Tascam 38 w/ M-308B mixer advice

C

cjhermsen

New member
Hi all,

I found a craigslist post for a Tascam 38 8 track 1/2" reel to reel tape recorder w/ 25' remote, Tascam 308B mixer with all bussing cables, (2) Tascam DX40 DBX noise reduction units with rackmount case, cable snake, original manuals, take up reel and he's throwing in a pair of headphones. All items in working condition for $850 total. Seems pretty legit, just wanted to ask around to make sure this is a good deal or not. Also, would it be wise to get it looked at by a professional to insure everything is in tip-top shape?

I'm pretty new to Analog recording and this would be my first set-up. I'm going to use it mainly for my band and try to get the most interesting sound we can with what we got. Wanting to go the tape route, this seems like a really affordable option ;) --Especially since it comes with basically everything we need.

Speaking of everything we need, what would be some good options for a monitoring system? Our guitar player has some really high quality speakers, but would need the power amp for it. (I'll get the make and model of those speakers soon).

Any advice helps, thanks for reading!

Cheers

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Assuming all the channels do work, you'd probably want to ask for pictures of the heads to make sure they're not too badly worn.
 
That's probably right at market value - if the 38's in amazing shape. I would try and ask more like $700. :). Generally, the guys around here will tell you to take every precaution before buying a used reel to reel. Like, get new tape (1/2" RMGI SM-911 is the stuff for that machine), clean it up properly with some cotton swabs and 95% or stronger isopropyl alcohol, make sure every channel records and plays back at a proper volume (using a tone generator or something that will produce a 1kHz -10 dBv [I think] tone), etc.

Look at the heads... make sure the wear pattern isn't crazy - it is kind of hard to see at first, but the two phantom "lines" that are just off center should be as close to parallel as possible (the sync and repro heads)... kind of - maybe somebody will correct me on that/give a better description. You might need to have some work done, so making sure it isn't too far gone is important - and trying to judge how much work/money you're willing to put into it... Hope that helps!
 
Thanks for the input! I was thinking about offering the same price or start lower ;) I went and checked it out the other day and I was able to listen to a recording the seller had done on the whole set-up.. It sounded great, I was able to mute, solo, adjust volumes, eq's, everything was working really smooth throughout all channels, but I did not try recording into them. I should double check the heads, but I guess I still don't quite understand what you mean by the two phantom "lines"... I remember when fast forwarding and rewinding, there was a very slight wobble, but I'm pretty certain thats normal or common.

During playback I was switching the "Output Select" from INPUT, SYNC, and REPRO, and there was one of them that created a huge buzz or feedback when selected. I believe it was input but I'm nowhere near certain. :confused: The seller said it was a bussing issue and when patched correctly, it shouldn't do that. Is he right or is it something wrong with the machine?

Thanks
 
Check out these two for pictures/diagrams about head wear.

JRF Magnetic Sciences: Taking a Head Trip

Audio Tape Recorder Heads that have gone BAD !!!

Price is on the high side, but I'd expect a CL listing to expect some negotiation. It is a nice turnkey setup though. You will need something to mix down to. I've used a 38 with and 8x4 board before. The 308B is a nice one, with phantom power. There are a handful of regulars around here that are in the area as well. PM me. Also, can recommend a few places for a calibrationl.
 
Wow! Thanks a bunch for those links and diagrams! That helps a lot! What would you suggest use for mix down? I'd like to run this to ProTools for some extra mixing and editing, but I'm not entirely sure what I need to set that up yet either.
 
cjhermsen said:
During playback I was switching the "Output Select" from INPUT, SYNC, and REPRO, and there was one of them that created a huge buzz or feedback when selected. I believe it was input but I'm nowhere near certain. :confused: The seller said it was a bussing issue and when patched correctly, it shouldn't do that. Is he right or is it something wrong with the machine?
Click to expand...


I think that buzz might be a sign of a bad head... :facepalm: I'll look closer at that next time I see/before I buy it.
 
cjhermsen said:
I think that buzz might be a sign of a bad head... :facepalm: I'll look closer at that next time I see/before I buy it.
Click to expand...

Nah, I think the seller's right. What you've described sounds more like a grounding issue, or most likely a loop in the mixer patching. In the latter case, you would definitely get something ugly like that when INPUT was pressed.

Head issues give you funny levels, screwy frequency response or nothing at all on a given channel if the head is actually blown.

Now, if the deck makes a mains hum sound on one of the channels when there's no input connected, then you've got an internal problem with one of the cards, but it should be a fairly simple fix for an electronics technician. But yeah, purely from what you've told us, it sounds like a setup problem to me.
 
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