Each Opus 3 Reel-To-Reel Tape is made upon order and is ready to ship in approximately 2-4 weeks!
This item not eligible for any further discount offers!
Limited Production Run of only 50 Copies Worldwide!
Master Quality Reel To Reel Tape!
Exceptional Audiophile Sound as close to the Original Master Reference Quality as possible!
Master copies of Opus 3 analogue recordings! The shortest and best possible signal-path, without any conversions.
The current Opus 3 catalogue contains 50 titles which have been strictly analogue recorded and preserved. To cater to the needs of people for whom only the best is good enough and demand the ultimate in sound perfection we now offer open-reel master copies of Opus 3 albums.
All tapes are copied 'by hand', track by track, where all Mastering corrections are made with meticulous calibration and control.
We use:
A modified Technics RS-1500 for playback of the master tape, which has also been used for all of our re-mastering for SACD of our older titles. This tape recorder is world renowned as one of the best for playback. However it is specially modified to achieve the best possible quality.
Telefunken Magnetophone M-28 for the recording of your copy. This tape recorder has been used for the recording of all of Opus 3's master-recordings since 1978.
The tape:
which we used for many years was Agfa PEM-468 which is no longer manufactured, however the RMG Studio Master SM-468 produced in the Netherlands has 100% identical performance.
1/4", 2-Tracks
Speed: 38 cm/s (15")
Playback EQ: IEC (CCIR) 35uS
Over many years Opus 3 has from time to time been asked to offer Analogue Tape Copies. At the end of 2014, the first copies were sold in Sweden and the response was overwhelming.
When Opus 3 Records creates an Analogue tape copy, it is always a One to One Copy where, for example, no analogue sub-master is in between, in order to make it as good as possible with no added distortion, noise and wow and flutter, etc.
The drawback is this process takes a lot of time, because all the tracks have to be copies one by one which is the reason the Analogue Tape are high. Because of the way this is done, production is limited to a maximum of 50 pieces. The upside to this process is you are guaranteed to have the best sounding Analogue Tape Copy.
Eric Bibb & Needed Time - Spirit & The Blues is a real odyssey of Eric's music. Here we find everything from black Mississippi blues to spirituals, ballads, country and even reggae - sometimes with an almost electrified swing, but guaranteed "unplugged" in the finest Opus 3 tradition! Eric has gathered a large number of musicians from rock, folk and blues and, last but least, "The Deacons" -- a gospel quintet from the USA which was actually formed while this recording was being made.
* Reel To Reel Master Tapes do not include cover art
** It is standard practice in all recording studios to keep the tape "tail out". This reduces "pre-echo" and it means that the tape should be placed on the right hand side of the recorder, re-wound and then played.
One would be extremely hard pressed to find a better sounding reel-to-reel tape than Spirit and the Blues. The music here—unlike many albums where the first two songs are sensational, and the rest are eminently forgettable—only becomes progressively better with each succeeding track! Sonically, Spirit and the Blues possesses a simply mouthwatering midrange tone in addition to an extraordinary sense of presence of the instruments and singers. Musically, one finds a several new songs written by Bibb along with a mix of blues, gospels and some good pickin' music from the likes of Woody Guthrie, Blind Lemon Jefferson, Odetta and several others... Spirit and the Blues is one tape that belongs in every tapehead's music collection!Features:
• 1st Generation Reel to Reel Tape made from the Original Master Tape
• Limited Production Run of only 50 Total
• Analogue Tape Copies from original analogue masters
• Two 10.5" Metal-NAB-Reels
• Playback EQ: IEC/CCIR (35uS)
• 2-track, 1/4" at 38 cm/s (15")
Musicians:
Eric Bibb, guitar, vocals
Olle Eriksson, bass
Christer Lyssarides, mandolin & bouzouki
Goran Wennerbrandt, bottle neck guitar & guitars
Jenny Bohman & Derrick Walker, harmonica
Bjorn Gideonsson, drums
Special Guests: The Deacons.
Selections:
1. Lonesome Valley
2. In My Father's House
3. Needed Time
4. I Am Blessed
5. Just Keep Goin' On
6. Where Shall I Be
7. Woke Up This Mornin'
8. I Want Jesus To Walk With Me
9. You're Gonna Need Somebody On Your Bond
10. Braggin'
11. Water Under The Bridge
12. Tell Ol' Bill
13. Satisfied Mind
14. Meetin' At The Buildin'
15. Waltz
