Life is funny sometimes - Tascam 388 or Fostex 80?

famous beagle

famous beagle

Well-known member
So, as some of you know, I went through hell and back finally getting together a fully functional R2R rig in a Fostex 80 recorder and a Yamaha RM804 mixer. Having a R2R rig has been a dream of mine for nearly 20 years --- I shit you not. And it's finally happened.

So ... of course, what happens then? Well, two days ago (not more than a month since I got my R2R rig up and running), my old college friend, to whom I haven't spoken in over 10 years, emails me out of the blue and says, "I'm moving, and I don't have room for it. Do you want my Tascam 388? Come get it, and it's yours free."

Ha! So ... I'm now in possession of a Tascam 388, which was the first R2R I wanted and the one I've wanted more than any other for as long as I can remember.

The bad news: it obviously took a fall at some point because one of the side panels is broken right near the front. The chassis has been bent a bit because of this. That's not a huge deal because I already have a nice piece of wood that will be perfect for making new panels. And I'm pretty sure I can bend back the chassis close to the way it was.

I fired it up when I got home, and all of the VU lamps work, as do all of the lights, which was great. However, the transport was totally dead. When I opened up the back, it was just as I'd hoped/expected: the belt was stretched out and had fallen off the capstan drive. So I have a new one on the way now.

This weekend perhaps I'll find the time to run signal through it and test the mixer and inputs/outputs/etc. Ted (my friend) told me that everything worked when he last used it, but he admits that he probably hadn't turned it on in over 10 years. That gives me some hope that perhaps a new belt will put it back in commission.

The pictures show how it looked when I got it home. It already looks a lot better after I cleaned it up (all that tape residue on the arm rest is gone, the chassis and knobs/faders are clean, etc.). I'll post pictures again when I get the new side panels installed. Also, the heads look to be in very good condition, which is good news.

Anyway .... assuming that the 388 is back in commission after the belt replacement (which is no guarantee, obviously), I'm trying to decide which system to go with. I was wondering if anyone had experience with both of these decks (Fostex 80 and the 388) and could compare the sound quality. I love Tascam stuff, but the 388 runs at 7.5 ips while the Fostex runs at 15. I know this isn't the only indicator of sound quality, but it does make me wonder a bit if the 80 would have the edge at all.

The 388 wins hands down (IMO) for coolness and vibe---not to mention the fact that the mixer is a bit more full-featured than the RM804 I'm using with the Fostex, especially in terms of EQ.

I've thought about keeping both rigs, but I don't have room to have both systems set up in my studio. And it just kind of bugs to me have gear stuffed in a closet somewhere not getting any use. My wife thinks I should keep them both just so I'd have a back up, seeing as how it took me soooo long to get a system up and running. And she probably has a point.

I guess I'd just like to hear some people weigh in on it.

It just cracks me up ... the timing of this whole thing!
 

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Everything else being equal, if you're going to keep just one, keep the 388. I've used both (and heard recordings made on both), and the 388 just sounds better and has a cooler vibe (as you noted). Plus it's more practical -- the 388 is probably worth 4-5 times what the Fostex is. My experience is that the 388 sounds more like a "record".
 
In my opinion the 388 is better overall.

Which to keep?? Keep both. The only thing taking up room is the yamaha board. So maybe that goes and you use the mixer section of the 388 for the fostex.

Or, just make room. :D

But I for sure would keep both tape machines. Maybe they could be synced, but if not, fill up 8 tracks of one, submix, bring the mix into the other machine.

Lots of possibilities.

But as I said earlier, the fostex, takes up no room. Why get rid of something useful.

Its funny about finding the 388. It's like cars. You have a hard time finding one, and as soon as you get what you want, they're all over the place.
:D
Congratulations on the score

:thumbs up:
 
It's a no brainer...............if the wife thinks you should keep both, DON'T ARGUE!!! She must be a wonderful woman.
 
lonewhitefly said:
Everything else being equal, if you're going to keep just one, keep the 388. I've used both (and heard recordings made on both), and the 388 just sounds better and has a cooler vibe (as you noted). Plus it's more practical -- the 388 is probably worth 4-5 times what the Fostex is. My experience is that the 388 sounds more like a "record".
Click to expand...

Thanks Donny. This is exactly the kind of experience/opinion I was looking for. Good point about the monetary value too!
 
RFR said:
In my opinion the 388 is better overall.

Which to keep?? Keep both. The only thing taking up room is the yamaha board. So maybe that goes and you use the mixer section of the 388 for the fostex.

Or, just make room. :D

But I for sure would keep both tape machines. Maybe they could be synced, but if not, fill up 8 tracks of one, submix, bring the mix into the other machine.

Lots of possibilities.

But as I said earlier, the fostex, takes up no room. Why get rid of something useful.

Its funny about finding the 388. It's like cars. You have a hard time finding one, and as soon as you get what you want, they're all over the place.
:D
Congratulations on the score

:thumbs up:
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Good points here as well. I think I am probably just going to end up making room and keeping them both. Now that I have a working R2R rig finally, I really don't want to be without one again. So I think it's smart to have a backup on hand. And, as you said, perhaps there's a way I can use both together.
 
ausrock said:
It's a no brainer...............if the wife thinks you should keep both, DON'T ARGUE!!! She must be a wonderful woman.
Click to expand...

Ha! Though she is indeed a wonderful woman, her intentions aren't quite as clear as it may seem. After hearing me bitching about my R2R woes for 15 years now, she's finally seen it come to a stop over the past month. And I think she really doesn't want to hear it anymore! :) Seriously, though, she does have a very good point about having a backup, especially since these machines aren't exactly spring chickens anymore.
 
Not trying to be negative...but I would do some test/comparison recordings and then decide.
That 388 looks kinda beat up to me in the pictures...so no telling how well it will operate...but maybe it's all just cosmetic.
 
miroslav said:
Not trying to be negative...but I would do some test/comparison recordings and then decide.
That 388 looks kinda beat up to me in the pictures...so no telling how well it will operate...but maybe it's all just cosmetic.
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Right. That's what I meant by saying:

Anyway .... assuming that the 388 is back in commission after the belt replacement (which is no guarantee, obviously)

I'm not going to be unhooking the Fostex or anything before I've thoroughly checked out the 388.
 
RFR said:
I think beagle likes to fix these these things up.:D
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Restoration is fun to me; I'll admit. But it's only fun when there's a good, happy ending in sight. I don't have it in me to make numerous repairs if I don't have a good reason to believe it'll be worth it.
 
You can't go wrong with a free 388. Even if it is a little beat. Keep em both! My spare 388 resides under my bed.
Be sure to change the fuses and oil the tension arm rollers. Re-seat the cards and hope for the best. If it is shot, part it out. I'd be glad to by some spare parts.
Good luck.
 
I think I still have a set of spare 388 side panels in decent shape.

I've heard some stuff I would have never guessed were tracked on 1/4" 8-track from a Fostex Model 80. With the 15ips there is more clarity and a tasty high end than the 388, but the 388 has a nice bottom end with the slower tape speed, plus there is greater conservation of tape. There really are some important distinctions between the two machines and maybe it IS valuable to have the two flavors.

More random thoughts: I don't like how the power rails and transport logic are setup/routed on the 388 from an engineering and repair standpoint. This is hair-splitting obscurity okay? But when there is a problem, and I do see some trends in transport logic issues in recent years with the 388, it is difficult to isolate certain sections and troubleshoot because of where the power goes throughout the machine. So the Fostex might be more simple in that regard if there are future problems, but overall the Tascam is a more robust build and in my opinion sounds more like TAPE, and is a great combo package. Just neat. But the Fostex offers some flexibility and options, and I think is sonically distinct from the 388 it's worth keeping both.
 
sweetbeats said:
I think I still have a set of spare 388 side panels in decent shape.

I've heard some stuff I would have never guessed were tracked on 1/4" 8-track from a Fostex Model 80. With the 15ips there is more clarity and a tasty high end than the 388, but the 388 has a nice bottom end with the slower tape speed, plus there is greater conservation of tape. There really are some important distinctions between the two machines and maybe it IS valuable to have the two flavors.

More random thoughts: I don't like how the power rails and transport logic are setup/routed on the 388 from an engineering and repair standpoint. This is hair-splitting obscurity okay? But when there is a problem, and I do see some trends in transport logic issues in recent years with the 388, it is difficult to isolate certain sections and troubleshoot because of where the power goes throughout the machine. So the Fostex might be more simple in that regard if there are future problems, but overall the Tascam is a more robust build and in my opinion sounds more like TAPE, and is a great combo package. Just neat. But the Fostex offers some flexibility and options, and I think is sonically distinct from the 388 it's worth keeping both.
Click to expand...

Good food for thought. Thanks Cory!
 
My old band made several records with the Studio 8. I still have it here but the transport needs work and all my old masters have started to shed (my fault, I'm sure). Before going digital I was going to purchase another and a pristine Studio 8 came available, practically new in the box but it was $6K and I had forge ahead into the present.

All this to say, I've used both extensively and the Tascam machine is terrific once you figure it all out. It is true that its design can make it hard to troubleshoot but I've never gotten that sound from anything digital., Go for it and keep us informed!

TKeefe | Terry Keefe | Free Listening on SoundCloud
 
Never used a 388 though I had a Model 80 till recently... sounded good to me and nice solid transport for a small Fostex. Sounds almost as good as the Fostex G16.
 
I just recorded a full album on the 388. It sounds really nice. Took a little time to figure out how to make it sound right (as Im sure you know) but in the end I really got something nice. Worth rebuilding. Have fun.
 
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