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This reminded me of a mixed reel that I made long time ago with various tapes spliced together on one 10.5" reel. Most were studio dubs that I didn't want on 5" reels. One of the tapes was 406 or 456. So I pulled that reel to check and it's sticky as Houston in Summer. Cheers Shai On Fri, Dec 18, 2015 at 2:24 AM, Marie O'Connell <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > Hi all! > > I think the fairies are with you assisting also! > > I too have had Ampex 456 spliced in at various points on the reel, a > typical radio thing to do where they would just grab at what tape was at > hand, and have had similar results as you Tom. > > I have also had reels of Ampex 456 come out of the same box of 10 or 20 and > purchased at the same time where 1/2 have SSS and the rest are fine! > > More things to ponder..... > > Merry Christmas all :-) > Marie > > On Fri, Dec 18, 2015 at 11:34 AM, Shai Drori <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > I absolutely love the Maxell tapes. For that matter the TDK LX and GX are > > also amazing. I get frist rate audio from these tapes even though they > are > > 35 years old. > > Shai Drori > > > > On Thu, Dec 17, 2015 at 11:04 PM, Tom Fine <[log in to unmask]> > > wrote: > > > > > Maxell reel tapes were awesome, that's why they go for decent $$$ NOS > or > > > slightly used on eBay. I wish I had spent more after school job > earnings > > on > > > Maxell reel tape than on early 80s rock records! Maxell UDXL90 > cassettes > > > were equally outstanding in that era. Always reliable and stand up well > > > over time. The cassette housing is among the best ever made, which is > > why I > > > kept most of my tapes to re-shell basket cases I get from clients. I've > > > been able to play dreaded Scotch black-oxide C-120 tapes when they were > > > transplanted to Maxell shells. > > > > > > It's too bad Maxell never made a push for the pro market. They sold > much > > > more 1-mil reel stock to home recordists than 1.5-mil to pros. Their > > > pricing for 7" reels in boxes was competitive to Scotch and Ampex for > the > > > home market, so I assume they could have been competitive at least with > > 10" > > > pancakes for the pro market. I could see how shipping metal reels in > > boxes > > > from Japan would crimp the margins, but bulk-shipping pancakes could be > > > competitive. > > > > > > -- Tom Fine > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard L. Hess" < > > > [log in to unmask]> > > > To: <[log in to unmask]> > > > Sent: Thursday, December 17, 2015 3:50 PM > > > > > > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Interesting sticky-shed data point > > > > > > > > > Back in the day, I was a real fan of Maxell tapes. All my masters at > St. > > >> Thomas were done on it except the last one where I couldn't get the > > tape in > > >> Canada and I didn't want to buy it in the states as I needed it in > > Canada > > >> to calibrate the machines before the trip down. I used 407, I think, > > but it > > >> might have been 456 or 457. I think I bought two boxes of 10 > bulk-packed > > >> pancakes. I recalibrated the machines. > > >> > > >> Cheers, > > >> > > >> Richard > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >> On 12/17/2015 7:04 AM, Tom Fine wrote: > > >> > > >>> The Maxell reel also completely surrounds the tape, except for a > small > > >>> slit from the reel center insert point to the outside. Perhaps that, > > the > > >>> bag and the cardboard box with a laminated outer coating all combined > > as > > >>> a moisture barrier? > > >>> > > >>> Anyway, interesting. The other interesting thing was, I know it's > > >>> totally un-Kosher to splice together 1-mil and 1.5 mil tapes, but > there > > >>> was no damage or level drop at the splice-point, and, given that I'm > > >>> sure I didn't go in and re-calibrate anything when I grabbed that > > >>> remnant of 456 to fill out the reel, it's interesting that the Maxell > > >>> tape operated close enough to the 456 parameters to not sound > different > > >>> at all, to my ears. Keep in mind that this tape is a dub, so it's not > > an > > >>> un-colored clone of a pristine source. I was also impressed that > Maxell > > >>> came up with a back-coat formula that is first of all stable but also > > >>> resulted in very low print-through despite 30+ years of tight-wound > > >>> storage. > > >>> > > >>> -- Tom Fine > > >>> > > >>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Richard L. Hess" > > >>> <[log in to unmask]> > > >>> To: <[log in to unmask]> > > >>> Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2015 10:09 PM > > >>> Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Interesting sticky-shed data point > > >>> > > >>> > > >>> Hi, Tom, > > >>>> > > >>>> The sticky shed faeries were with you? Like one tape that exploded > on > > >>>> me but only the guitar intro was lost...the deceased singer's vocal > > >>>> was intact. > > >>>> > > >>>> Anyway...seriously, perhaps being under high-pressure at the hub > > >>>> helped, but I generally find that the most vulnerable section. > > >>>> > > >>>> As you know, plastic bags (I think generally polyethylene) are not > > >>>> excellent vapor barriers, so your guess is as good as mine. > > >>>> > > >>>> Very interesting. > > >>>> > > >>>> Thanks for sharing. > > >>>> > > >>>> Cheers, > > >>>> > > >>>> Richard > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> On 12/16/2015 7:47 PM, Tom Fine wrote: > > >>>> > > >>>>> I just transferred a reel of tape I made back in 1982 at a major > NYC > > >>>>> recording studio. It was a dub of something. I thought the reel was > > all > > >>>>> Maxell UDXL 35-90, 1-mil back-coated and I've heard few if any > > reports > > >>>>> of it going sticky. The tape played just fine, absolutely no > residue > > >>>>> from rewinding or playback (it's a 2-track 7.5IPS tape, transfer > was > > >>>>> done on a Technics 1520). Now here's where it gets interesting. I > > >>>>> didn't > > >>>>> remember this, but the end of the reel was spliced-in Ampex 456, > and > > it > > >>>>> wasn't sticky. I didn't know this before rewinding because I had > kept > > >>>>> the Maxell end of reel leader tape and just spliced in the Ampex > tape > > >>>>> because I needed 5 minutes more time at the end of the reel. The > > reason > > >>>>> I noticed this was I was monitoring the end of the tape, heard a > > splice > > >>>>> go through the transport and noticed that the tape oxide color was > > >>>>> suddenly brown instead of gray-black like Maxell UDXL. When the > tape > > >>>>> finished, I wound out the leader tape and examined the end of the > > >>>>> spliced-on section. It was definitely 1.5-mil Ampex 456 (that was > the > > >>>>> only tape available at the studio to splice into my Maxell reel, > they > > >>>>> were an all-Ampex shop). I felt the tape front and back with my > > >>>>> fingers, > > >>>>> and didn't feel the tell-tale gummy-sticky-greasy texture of > > >>>>> sticky-shed. And, there was no evidence of any layers sticking > > >>>>> together. > > >>>>> Plus, as I said, no residue on any moving or fixed guides or the > tape > > >>>>> heads. > > >>>>> > > >>>>> I have no idea why this piece of tape didn't go sticky. I'm > wondering > > >>>>> if > > >>>>> the non-sticky Maxell tape, making up most of the reel, can somehow > > >>>>> absorb or mitigate whatever causes the sticky-shed? It's also worth > > >>>>> noting that this tape has always been stored in the plastic bag > > within > > >>>>> the cardboard box. > > >>>>> > > >>>>> If I had known the section of Ampex 456 was spliced in to the > reel, I > > >>>>> would have baked the whole thing before playing it. I'm glad it > > turned > > >>>>> out I didn't need to. > > >>>>> > > >>>>> I'm interested in any theories as to why that piece of 456 wasn't > > >>>>> sticky. Other reels of 456 that I recorded at that studio at that > > time > > >>>>> have all been sticky and required baking. > > >>>>> > > >>>>> -- Tom Fine > > >>>>> > > >>>> -- > > >>>> Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] > > >>>> Aurora, Ontario, Canada 647 479 2800 > > >>>> http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm > > >>>> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes. > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>>> > > >>> -- > > >> Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] > > >> Aurora, Ontario, Canada 647 479 2800 > > >> http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm > > >> Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes. > > >> > > >> > > >> > > >