I haven't had much to do with reel to reel tape since I was young. My Dad's got a heap of recordings from when my brothers and I were kids that haven't been played for years that he wants to transfer to CD or similar.

Being from the 1960's I assume the tapes are 2 track mono but the only player I have access to is a Sony TC-105 4 track mono. Does anyone have experience playing 2 track tapes a 4 track mono machine? My guess is they'd play with reduced bandwidth as long as the tape speed is a close match to the original recorder.

It should work, 2 track mono tapes on a 4 track. Bandwidth won't be limited. Thing is, you have to select the correct one of the 4 track selections, the wrong selection will give you backwards playback. 2 mono tracks were done by recording on a half of the tape width, one track when playing the tape one way, then the other track when you flip the tape over and play it. 4 track mono they did by interleaving the tape directions. Say the evens are one direction, the odds the other direction. The tape width has from one edge: track 1, 2, 3, 4. If you played a 4 track tape on a 2 track machine you'd get say track one in the correct direction, and mixed in the playback track 2 backwards. 2 track on a 4 track machine won't give this mixing.

It's a good idea to get this done as, depending on the quality of the tape, and how it has been stored over the years, there may be some oxide shedding apparent by now.

Suggest getting some head cleaning solution and Q tips ready, just in case.

You might need to "bake" the tape. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sticky-shed_syndrome.

Thanks for the replies, I've been wondering how well the tapes will have survived after 40 years in a cardboard box. I vaguely remember he used BASF tapes.

I'm still working my way through the tape player although it seems to be in remarkably good condition. The major problem is a broken volume pot with the power switch. It's a 10k log pot with a 6mm splined shaft that's 26mm long. I've searched extensively but the closest I can come to this size is a linear pot. I'm having a go at repairing the one that came out of it, if that doesn't work I'll put a power switch somewhere else. The easiest way would be to put it on the tone control but that would mean the front bezel markings would be wrong.

Apart from disintegrating tapes, the biggest issue with R2R is stability of the drive train - capstan, pinch wheels and take-up tension to prevent tape jamming. I worked with tape for years and have a few old machines, but never use them if I have a choice.

Any capstan wobble is the biggest problem and pretty well impossible to fix.

However, if you have a reliable drive mechanism you might find a surprisingly high signal quality on the tape itself. The width of the track is good compared to cassettes. If recording tape speed is at least 7.5ips it often will smooth over any flaws or minor magnetic degradation issues in the oxide.

We used to edit tape by cutting it diagonally with a blade or scissors. With a 30degree cut the edit was inaudible because the width of the tape turned the cut into a quick cross-fade. Mind you, this was on 1/8inch mono tracks.

There's a good chance BASF tapes won't have stretched - the BASF acetate backings we used in broadcasting were pretty stable mechanically. Later plastic backings were more prone to stretching under stress such as a lot of high-speed spooling or jams.

Maven