Ok Hugh, so it's not wear here, rather an exhausted capacitor?

Yes and no Andrew recording does but more wear on the head than normal play back, recording puts more impulse to the head than playback.

The Elmo ST1200 HD head is the same for the GS1200

Yes Dave, but it's the abrasion of the stripe that causes the wear. No?

Having spoken at length with one or two highly respected people in the past on this very same subject, that was the conclusion I came to some time ago anyhow.

I've never seen electrical impulses at the miniscule levels experienced by a magnetic head ever cause any kind of erosion to a metallic surface, but there is always a first time I suppose?

We're getting at crossed purposes here Andrew, head wear, has nothing to do with what the problem on the GS1200's article,
that was an electrical problem caused by use, head wear is a separate issue, but the resulting sound suffers just the
same. Apart from the plastic track on the ST1200, when the side starts to wear on the head guide, yet another demon is set loose.

Yes Hugh, we are back to the beginning of the thread again then.
Miniscule electrical impulses to the magnetic head generated by recording or playback do not cause the head to wear.

I suppose the way in which this could be proven, would be to feed a projector with a recording signal in recording mode without having film running through it for a few hundred hours.
Then examine the head surfaces for any pitting / erosion?

I think we got two issues hear to me, with the film running over the head the stripe will physicaly wear the head due to the abrasive magnetic oxide AND when recording the head will wear more electronically with the recording due to the electrical impulses than when just playback .

Hope this makes sense to you guys

Yes Dave, that makes perfect sense. As for electronic wear, this will surely just be changing a few small electrolytes here. So hopefully no big deal to rectify.

In 1975, a dire warning in Super 8 Collector #6, a replacement head for the Eumig 710D cost £ a staggering £38.00 plus 25% VAT!!
So head wear is not something new.

Probably nigh on as much as the machine itself back then Hugh!

Well around that time Andrew, you could get one of the Eumigs for about £130.00-£270.00, depending on model, but the price
of the head mentioned would be a hefty sum then.

When last I sent in a Eumig sound unit in for re profile, the chap did say that heads for the Eumigs were still available.

On reflection these heads were probably not designed to last very long anyway.
I don't think they were designed for the amount of use some film collectors subjected them to
as they are only "domestic " machines aimed at the "point and shoot brigade" who filmed
Baby On The Lawn and Our Holidays kind of stuff if you see what I mean.