The present disclosure generally relates to a tape drive including a tape head. The tape head comprises two modules, where each module comprises 64 writers, 64 readers, and three pairs of servo readers aligned with the 64 readers in a first row. The three pairs of servo readers comprise a first pair disposed at a first end of the first row, a second pair disposed between two groups of 32 readers, and a third pair disposed at a second end of the first row. The writers are disposed in a second row parallel to the first row, and are each aligned with an adjacent reader. The spacing between each reader and each writer is about 150 μm to about 200 μm. Each module is configured to write data to a tape using the 64 writers and to read verify the newly written data using the 64 readers.