Reel to Reel

Experience Vintage Sound With the Reel-to-Reel Tape Collection

Reel-to-reel tape recorders and players dominated the recording industry from the 1950s through the 1970s; the wider tape of the reel-to-reel recorder allowed for multi-track recording, which in turn led to new innovations in music styles and recording quality. These recorders were also the standard tool for journalists in the field. Perhaps you have found someones old collection of tapes, or perhaps you want to experiment with recording music; regardless, you can find the tools that you will need with the reel to reel collection on eBay.

There is a large variety of items available in the eBay collection. You can find products to start working with reel-to-reel recording or to improve your personal collection. Among the products available are the following:

• Tape players
• Recorders
• Microphones
• Blank tapes
• Empty hubs
• Tape splicers
• Spare parts
• Storage boxes and more

• Commercial recordings: As recording technology changed in the 1960s and 1970s, many record labels released commercial music on several types of media, including reel-to-reel tapes. You will find music by important groups of the era like the Beatles, Elton John, and Fleetwood Mac.
• Broadcast recordings: In the radio era, a number of live shows were recorded to be preserved and replayed.

The features offered will vary from machine to machine, but here are some to look for as you select a recorder.

• Multi-track recording: This was the innovation that changed the recording industry. Musicians could record individual tracks at separate times, and those tracks could be played back on a single tape. Most of the studio-style recorders in this collection have a four-track capacity.
• Portability: Smaller models in this collection often come built into a carrying case and can be run on battery power. This allows you to take your recorder on the road for that important interview.
• Multiple tape speeds: The ability to vary the recording speed led to all sorts of special effects in music recordings of the 1960s. Generally, a faster speed gives a better-quality recording while a slower speed allows for longer recordings.

Since these recorders were standard equipment in the recording industry for a quarter century, there were many professional-grade models produced by multiple companies. In this collection on eBay you will find models released by such companies as the following:

• Panasonic
• Pioneer
• Teac
• Sony
• Akai
• Revox
• Tandberg
• Wollensak