How Can I Get and Play
Master Tape Reels?
The Museum of Master Tape Reels trades Master Tapes with interested collectors - email us through the contacts tab.
Good decks that can play 15 ips tapes are widely available. We use Studer a810s, but those are currently running about $5000 and require some knowledge and dedication to keep them in good running condition. The Revox B-77 and PR-99, also made by Studer, are pro-sumer decks that have good reputation and are widely available, sub-$1000. Get the high speed version (7.5 and 15 ips speed options), though the lower speed decks can be converted with a pretty simple exchange of a few caps. We've also used and like the TEAC 3300 which are often under $500.
Beatles Master Tapes, and Masters from other artists occasionally come up on Ebay and occasionally from private collectors. Since about mid 2017 the primary market seems to have shifted. Where as one would occasionally see Original Master tapes for sale, increasingly, the market seems to have shifted to folks making copies of their masters and selling the lower generation copies. There are also several sellers that offer either safety copies or copies compiled for Radio Stations. The Radio station copies tend to be not nearly as good, and have much more tape hiss (indicative of many generations of copy) and decreased highs (likely from high speed copying) though there are exceptions to this generalization.
How do I get into collecting studio master tapes?
This is expensive. We're in it because the sonic difference is worth it to us. Provenance is absolutely key, since you won’t be able to have a listen in a controlled sonic space before you push the BUY button. Seller reputation is also key. Ebay does a decent job of using buyer feedback to police sellers but the details matter, so read the feedback details. One dude that copies his masters and sells them over and over has OK feedback but taking the picture as a whole over time he is not so good: he has offerred more than 15 ‘original master tapes’ of Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon’ sold in the last year. Obviously these can't all be first generation. In keeping with the discussion on quality of multi-generation tapes, if they are a few hundred dollars, well-copied, second generation copies, you are in for an absolute treat, far exceeding the quality of any CD, LP or remastered CD.
Check back on our pages for updates as we continue to expand our collection. (Sorry we’ve got a full time jobs, so we are not updating as often as desired).
Networking in this space
We’ve established relationships that have grown into a network of folks that have tapes for sale or trade. You can buy original masters from the museum. Send us a note on the contact page. The Museum currently has seven Studer A810 machines and 10 Revox B77s. If you want to buy one of these 15 ips machines to listen to your Master tapes at maximum fidelity, that can also be arranged. Even without accounting for inflation, good used machines are cheaper now than when they were originally sold as new.