tascam 388 - service

[taperocket]

Hi, one of the bulbs behind one of the channel's vu meter is burnt out on my 388. I have the replacement bulb which I ordered from Tascam but I don't know how to replace it. Can somebody who has done this before let me know the procedure I should follow. Thanks in advance.

[taperocket]

No one can help me out here??

[The Ghost of FM]

What your asking for is a pretty complex dis and reassembly procedure that would be difficult to step you through over the web.

My best suggestion is to have the operation/service manual in hand and check the pages that show an exploded view of the 388 and the meter bridge assembly and work from those diagrams that will show you how to take it apart, remove the vu meter bulb and solder in the new one and then put it all back together again.

Many end users shy away from this procedure because of the complexity of the job and lack of experience in doing it successfully.

If you don't feel competent to do it, seek out a local service shop that is experienced in this type of job.

Cheers!

[taperocket]

Thanks a lot Ghost, sorry about asking kind of an unfair question too! Maybe I will seek out some professional help, while I'm at it, what other things might I have the technician do to improve/sustain the quality of my unit. I know for one, the pots are very scratchy, so I was hoping those could be cleaned relatively easily. Thanks and any suggestions would be well appreciated!

[The Ghost of FM]

If you are going to take it to a qualified service center, have them check the capstan drive belt, while they have the unit open and replace it if it is showing signs of wear or stretching fatigue.

And, if you have a few extra bucks to throw at the situation, let them do a calibration of all the 8 channel's record, play, bias and vu meter settings. This will ensure that your Studio8 is working at factory spec. This job will add 100- 150 bucks to the bill, depending on shop bench rates.

As for scratchy pots, get a can of Caig Deox-it and apply a small amount of product into the shaft of the offending control and work the pot back and forth a few times to spread the chemical over the resistive surface. This should fix that problem. Same goes for any push button switches that are noisy or intermittent.

Sliding faders require a different cleaner/lubricant. The best out there is Caig Cailube MCL and this applied from the outside of the fader via thin injection straw. Apply a small amount and work the fader up and down until the static is gone.

www.caig.com

Cheers!

[taperocket]

I'm well aware that this is a stupid question, but where exactly might the shaft be on the pot? Do I have to open up the unit to do this?? Also, should I get the spray can or the dropper for the deoxIT? Thanks for all your help.

[The Ghost of FM]

You can get to the shaft by removing the plastic knobs on the outside of the mixer's surface area. There is no need to open up your 388 to do this.

As for which form to buy the Caig products in, I find the pump spray cans are satisfactory and come with the plastic thin straw pipe to get the product into those tight spaces.

Cheers!