Are used dcc cassettes worth buying are they no good to re-record over

Music, Cassettes, Recordings
#1

Hi everyone, I’m a newbie so forgive me if this topic has been covered before, i have bought a nice boxed Philips dcc730 but i have found it does not record on used cassettes, i have cleaned the heads as per the video but just continues to have drop outs or not recording at all, i bought 10 cassettes all look like new never written on the J cards etc but none will record on the dcc730, but i had 5 new sealed cassettes and would you believe it but records perfectly and plays back perfectly, i have again tried the used ones but no different BUT i have a dcc600 and that’s fine records on the old cassettes without any issue, now I’m confused is it the player at fault or are used cassettes just no good once used…

Cheers all…

#2

Hi,
It is a combination of the older Tape in the player. You should possibly consider replacing the pinch rollers.

Ralf

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#3

Hi Ralf thanks for responding well I have also found the other player DCC 600 is suffering with bad drop outs when recording on the old tapes the audio that was already on the tapes plays perfectly fine but it’s once I record over them on both decks 600 or the 730 but both decks perform perfectly fine on new unused tapes, that’s ten cassettes that are useless and a couple of them stop halfway through placing the tape into reverse mode, I have cleaned the heads etc and the pressure pads as per your video… used tapes seem poor unless I just got a bad lot, the seller sells allot of them and states he’s had no complaints…

#4

Used tapes can react differently on each player to be honest.
If the tapes do not perform well on both your 600 and 730, it most likely are the tapes.

It depends on storage as well.

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#5

Thank you it’s much appreciated :+1:

#6

I’ve have mostly great luck with re-recording on used tapes. The key for me when buying them has been to make sure that they have been rewound back to the leader. I usually ask the seller to send me a picture of the tape with the door opened. I don’t tell them what I’m looking for. If I see the leader then, I usually have no problem. If I see tape, then I decline to buy. This works for pre-recorded tapes too. If a tape hasn’t been rewound for many, many years, it is often distorted and conformed to the shape where it makes contact with the tape guides. My experience has been that these usually have issues and often switch sides when recording. I’ve never successfully fixed a tape like that before.

The other trick that I do when recording with both new and used tapes is to fast forward and rewind them a few times before recording.

In addition, I always use a bulk tape eraser for 1 full minute, pause a while, and then erase once more for 1 minute. The eraser that I have was built for securely wiping big computer data reels so it’s more powerful than most.

Just my two cents worth. Hope that it might be useful.

David

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#7

@david.desclos I would love to play with that Eraser some day.

Ralf

#8

Thank you David interesting, i will in future try to see how the tapes have been stored and if rewound as you say, also i have a bulk eraser that I haven’t used for some time i will give that a try!
I also found that the tapes it seems have recorded but with drop outs but don’t playback but if you carefully touch the cassette whilst playing the audio comes back, let go the audio goes really confusing, plus two cassettes actually just stop i have checked the tape pad, tape condition at the stop point rewound them couple of times always stops at the same place just a mystery its as though its coded to stop but you cannot record past this point, two tapes are like this both a different points!! Totally head scratching.:weary::weary:

#9

Citaat
In addition, I always use a bulk tape eraser for 1 full minute, pause a while, and then erase once more for 1 minute. The eraser that I have was built for securely wiping big computer data reels so it’s more powerful than most

Indeed, that is what I do when I want to make a new recording on a used tape. After erasing them with the bulkeraser, all the previous magnetic information is gone and the tapes appear new to the player.
I have very good results with this. And of course, treat the tape for standing still a long time, as in these instructions:
https://www.reeltoreel.nl/blog/?p=949
https://www.reeltoreel.nl/blog/?p=779

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#10

Thank you pvdm … i will definitely go down this route in future and hope i have better results, i want to be able to record my own music, pre-recorded tapes are just way to costly to me…

1 Like
#11

Thank you for the idea of using a bulk eraser. It has worked great for me on some old tapes I wanted to re-record and was having problems.

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