Sony reel tape - PR-150 - opinions wanted.

[ta131js]

:scratch2:
Are these tapes any good?
Should I stick with Maxells of more recent vintage?
TIA

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/ele/360471133.html

[Des_Lab]

I personally have no experience with that particular flavor of Sony. I have, however tried both SLH and ULH and both suffered from severe sticky shed. Based on that experience, I wouldn't go near those. Maxell, TDK, and late model Quantegy have been proven to be more durable. But hey, you never know, maybe those ones will work out ok. I guess try a couple, see if they work. And if you like them, then get more. Of course, being ~25 years old already means longevity issues come into play. A lot of much newer tape is out there. Some of it is even reasonably priced.

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DL-Abba or Erasure anyone?

[Andyman]

$4.00 each seems like a lot. I'm pretty sure you can get Maxells for that or less on Ebay, so why bother??

[grateful]

PR-150 was never a very good tape even when new.

[ta131js]

Thanks guys.
I should know better.

Just the other day, I made a terrible mistake of takng a bathroom break while playing for the first time a CL find Scotch tape of unknown age and condition.
:sigh: It snapped and gunked my Akai deck enough to warrant another trip to my favorite shop.

:yes: People like me keep that business going.

[pioneernut]

I've got 2 Sony PR-150 tapes, I'm guessing they were purchased around 1973. They look nice, but I've noticed that they shed oxide and gum up the tape path more then any tape I've got. They were ok back in the 80's but when I pulled them out to play they squeeled terrible. Stay away from these.
- mike

[stereofisher]

Sony tape was OK in the 60's and 70's. Unlike Maxells,TDK and BASF they have not stood the test of time. They stick and gum up the machine. Better stuff is available....Eric:music:

[Ozric]

I have had bad luck with it too, gumming up my machines, and shedding oxide badly. Now when I happen to get one, I just spool the tape into the garbage and keep the reel, the reels are pretty cool. :cool:

[tapehead]

Glad you mentioned the reels, Oz. I'm going through my R2R stuff and tossing out bad or potentially bad tape. I fished my 3 PR-150's out of the trash and dumping the tape off right now. The reels and boxes are just fine. I wish Maxell had made their 7" plastic reels like Sony.

Thanks and tip o' the hat - Tapehead

[blooeyz]

basically , (hi there fellow Ak'ers) i agree with y'all.... the few Sony PR-150 tape si have come across were YUCKY..meaning they screeched even on a clean clean reel deck..they recorded poorly..and the lubricant on these run-of-the-mill tapes is long gone.. compare f'rinstance...same time period Scotch 150 tapes... BIG difference! i can still use those and get good recordings... and yes, the "high" end Sony ULH are hit or miss...the few i have are okay... but wor to the wise!!! stay with Maxell, TDK, and Scotch and you will not likely get "stuck!!" All the reels of various vintage Scotch tapes i have now, the 150, and 200, all still work and play fine.... the 203 is mostly good..the 207 is all good...
ditch the Sony stuff i say...

[Brent71]

Funny, I did a Google search about this tape and ended up coming right back here. Reading this kinda scares me since my dad has many reels of this stuff in a closet. Looks like if I ever get around to archiving any of it I'm going to have to bake it first.

[Aage]

In its day it was a "good" quality (see previous comments on reels and boxes) but normal performance tape. Thirty years later, all bets are off. The binder could have given up causing shedding and clogging of the heads, a lot depends on storage methods during that time period.

Always advisable to wind then rewind any tape that hasn't been played in a while, then watch it closely for a bit when you hit play. This will relax any tension in the pack.

If you want to be really sure, spool a bit of tape out so that you can lay a few inches on a clean piece of plain white paper and rub the oxide side (the part that faces the heads) gently with a clean Q-tip.

Like I say, 30 years, a lot can change. I did, that's a fact! :)

[russ1965]

Sony PR-150 early 60's tapes still good. Pr-150 Tapes bought in 70's all squeals, evently will shed. To get some music off of them, freeze them, don't bake them.

[russ1965]

Sony PR-150 early 60's tapes still good. Pr-150 Tapes bought in 70's all squeals, evently will shed. To get some music off of them, freeze them, don't bake them.


Here is the link


http://richardhess.com/notes/2007/11/08/success-with-squealing-shamrock-031-tape/