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Do reel to reel tapes fade over time...

My grandfather recently passed away and as the next in line audiophile i inherited his audio equipment and software. He has a number of LPs that appear to be in great shape (mostly pop from the 50's and 60's, recommend a decent turntable setup?). He also a large number of reel to reel tapes and a Tandberg reel to reel deck (I forget the model number).

I have heard that reel to reel tapes fade over time and are useless after 10 years. Is this true? The Tandberg probably needs some work to get it working. I have not tried it yet since it's in another state.

Are the reel to reels worth the effort to get the Tandberg up and running or are they probably lost to history? Thanks.

FWIW, he also had a Mcintosh MR74 tuner that I definately plan to make like new. Cosmetically it's still great shape. I'll send it to Audio Classics for upgrading.
budrew
dobjim
28 posts
 
Yes, some of those tapes fade over time, but I am still listening to tapes from the 50s and 60s that are great. I have been buying a number of old tapes on Ebay, and they sound excellent. One problem is that occasionally they will break. For instance, the movie soundtrack to "West Side Story" has fabulous sound, but at least two have broken on me. If they are music you might like, keep them. Furthermore, a Tandberg in good working condition can bring nice dollars on both Audiogon and Ebay.

Jim
zaikesman
3,017 posts
 
It all depends on the tape and how it was stored. You may have no problems at all, but you should make sure the deck is in proper adjustment (cleaned, lubed, aligned, demagnetized, electronics and rubber parts checked out and parts replaced if needed) before passing final judgement on the tapes. With a decent Tandberg, it's probably worth it.
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drubin
3,275 posts
 
Tandberg decks were very good. If you've nver experienced the sound of reel-to-reel, you are in for a treat.
stevecham
3,340 posts
 
In fact, solar radiation neutralizes the magnetic orientation of the particles on audio tape media over time so that there is always a slight erase process in effect constantly. Eventually all audio tapes will cease to have any recorded information left on them.
brianw
373 posts
 
Yes Steve, however my original master dubs from the 1950's still sound better than any record or CD of the same material.
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