Ampex Grand Master II - 1980
Professional Studio Quality Audio Cassette by Ampex Corporation. CA, USA.
Made in the USA, Redwood City, California, for the Canadian market and distributed by Ampex Canada. This just makes it rarer.
Collector's Corner: Some collectors have reported that this model may be susceptible to Sticky‑Shedding Syndrome (SSS). These units have not been opened or tested, so their condition cannot be independently verified. The cassette presents as a high‑quality product based on its construction and materials, and previously sold units have not generated any performance‑related complaints.
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Note 1: 90 minutes: Small number available, scarce, and not priced as such. Belongs in any a good collection of tapes. Low inventory
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See Tony Villa's new video about this "Grand Master... Flash" ;) Ampex tape below! Released April 27, 2023.
About AMPEX:
Ampex Corporation, founded in 1944 by Alexander M. Poniatoff, was an American electronics company whose innovations shaped the entire landscape of magnetic recording. While best known for professional reel‑to‑reel systems, Ampex also played a foundational role in the development of cassette‑grade magnetic tape, bringing studio‑level chemistry and coating expertise into consumer formats.
Ampex ferric formulations were robust, stable, and unmistakably “American” in character — thicker coatings, strong low‑frequency handling, and a durability that made their tapes a favorite in broadcasting, instrumentation, and early home recording. Their engineering culture emphasized reliability over flash, and even their consumer shells carried the same no‑nonsense build philosophy that defined their professional machines.
Although Ampex eventually exited consumer tape production, their influence continued through Quantegy, which inherited and refined Ampex’s magnetic‑media lineage. For collectors and recording enthusiasts, Ampex remains synonymous with the birth of modern magnetic recording — a legacy that still resonates every time one of their tapes rolls across the heads.