An interleaved bi-directional magnetic tape head for contact recording has a stripe poletip 30 in the form of a thin film of a soft magnetic material deposited onto a magnetic ferrite substrate 22. A second thin film polepiece 40 is deposited over a gap region 26. A closure block 24 of a non-magnetic ceramic encloses the layers together with leveling insulation layers 32, 34 and deposited activating conductor turns 36. The stripe poletip extends for a distance just short of the first conductor turn and provides a balancing of the saturation moment of the pole pieces and provides for better recording capability, especially when operating in a trailing magnetic ferrite mode.