[78-L] half track tapes

[Robert M. Bratcher Jr.]

At 03:02 PM 8/8/2009, you wrote:
>At 09:41 AM 8/8/2009, you wrote:
> > > Remember the Wollensak with its dial for shifting the playback
> > > head down a millimetre or two to play half-track tapes with
> > > equal balance? Any other machines have a feature like that?
>
>From: "Robert M. Bratcher Jr." <bratcher at pdq.net>
> > Which model is that?
>
>Wollensak T-1515-4, T-1616, T-1580 (I think that's the number), and
>several Revere's -- the stereo playback versions of the single knob and
>the pushbutton models if they have a suffix "-4".  All of their stereo
>playback machines from 1959 onwards were this way until they started
>making machines that recorded in stereo, and they also sold an adapter
>head-set.  The major purpose of the "Head Track Selector" was to enable
>the recording on the lower tracks on these machines which only recorded
>in mono.  This gave you four mono tracks, but they played back in
>stereo.  Since the 2-track tapes were so common back then, the extra
>notch to lower the head just slightly was quite handy.  The BEST thing
>these things could do was search out the best part of the tape for
>warped full track tapes.  It is still a very valuable technique to play
>back old full track tapes.  (The second best technique archives use is
>to have a quad-four head and pick out the ONE track which is the best.)

Interesting facts about the stereo Wollensak decks.


> >I had a worn out Webcore Music Man that would shift the playback
> > head with a lever on the back of the head assembly. Threw it
> > away when it stopped playing tapes at 3.75 ips & was having
> > trouble with 7.5 ips. Belts were shot really bad but then
> > I got it for free.....
>
>The Wollensak/Revere device moved BOTH the Record/Play and the Erase
>heads.

I think the Webcor machine did that too. Back then though I only had 
four track prerecorded tapes.

>The Otari 5050 machines had an extra quarter track play head in the
>second of the 4 head blocks.  It was standard equipment until the Mark
>IV, when it became an option WHICH NOBODY TOLD ME WHEN I BOUGHT MARK IVs
>FOR MY SCHOOL.  So those last 4 machines have only three heads and
>screwed me up for playing my home recorded tapes.  I had to use the
>earlier ones we had there.  By the way, the record and play heads are
>exactly the right spacing for Staggered-Stereo playback!!  Set one track
>on play and the other on Sel-Rep and it will play them!!
>
>Mike Biel  mbiel at mbiel.com

Sounds like a great machine you have. I remember seeing a Tascam reel 
to reel deck in a stereo shop about 10 years ago with 2 track 
record/play capability in the same head block. It was set up for 15 & 
7.5 ips. I also don't remember what it's price was at the time.

What about the idea of keeping my Pioneer (with it's 10" reel 
capacity) for quarter track & getting a half track stereo Tascam deck 
for playing my 2 track stereo tapes? Perhaps a Tascam 32 machine 
would fit my needs?