Teac reel ferrite heads on non ferrite Teac???

[blooeyz]

Hi fellow analoggers;

I have some good parts from a dead Teac gsl deck..the high density ferrite heads...excellent condition...
Can a Teac high density ferrite playback head be used on a Teac non ferrite head deck.? .say in place of a worn playback head on a Teac A-4300sx or 6300 ???
thanks..this is an awwwesome site!!
blooeyz

 

[wordman001]

Try It Man !!!

Try it on the 4300 ! Your blazing a new trail, going where no Tape Head has gone before !!!

 

[Nakdoc]

Not without redesigning the play eq curves. Ferrite heads are different in impedance. You will have to make some inductance measurements.

 

[jblmar]

The Ferrite head tends to saturate faster. The record amp will need to be modified somewhat.

Ron

 

[blooeyz]

hi all,,,thanks Wordman, Nakdoc and JBLmar,
thanks for the information....sooo, me trying to fully understand here, is this largely a matter of machine adjustments to work with ferrite heads, like playback and record level and eq and bias adjustments..or does this mean a circuit board modification? thanks again...
another questions....i have an earlier Teac R-1000 , 4 head, auto reverse, well I have parts of one anyways, ...including some nearly new heads....can these be used on a later teac 4300 or 6300? blooeyz...

 

[jblmar]

hi all,,,thanks Wordman, Nakdoc and JBLmar,
thanks for the information....sooo, me trying to fully understand here, is this largely a matter of machine adjustments to work with ferrite heads, like playback and record level and eq and bias adjustments..or does this mean a circuit board modification? thanks again...
another questions....i have an earlier Teac R-1000 , 4 head, auto reverse, well I have parts of one anyways, ...including some nearly new heads....can these be used on a later teac 4300 or 6300? blooeyz...

Don't forget mounting issues. Heads not specified for one machine may not fit another. One size doesn't fit all. The transport/head gap is the most critical aspect of a decks alignment.

Ron

 

[goldear]

hi all,,,thanks Wordman, Nakdoc and JBLmar,
thanks for the information....sooo, me trying to fully understand here, is this largely a matter of machine adjustments to work with ferrite heads, like playback and record level and eq and bias adjustments..or does this mean a circuit board modification? thanks again...
another questions....i have an earlier Teac R-1000 , 4 head, auto reverse, well I have parts of one anyways, ...including some nearly new heads....can these be used on a later teac 4300 or 6300? blooeyz...

If you want to have anything even approaching flat response out of your deck, your idea would involve some significant changes to your circuitry. And that is assuming that they would even fit in the same locations. The circuit changes involve re-designing your record and playback EQ circuits, not just simple adjustments. Unless you are an EE, good luck with this excercise...

Personally, I would not bother trying this. Sell your old Teac heads on Fleebay, and buy the right heads instead.

 

[pustelniakr]

If you want to have anything even approaching flat response out of your deck, your idea would involve some significant changes to your circuitry. And that is assuming that they would even fit in the same locations. The circuit changes involve re-designing your record and playback EQ circuits, not just simple adjustments. Unless you are an EE, good luck with this excercise...

Personally, I would not bother trying this. Sell your old Teac heads on Fleebay, and buy the right heads instead.

Well said. Heed wisdom when it is offered, or obtain wisdom for yourself...the hard way

Enjoy,
Rich P

 

[blooeyz]

Many thanks guys.....i shall take to heart what i have learned here...by the way, i did some closer looksees, and aside from electronics...it appears the ferrite heads will fit into the non ferrite head mounting spaces,,but yeah, you guys are probably soo right!!!
oh, another question, yeah, i always got one more question...!!!
If ferrite heads are soooo durable and longer lasting why in h*** did Teac stop using them??? I have a couple of gsl Teacs and they have NO visible headwear..Zero!!! and they are about 30 years old!!!! and Sony later made most of their machines with what they called ferrite and ferrite, and Akai swore by their GX heads on just about every machine after .. what, 1970? this is a fine supporitng family here....Bloooooeyz

 

[dr*audio]

Most manufacturers stuck with ferrite after they started using it. If they went back to permalloy heads it was probably for cost considerations. Or for built in obsolescence. Some TEAC heads are still available from TEAC. If you need one, better get it now while it's available.

 

[goldear]

Many thanks guys.....i shall take to heart what i have learned here...by the way, i did some closer looksees, and aside from electronics...it appears the ferrite heads will fit into the non ferrite head mounting spaces,,but yeah, you guys are probably soo right!!!
oh, another question, yeah, i always got one more question...!!!
If ferrite heads are soooo durable and longer lasting why in h*** did Teac stop using them??? I have a couple of gsl Teacs and they have NO visible headwear..Zero!!! and they are about 30 years old!!!! and Sony later made most of their machines with what they called ferrite and ferrite, and Akai swore by their GX heads on just about every machine after .. what, 1970? this is a fine supporitng family here....Bloooooeyz

I'm not sure of the true answer to this question. I think that a number of factors probably contributed.

Now let me state from the outset that I am really quite fond of Sonys F&F heads. But I have learned over the years that even these do wear (although quite slowly), but they show it in a completely different way from permaloy. On a permaloy head, you will see a grove form. This does not happen with Ferrite. On ferrite heads, the gaps eventually starts to chip away, and this widens the gap, and lowers the performance. This can be observed as a dulling of the head surface around the gap.

Most recording studios didn't like Ferrite heads because it was much harder to tell if they had any wear (no grove to see), and consequently it was much harder to tell when they needed relappling. Some people also claim that ferrite heads don't sound as good as permaloy, but my experience with the big Sony's, and Tandbergs makes me really question that particular assertion.