Re: [ARSCLIST] Ampex made bargain brands

[David Lennick <dlennick@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Anyone remember "Brand Five"? First cheap tape I ever saw. First tape I was ever
warned not to use. A product of the Ferrodynamics folks (who put their more
expensive brand in hinged plastic boxes). Only useful thing I ever got out of
them was a "tape timer" that you held over the supply reel to see how much tape
remained (courtesy those little cards in the back of High Fidelity where you'd
circle numbers and everyone would send you free catalogs and samples....them was
the days).

Anyone remember "American" in the different lengths, accompanied by an ad
showing Beethoven saying "It's no use! I can't write a 1200-foot symphony."

dl

Steven Smolian wrote:

> > As I recall the heirarchy, it went, from top down:
> >
> > Ampex
> >
> > Irish (lower priced brand at retail)
> >
> > Shamrock (Retail also, but mail oder as well)
> >
> > Wescott (purchased through classified ads in audio magazines)
> These came from Opalika, ALabama, where Apex had a plant, I belive, and
> where the boxes for it were made, I'm sue.
> >
> > White box (from Saxitone, in DC) (could be repacking of Wescott-level
> > stuff. Those two often had dimensional problems which caused them to jump
> > the tape guides.)  I'm sure Saxe carried other close-out stock as well.  I
> > bough 78s from Henry in his last years but never discussed this particular
> > isssue with him.
> >
> For years I had a big file of screwball tapes but needed the shelf space.
> They're in boxes somewhere at present.  Oh, don't ask where.
>
> Steve Smolian
>
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Casey, Michael T" <micasey@xxxxxxxxxxx>
> > To: <ARSCLIST@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
> > Sent: Thursday, January 05, 2006 8:47 AM
> > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Risk assessment tool--off brands
> >
> >
> > What off-brand tape stocks would you consider to be at greater risk than
> > the standard Ampex/Scotch products? Shamrock? Irish? I might add
> > Sarkes-Tarzian. Are there others that are consistently problematic?
> >
> > Mike
> >
> >
> >