Chicken or the egg, cassette or the deck?

[JXBJXB]

I imagine that in the early days of the Compact Cassette, consumers went out, bought a deck, and then bought some tapes to play or record upon. Maybe they bought a few cassettes at the same time they bought the deck. But they certainly didn't acquire cassettes and THEN go out and buy a deck...or did they?

Today, I hit a new low. It may be time for professional help. *eyepop*

The background - last week I traded with 4tified for a Sony FeCr 90. Long ago, I had a cheapo Sony deck that had the Type III setting. It died. I never replaced it. And I may have owned two FeCr tapes in the past and haven't been able to find them in my stash. So the tape arrived (thanks 4tified!) and I said to myself "well, that's cool. It's an interesting looking cassette. I have no deck to properly record on this, though" and put it aside.

I visited my local thrift today to check out the cassette racks. Nothing interesting. But there on the electronics racks - a Nakamichi OMS-1A CD player and...

...a Technics RS-M45 tape deck from the early 80's. Beautiful condition. Heavy. Attractive looking tape transport and heads. Low profile. OOOH! And FeCr capability!

I plugged both the tape deck and the CDP into the store outlets, ensured that they looked like they worked, and took them home for $15 total.

I took both units down to my workbench, cleaned them up a bit, did some minor repair to the CDP (transport was skipping, now it isn't) and cleaned/demagged the Technics. My first test of recording on said FeCr has been captured for posterity here (three videos total):

http://picasaweb.google.com/james.brodsky/TechnicsRSM45?authkey=ksB-RM7s1MI#5261338526953683570

Sorry for the quality. I don't have a proper video camera.

Now, all of this effort expended, the FeCr doesn't sound all that hot. Figures. But I did later try a new XLII in the deck and that sounds pretty darn good! It's a very nice deck for what it is. Transport is a little noisy - I'll take a look inside it and see what's up. It's "direct drive" but I'm expecting to find a belt at least somewhere.

Yes, I just purchased a tape deck JUST so that I could actually use, to its fullest potential, ONE blank tape in my collection. And yes, I have a problem. :)

[Scorpion8]

Yes, I just purchased a tape deck JUST so that I could actually use, to its fullest potential, ONE blank tape in my collection. And yes, I have a problem.

I'm afraid you've fallen in with a bunch that can't help you, except in the manner of getting in deeper and deeper and worse and worse...*Hi5*

[graffias79]

That is a wonderful story and sounds like exactly how I would have handled things! *Hi5*

I bought two 7" reels at a consignment shop about 5 months before I knew I was going to acquire a R2R deck! So yes, sometimes the tape comes before the deck! *reelspin**reelspin*

[niklasthedolphin]

The more manual adjustments you find on a deck, the less issues like this will happen.

"dolph"

[4tified]

I imagine that in the early days of the Compact Cassette, consumers went out, bought a deck, and then bought some tapes to play or record upon. Maybe they bought a few cassettes at the same time they bought the deck. But they certainly didn't acquire cassettes and THEN go out and buy a deck...or did they?

Today, I hit a new low. It may be time for professional help. *eyepop*

The background - last week I traded with 4tified for a Sony FeCr 90. Long ago, I had a cheapo Sony deck that had the Type III setting. It died. I never replaced it. And I may have owned two FeCr tapes in the past and haven't been able to find them in my stash. So the tape arrived (thanks 4tified!) and I said to myself "well, that's cool. It's an interesting looking cassette. I have no deck to properly record on this, though" and put it aside.

I visited my local thrift today to check out the cassette racks. Nothing interesting. But there on the electronics racks - a Nakamichi OMS-1A CD player and...

...a Technics RS-M45 tape deck from the early 80's. Beautiful condition. Heavy. Attractive looking tape transport and heads. Low profile. OOOH! And FeCr capability!

I plugged both the tape deck and the CDP into the store outlets, ensured that they looked like they worked, and took them home for $15 total.

I took both units down to my workbench, cleaned them up a bit, did some minor repair to the CDP (transport was skipping, now it isn't) and cleaned/demagged the Technics. My first test of recording on said FeCr has been captured for posterity here (three videos total):

http://picasaweb.google.com/james.brodsky/TechnicsRSM45?authkey=ksB-RM7s1MI#5261338526953683570

Sorry for the quality. I don't have a proper video camera.

Now, all of this effort expended, the FeCr doesn't sound all that hot. Figures. But I did later try a new XLII in the deck and that sounds pretty darn good! It's a very nice deck for what it is. Transport is a little noisy - I'll take a look inside it and see what's up. It's "direct drive" but I'm expecting to find a belt at least somewhere.

Yes, I just purchased a tape deck JUST so that I could actually use, to its fullest potential, ONE blank tape in my collection. And yes, I have a problem. :)

Lol, sorry the tape doesn't sound so good. I think the other FeCr's I have sound the same way, their at least 30+ years old, so it may be an age factor. I did test record it, and it didn't sound terribly bad, it may be that your deck needs minor internal bias adjustments, but who knows? Oh and, yeah, you sound like me, buying a deck just to suit a tape in my collection, lol.*hypnot*

[close652]

It is perfectly OK and reasonable what you did :)
I have a FeCr compatible deck (Pioneer CT-F600), but no FeCr cassette...

[Web Police]

I got tapes before I got a deck. I would record and play the tapes on my brothers tape deck till I could afford to buy one of my own. I didn't have any speakers or a receiver and it took me several months to get all the equipment together.

I see no issue in your actions, as I have bought tape decks because I had a tape already. Reel to Reel and DCC decks come to mind.

[clhboa]

Sounds perfectly normal. I just bought a Laserdisc but have never owned a ld player.

[TheReeler]

It is perfectly OK and reasonable what you did :)
I have a FeCr compatible deck (Pioneer CT-F600), but no FeCr cassette...
Me too... but I use it as a donnor parts machine

[ferriteman]

I imagine that in the early days of the Compact Cassette, consumers went out, bought a deck, and then bought some tapes to play or record upon. Maybe they bought a few cassettes at the same time they bought the deck. But they certainly didn't acquire cassettes and THEN go out and buy a deck...or did they?

Today, I hit a new low. It may be time for professional help. *eyepop*

The background - last week I traded with 4tified for a Sony FeCr 90. Long ago, I had a cheapo Sony deck that had the Type III setting. It died. I never replaced it. And I may have owned two FeCr tapes in the past and haven't been able to find them in my stash.

Now, all of this effort expended, the FeCr doesn't sound all that hot. Figures. But I did later try a new XLII in the deck and that sounds pretty darn good!

Yes, I just purchased a tape deck JUST so that I could actually use, to its fullest potential, ONE blank tape in my collection. And yes, I have a problem. :)

Sorry to hear about your disappointment with Sony FeCr. I think results with this tape vary - Sony decks, especially decks from the late 1970s/early 1980s were set up for this type of tape, it was Sony's flagship tape back then. With Sony decks I've gotten good results...not as good as a the better metal tapes, but good none the less.

The thing about FeCr is that it was pretty much pushed off the market by the early 1980s by metal tape. Also, BASF did make FeCr as well. But since it has been off the market for so many years...it's harder to find.

[TheReeler]

Also, BASF did make FeCr as well. But since it has been off the market for so many years...it's harder to find.

CLICK! (http://www.tapeheads.net/showthread.php?t=1666)

I didn't received any millionary offer at this time *lmao*

[close652]

AGFA and BASF type IIIs from a friend's collection:

[retrokeeper]

....been there,done that...will keep doing that,inflicted with audio-collect-itis,very hard to cure. Rob

[Scorpion8]

..... Sony decks, especially decks from the late 1970s/early 1980s were set up for this type of tape, it was Sony's flagship tape back then. With Sony decks I've gotten good results...not as good as a the better metal tapes, but good none the less.

I'll second that. My experience with my Sony and Type-III tape of the day was superb. I wish I had both of those back, the Sony and a truckload of Type-III's to use.

[JXBJXB]

I'll second that. My experience with my Sony and Type-III tape of the day was superb. I wish I had both of those back, the Sony and a truckload of Type-III's to use.

By the time I tested out this new deck/tape combo last night I was pretty darn tired. It did NOT sound bad at all, but it didn't sound great, either. I would assume that the decks that would perform best with FeCr would be Sony as they were the main promoters, so perhaps my "new" Technics won't do it justice. I'll have to give it a fair shake to see what it can do, compared to a good Type II and Type I tape, and report back.