S. Highly recomended if you get the older formulations before the sss issues arose.

Phil.

[nitrous]

I aquired about thirty rolls of 207 1800' rolls in hard cases made of plastic with hindged doors. All of it passes the sss tape test. Total price payed for all delivered. .about a hundred bucks. Sounds great on my A2300S. Highly recomended if you get the older formulations before the sss issues arose.Phil.

Hey Phil, you got a great deal. I love Scotch 207 tapes. Prefect tape for your Teac A2300S.

[mrfoxboy]

I have 5 or six reels of the 206 in it's 1200', 1.5 mil formulation. Sounds great I find, but the plastic it came on is a PITA to thread (tiny hole for threading). Seems to handle 3.75 IPS and 7.5IPS just great.

[stripedcat99]

I have quite a bit of 206/207 on both 7 and 10.5" reels. No problems with sticky shed at all- and some of this has been in the family since new and other reels are NOS that I bought a few years back. But I was able to verify that it had been stored correctly, so felt at ease buying it. The price has gone up considerably on it in NOS condition lately, it seems.

[Lance Lawson]

I picked up a reel of NOS Scotch 806 and it was sticky. However I was able to treat it and it turned out just fine. The higher grade Scotch/3M I've always liked.

[El Monte Slim]

If I recall correctly, Scotch 207 was the tape that Crown RTR decks were biased for from the factory.

[Des-Lab]

Most mid and higher grade Scotch/3M tapes were the cats meow when new. This includes 206/207 and up incl 226/227, Master, Classic, 806/808, and 986. In a way it's a shame that they weren't more widespread. But in retrospect, that was probably a good thing.

The issue-like their archrival Ampex-was that most or all were all plagued w/ SSS rendering them unusable.

This is not unlike the current RMGI issue. No one-not even me-is questioning how they sound. The unresolved issue is whether or not we'll be able to continue to play them in 5 or 10 years.

[mrfoxboy]

A few nights ago I dubbed the Bangles "Everything" off CD, onto Scotch 206 at 7.5IPS. Tape was used, and I cut the tape so that the album would fit neatly split across both sides. Ended up keeping the ~15 minutes of tape remaining, and loading it into an empty reel for later use. I ended up listening to the original recording and it sounded pretty good (Pops music @ 3.75IPS, unsure of original machine) for a recording made in the early 70's (best guess). Seems like it holds up. I have a few of the 206 (1200', 7" reels, 1.5mil) and they all seem to hold pretty good.

[Kent T]

Des-Lab,

Never ever saw Scotch 206/207 even once have SSS issues. The other models you posted, yes. *reelspin*