Remastering a classic

Hey Guys,
Good, I'm glad the article was interesting. Stephen Barncard was responsible for the, overall, great sound on many classic rock albums. It was particularly interesting to see the use of a Studer transport used with Ampex 351 electronics. That seems to be a growing trend, using an excellent tape transport with classic tube/germanium transistor playback electronics. I have two of the 351 record/playback units that are in the early stages of rebuilding. I'm also trying to understand the early solid state Scully 280 circuits that used germanium transistors. Then there's the use of Bottlehead vacuum tube DIY playback coupled to a good Revox/Technics transport. I think this might be the next really interesting area for audio enthusiasts, listening to 2 and 4 track tapes on "souped" up tape decks. Especially if folks like Bottlehead begin selling superb sounding copies of tapes. A friend of mine has heard what these might be and has said that they will be the best audio anyone has ever heard in their homes.
The mouth waters!
Have fun, Ken

Hello Organ,
Rich has been a recording engineer for many years and a dedicated audiophile with plenty of resources. He has collected various copies of "safety" master tapes. These were usually done by a recording studio as a well made copy of the two channel mix down tape. Sometimes they were provided to tape duplication companies to allow them to compare the working tapes with a reference. Sometimes they were sent to radio stations for broadcasting. He recently sent me a sampler tape of a live recording that was done of a Count Basie performance in New Years 1961 that was not released. It was a minimal mic setup with great sense of "being there". If you're familiar with the Proprius recording of "Jazz at the Pawnshop" it sounds like that with much better musicians (not taking anything away from the JATP group). He also sent me a sample of a Blood Sweat and Tears second album cut, "20,000 Headmen" and some other stuff. All great sounding.
Right now I've finished a Revox PR99 deck. The playback circuit board had plenty of room in front of it and behind it. So, I could use Panasonic Mylar HFS series capacitors in all of the interstage coupling positions. Plus, I eliminated a great deal of circuitry that dealt with having a balanced output. I also used Vishay bulk metal foil resistors in playback head loading and throughout the signal path. Plus I found a letter in a back issue of Audio Amateur that mentioned some decks were built without proper head loading. I also replaced the capstan motor, not necessary but I couldn't resist buying a new one off of ebay. I also replaced two 20k adjustable pots that are used to set the playback levels. But, the replacements didn't line up with the original three holes. So, i had to first bend small pieces of Wonder Wire to attach to the new pot's leads and go into the old circuit board holes. But the Vishay variable pots are better at making slight adjustments to the levels.
The goal was to build a deck that was more convenient to use than the Stellavox (meaning you can fast forward and rewind tapes) that sounded as good (hard to do). This is sounding very, very good. Definitely the MKI version of the PR99 is the one to look for, subsequent versions used ICs for the playback.
But, I've learned that the really cool amplifiers are the earliest solid state designs that used germanium transistors instead of silicon. Some of the early Neve recording consoles sell for tremendous amounts of money. People want to use them for the smooth warm "tube-like" sound. So, the trail now leads to some of the early studio machines, such as the Scully 280 (used by the Beach Boys and Hendrix). There are some other highly sought after decks, the Ampex MR70 (only 80 were ever made) and some of the Studers. Oh well, it's a journey not a destination, right? So, I'm always on the lookout for articles that give some clues as to what the recording companies are using to re-master those old recordings.
Have fun, Ken