Pioneer RT-707

[rhymeswthorange]

I just recently received a working Pioneer RT-707 reel-to-reel for free , but have a small problem... I also got some tapes for free. They are Ampex 1800 Grand Master tapes still in the wrapper, but could be somewhat old. Anyway, my problem is that when I play/record these tapes, gunk starts to build up on the heads. I clean them off, records and plays fine until the gunk builds up again after about 20 seconds. I assume it's just the tapes I'm running, but what to be sure it couldn't be something else. Could it be?

 

[Netlist]

I'm afraid your tapes are suffering from age. Did someone mention to bake them?
http://www.loopers-delight.com/tips/tape/Baking_Tapes.html

/Hugo

 

[auplater]

shedding tapes

Unfortunately.. most of the AMPEX tapes from the late 70's thru early 90's had unstable binder systems. (I've got several that truly gunk up my 2 X200R's if I try to use them).. Best to trow them out... baking is only a temporary fix to retrieve old recorded material... they revert to shedding within weeks. Make for great squealing scrape-flutter as well. My decks will literally freeze up within minutes if I try to use them. Maxells, TDK, 3M's never do this.

So much for the great Ampex tape legacy (long gone by then, tho...)

 

[adason]

congratulations, its a great deck, I had two....

forget those tapes, just get the new one
good reel to reel tapes are still being made
just look into pro catalogs