Grundig C100 info & tapes sought.

[GJR 11L]

I just received a Grundig C100 cassette tape recorder that I picked up on th' internet. Does anyone know where can be found the cassettes for the thing?

It arrived with a tape that has a fascinating variety of '60s and earlier easy-listening recorded upon it, but I want to preserve that as is. Tape is the same width as that found in Compact Cassette format tapes, though the hubs are larger.
I would love to get a hold of a few cassettes for the machine, with or without tape, as I could easily enough splice the tape from a conventional cassette into the leaders on the hubs of the Grundig cassette.
The tape is marked "DC90" which I take to be a 90 minute job, but haven't played all the way through yet to find this out.
Assuming that the tape runs at 1&7/8 ips, I could presumably record onto good quality new blank Compact Cassettes, remove their tape and graft it in, but those Grundig cassettes ain't going to be an easy find, methinks! I can't even test to establish how well the device records as, like I say, I wish to preserve the material on the included cassette of tape.

I know nothing about the device other than that it sounds fine and speed is very stable, it weighs over 6Kg(!), Model is as stated, C100, it runs on 6 'D' cells that fit into an ingenius carrier that locks into the battery compartment. Oh, and the cosmetic condition is very close to perfect!

Any info about the thing would be welcomed, here some pics, showing the size of the cassette compared to a compact cassette of the type with which we all are familiar. Oh dear, what have I done? It's not a radio!

[reel-to-reel-man]

I had one of those, still got the cassette somewhere, will see if I can find it. I think the recorder is from the 60's but will see if I have any literature, cassette recorders isn't something I collect though it is in interesting machine.

[reelguy]

Grundig came out with a cassette/cartridge recorder round about the same time as Philips. If I remember the speed was actually 2in per sec 2ips. It did'nt sell very well {If at all} and I havent seen one for years. Good luck with you quest for info,You may get more results on the German websites. Peter {Reelguy}

[mickjjo]

There are a few snippets of information on these sites:-

http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-17/h1.html

http://history.acusd.edu/gen/recording/tape5.html

The DC international cassette seems to date from 1965, and was a German creation, losing out to the standard Philips compact cassette. You may be lucky in finding tapes on the German version of a well known internet auction site, .

Regards, Mick.

[Nickthedentist]

I'd try that well-known auction website too...

As for grafting in new tape into the original cassette, that should work fine. Obviously, use a Normal/Type I cassette as a donor. If you can still find a C45 or C60, the tape is rather easier to deal with (though some modern ones seem to use the same thin stuff as you'd find in a C90). I'd leave the leader attached and join this to the spools if possible, rather than splice the new tape to the old leader.

You could wind the existing tape into a modern cassette for safekeeping and then fill up the Grundig cassette with new tape to experiment with.

But I wouldn't necessarily expect the track configuration to be the same as a Compact Cassette, so you'd probably be best recording onto the new blank tape using the Grundig itself, rather than with a cassette recorder beforehand.

Good luck,
Nick.

[GJR 11L]

Originally Posted by mickjjo

You may be lucky in finding tapes on the German version of a well known internet auction site, .

Regards, Mick.

Been there, done that, no joy! May try the U.S.A. though - you never know.

Meanwhile, I have carefully removed and stored the tape from the cassette that came with, then grafted into the cassette the tape from an unused TDK AD90 from the '80s. This has revealed that the beast records pretty well. How kind of Grundig to screw the shell together, that and the method of holding the tape ends in the hubs are as per the '80s quality-brand Compact Cassettes so I didn't have to use the splicing block.

I'll keep plugging away at this, 'cos I do love a challenge!

Would it be fair to say that these machines do not survive in large quantities?

[DOFFERY]

Hello I may have some C90 cassettes for the C 100, be in touch asap.

Doffery

[mitajohn]

Hi all,

You must have in mind that the tape speed is 5.08 cm/s and not 4.75cm/s as is the standard. It uses the DC90 and DC120 Grundig cassettes for 2x45 and 2x60 mins playback/recording, so the tape length is different than that of Philips cassettes.

John.