Is it possible to have previosly used videotapes that will record
picture but not sound? Or sound that plays with very diminished
volume?

I got some tapes from my uncle that I played once and then put them
into my blank tape pool. They may have outnumbered the tapes that
were there, and I can't tell which are which. Usually I throw away
tapes when the picture gets bad.

But lately I've been having trouble with both old and newly acquired
but vouched for vcrs that do ok to excellent on the picture, but have
no sound or very low sound. It's hard to imagine that the sound
circuit has failed on so many vcrs at the same time, so I'm wondering
if it could be the tapes I'm using.

If you are inclined to email me
for some reason, remove NOPSAM :-)