Re: [ARSCLIST] Do these tapes need to be baked or not?

[Rod Stephens <savecal@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hello again Rob,

I just checked to see if the dehydrator/cooker mentioned in the 2002 Mix
article was still being sold, and it is and currently on sale for much
less than it was in 2002:

http://www.americanharvest.com/products/product.phtml?id=39&category=300

Rod Stephens

Rob Sevier wrote:

> Esteemed Archivists,
> I have ten or so AMPEX DBX 406 tapes, the latest of which was recorded on in
> mid-1975. I've gotten several different reports as to whether or not these
> tapes need to be baked before playing them back. Is there a reliable
> resource that can tell me whether or not this specific model has problems?
> Does anyone on the list have an answer based on experience? I've played
> phone tag with someone over at QUantegy (who I understand bought AMPEX.)
>
> One possibility, if there is any doubt, is that I have one or two tapes that
> contain no music that I need at all (everything is contained on a quarter
> inch mix.) These unnecessary tapes were stored under identical circumstances
> as the tapes that I need to dump down. Would it make sense to experiment
> first with the unnecessary tapes? How would I know if the process is
> failing?
>
> Thanks in advance for the advice.
> Rob Sevier