The Era is Ending ....

[Scorpion8]

So I'm on travel for my job, and in Anchorage, AK. Big city, lots of people, real stores (compared to Juneau).

My first stop is my favorite thrift, the SPCA Thrift store. Yup, little known, and they tend to get more upscale stuff than SA, and I've always found good pre-recorded music there and often many unused blank tapes. Today? Nada, they got out of cassettes altogether. None. Even the spot where they kept them was filled with other merchandise. Argh!

Off to Value Village. A couple of TDK D-60's still in wrapper. A few pre-recorded tapes. Spent pennies.

Off to the SA next door. A half dozen TDK D-60's (older version) still in wrapper. No music worth getting.

Off to Best Buy. All they have is 3 sad looking 5-packs of Sony HF Type-I tape. Nowhere else I go (Mammoth Music, various other music stores) do they even have any blank tapes at all. I picked up the TDK D-60's above because that's what it's getting down to ....

Man, makes a guy glad he hoards, and make me sad that I didn't start earlier....

[NAD613]

So I'm on travel for my job, and in Anchorage, AK. Big city, lots of people, real stores (compared to Juneau).

My first stop is my favorite thrift, the SPCA Thrift store. Yup, little known, and they tend to get more upscale stuff than SA, and I've always found good pre-recorded music there and often many unused blank tapes. Today? Nada, they got out of cassettes altogether. None. Even the spot where they kept them was filled with other merchandise. Argh!

Off to Value Village. A couple of TDK D-60's still in wrapper. A few pre-recorded tapes. Spent pennies.

Off to the SA next door. A half dozen TDK D-60's (older version) still in wrapper. No music worth getting.

Off to Best Buy. All they have is 3 sad looking 5-packs of Sony HF Type-I tape. Nowhere else I go (Mammoth Music, various other music stores) do they even have any blank tapes at all. I picked up the TDK D-60's above because that's what it's getting down to ....

Man, makes a guy glad he hoards, and make me sad that I didn't start earlier....

I hear ya. When I think of all the times I went to Best, Monty Wards, Musicland, Target, etc., back in the early 90's & didn't buy armfuls of TDK SA-X, Sony UX-Pro, Maxell XLII-S, Sony SR, Maxell MX-S, etc., I could cry. Who knew? Like I've said before, up until a few months ago, I didn't realize all those tapes had ceased production. I knew my local Wal-Mart & Target didn't carry them anymore, but I thought it'd be easy to go online to J&R or some other store & buy them.

[retrokeeper]

Yep....I'm pretty happy I started hoarding about 3 years ago,I still find an occasional shrinkwrapped tape every blue moon or so,but times are getting lean around here too! Rob

[Scorpion8]

What kills me is to go into a music store and ask for blank cassettes and get the 1000-yard stare. It's like you fell out of a time vortex and nobody knows what you're talking about. Yea, the times I used to buy "a couple" when I should have been buying all I could afford ....

[NAD613]

When the Montgomery Wards here was going out of business back around 2000, they had 75% off all their merchandise, including blank tapes. They were one of the better stores in town to buy blank tapes, too. Fuji, Sony, TDK, Maxell, etc.... Nope, I had pretty much stopped using cassettes by then, so, no, I didn't bother to buy any. Geez, what an idiot!

[NAD613]

What kills me is to go into a music store and ask for blank cassettes and get the 1000-yard stare. It's like you fell out of a time vortex and nobody knows what you're talking about. Yea, the times I used to buy "a couple" when I should have been buying all I could afford ....

I'm going to start checking out the musical instrument stores around here for tapes. Some of them sold recording equipment, so maybe that got boxes of Sony UX-Pro or Maxell MX cassettes gathering dust.

[Scorpion8]

That's what I thought. I know musicians still use some for quick recording sessions, but none of the stores had any. Or knew where you could get any. I was flabbergasted. My next gamble would be to see who had the remaining franchises (like who is the Fuji distributor) and see where they sell to.

[stuwee]

That's what I thought. I know musicians still use some for quick recording sessions, but none of the stores had any. Or knew where you could get any. I was flabbergasted. My next gamble would be to see who had the remaining franchises (like who is the Fuji distributor) and see where they sell to.

Scorpion8, I think I told you this before, for the others, when I was trying to get the hell outta NYC. I had 3 choices, Miami, Tucson, Sitka AK, Miami-been there done that, would only lead to more debauchery and Thank God on that and the fact that the duplex I would have been living in was in Kendall FL. just outside of Homestead (a friend owned it and was going to let me stay there till I could get a job and pay rent) This was in July 1992. well Andrew came along in Aug '92.:-/-> (Andrew the hurricane). Well, Craig wouldn't have had insurance, not having a job yet, and trying to get settled in.

When my friend sent me the pics of the duplex later. *eyepop**eyepop**eyepop*, It WAS GONE! nothing but some carpet on the foundation, maybe a pipe or two sticking up, nada, zilch. I could have died *tomb*, the losing everything part would have been a minor anoyance to be blunt.

Backing up in the story, Sitka, a very small town, 2 hours by ferry from Juenua(sp) I couldn't see going from the biggest city in the US to one of the smallest remotest places. No matter how beautiful and serene.

So Tucson it was/is. I don't have a lot to pick from, I've got this cowtown pretty much to myself, Rabbi Rich, nsgarth, and a few others from/on AK are pretty set with top-notch systems, I never see alot of interesting stuff on CL or in the GS/SA/GW's I scored my AR's for $50, no tapes, no decks, I don't drive so that kind of limits the crusin' the town for stuff part. I'm thinking of devious ways to get folks to bring things to me to sell, like ads in supermarkets, CL wanteds get nowhere down here.....

Craig

[Scorpion8]

Backing up in the story, Sitka, a very small town, 2 hours by ferry from Juenua(sp) I couldn't see going from the biggest city in the US to one of the smallest remotest places. No matter how beautiful and serene.

Actually, 8 hours by ferry, or 50 minutes by airline. The ferry trip is one of the coolest in the world as far as scenery, but yes -- Sitka is the end of the world, literally. My wife's from there, and she couldn't wait to get out. (hmmmm, makes me wonder....) Small town, controlled by a few old familieis who own everything, but absolutely the most spectacular scenery ever. Even the trailer courts have million-dollar views.

[stuwee]

Actually, 8 hours by ferry, or 50 minutes by airline. The ferry trip is one of the coolest in the world as far as scenery, but yes -- Sitka is the end of the world, literally. My wife's from there, and she couldn't wait to get out. (hmmmm, makes me wonder....) Small town, controlled by a few old familieis who own everything, but absolutely the most spectacular scenery ever. Even the trailer courts have million-dollar views.

Maybe it's your reels she's after *devil* . The real estate folks were big fat *liar**liar* pant's on fire, the told me 2-hours over the phone, the pics they sent were drop-deal-gorgous though, guess they thought mr. big shot rich New Yorker could be hood winked, 8-Hours?? this was the begining of the internet,and I doubt they had a site up anyway. I just looked now and found this http://www.sitka.com/photo-archive07.html
Under 2007 Photo Contest, Jan. #3 Cresent Harbor looks like the view I would have had out the back door, that mountain is pretty unforgettable, I don't recall the bridge though, maybe it's newer?? I also remember a shot just like #7, I thought, I could sip a martini looking at that at the end of everyday. *drool*

bet the gay bars are packed

[Mr. Lin]

I think everyone's pretty much using digital for recording now, most people wouldn't consider cassettes anymore.

[braxus]

Back to the original poster, I'd thought I'd share a page capture of RM Pro's price list from 2003. Its interesting to see what these tapes were going for then and what was available. I got this from another thread on here.

[Web Police]

Well at least you can find new blank cassettes in a thrift store. Around here you will only find pre-recorded tapes at the thrifts.