beginner reel to reel????

[esotericality]

well, im not a reel to reel user, yet. I would really like to start recording this way. I was wondering if anyone can tell me a good reel to reel deck that would be great for a beginner such as myself? and what are some things I might want to look out for when looking for a deck?

[esotericality]

it sounds like the tascam 32 is popular and great! might this be along the lines of what i am searching for?

[cjacek]

What would you be using it for ? What are your goals ? Are you a guitar and voice type of guy with a minimalist approach or do you need more flexibility ?

[cjacek]

In order for us to tell you what you should be searching for, you need to tell us what you are looking to do and what your expectations are with regards to sound, mixing, tweaking, overdubbing, portability, components vs all-in-one designs etc ...

Used, older analog gear is very inexpensive and so getting somethin' which seems "too much product" may not be a bad idea.

[esotericality]

ok. Im not much of a singer, so im not going to be singing really. Im think maybe a 2 or 4 track recorder just incase I want to record a jam with a friend. I will want to record distorted guitar from time to time of course. And bass. I wouldnt need to do alot to record, proboly just setup up one to two mics. hmm, i think thats it.

[cjacek]

A couple of things I'd argue for buying used is always doing it locally and seeing and checking the gear in person. My personal recommendation would be to use eBay for lighter, less prone to damage and bad packing items or at the very least be 110% certain that the seller on the other end is selling you a fully functional item and knows how to pack. If you're unsure, leave it alone and don't take the guy's word for it. Another thing is servicing. All older gear needs a tune up to bring it up to spec. That's just the nature of the beast. If there are no major issues with the machine, fugure about $200/$250 in additional expenses for a "full alignment". If parts need to be ordered in then figure more $$. Sure, many people buy their 20 year recorders and start tracking immediately but stuff doesn't sound as it could when gear is brought up to spec. It may sound and work great but not as good as when it left the factory. All things after so many years need to be alligned mechanically and electronically.

[esotericality]

yeah, thats my problem with ebay. not being able to see up close what your buying. sure I see some recorders for as cheap as $50, and some nice looking ones for $500. But I really dont know what or who is on the other end. I am going to assume that tuning a recorder up myself might not be easy, it would be nice to do so myself, save a bit of cash. So it looks like I am just going to check around locally then for a recorder.

[Seeker of Rock]

Hey, let's not knock ebay now. I spent only about $2000 plus dollars on my MSR, that still doesn't have a working NR. Sorry, couldn't resist
Yeah, if you do go ebay, limit how much you spend so in case you get a dud, you still may make out OK after repairs. Sounds like you want a 4 track or 8 track. If you get a reel to reel, you will need a board to mix your signals from the tracks and, unless you have a preamp/recording channel, to input your signal to. You can still get a fairly inexpensive setup, or if you want something easier, an all-in-one reel to reel recorder, look into this. It's a TASCAM 388 currently on ebay, an all-in-one board/1/4" reel to reel recorder. However you decide to slice it, analog will give you a great recorded sound.

[snipeguy]

Teac 3340 or 3440. Both are great 4 track machines. Careful though, once go to analogue you'll never be the same.

[esotericality]

Originally Posted by Seeker of Rock

Hey, let's not knock ebay now. I spent only about $2000 plus dollars on my MSR, that still doesn't have a working NR. Sorry, couldn't resist
Yeah, if you do go ebay, limit how much you spend so in case you get a dud, you still may make out OK after repairs. Sounds like you want a 4 track or 8 track. If you get a reel to reel, you will need a board to mix your signals from the tracks and, unless you have a preamp/recording channel, to input your signal to. You can still get a fairly inexpensive setup, or if you want something easier, an all-in-one reel to reel recorder, look into this. It's a TASCAM 388 currently on ebay, an all-in-one board/1/4" reel to reel recorder. However you decide to slice it, analog will give you a great recorded sound.

Well ebay isnt a horrible way of obtaining gear! i have bought proboly about $300 in gear through it! but yeah, thats a niiiice looking mixer! its a bit huge, but looks real nice. I probaly shouldnt have, but I swooped up a cheap little 5 channel behringer mixer, it works for my current setup, but if I get a reel to reel, something like that tascam 388. it looks as though it could definately do a good job. I have heard about those being pretty reliable boards.
thanks!

[esotericality]

Originally Posted by snipeguy

Teac 3340 or 3440. Both are great 4 track machines. Careful though, once go to analogue you'll never be the same.

haha. well i have my teac a-160 deck im currently using. And speaking of which, kind of funny. I was recording a riff earlier, and apparantly I left the tape rolling after I transfer it to my computer. Right as I was done reading your post, I heard the deck click, and it was at the end of the tape. I am also in another room to!!

[Seeker of Rock]

[QUOTE=esotericality]Well ebay isnt a horrible way of obtaining gear! i have bought proboly about $300 in gear through it! QUOTE]

I have bought most of my gear via ebay, but the MSR money pit was the one and only bad purchase I made there. I still use ebay, though I now know firsthand the risk I take on music gear. Again, all-in-all I've had great success with ebay purchases, but the biggest of them all is the one that left my wallet hurting in repair and service costs.
I love the sound of that machine though, and briefly considering cutting my losses, selling as-is and buying an Alesis HD24 (which I hear are rather nice hard disk recorders, btw), I just kept hearing the sound on the MSR in my head and couldn't do it, not because of what the HD24 isn't, but because of what the MSR is.
This is the type of addiction you need to start preparing yourself for if you go analog reel.

[esotericality]

I hope tape is cheap!!!!! I need to learn repairs myself to!!!! which is like moonshining for the addiction!!!

[cjacek]

1/4" tape is VERY cheap, plentiful and the beauty of it is that it comes on 7 inch reels as well. You could get Quantegy or get deals on Maxell UD (on eBay) that goes with many TEAC/TASCAM recorders very nicely. For your purposes, I'd recommend a "minimalist" 4 track solution like the TEAC 3440, TASCAM 34, 34B, 44, 22-4 and a matching basic mixer such as the very stripped down, but good sounding, TEAC 2A and also middle of the road TASCAM m-30 or perhaps m-108, 208. This would be a simple setup with most focus going for simplicity and good sound. If all fails, however, go with a 388 and forget 'bout it

[esotericality]

well, i like the sound of a all-in-one recorder and mixer. I'll have to look around at everything see what looks reasonable! Thanks alot everyone!!!!!

[A Reel Person]

Originally Posted by esotericality

well, i like the sound of a all-in-one recorder and mixer. I'll have to look around at everything see what looks reasonable! Thanks alot everyone!!!!!

Well, I'll cut'ya to the chase. If this topic is still focused on reel-to-reels, and you like the idea of an all-in-one mixer/recorder solution, then look no further. The Tascam 388 is it, and it was one of a kind.

Thanx & good luck.

[mixmkr]

Originally Posted by A Reel Person

Well, I'll cut'ya to the chase. If this topic is still focused on reel-to-reels, and you further like the idea of an all-in-one mixer/recorder solution, then look no further. The Tascam 388 is it, and it was one of a kind.

Thanx & good luck.

hey Dave, do you remember those Akai units? Our band had one back in the 80's... I beleive it used (special)Akai VHS tape and was 12 channels. Looked like the Tascam 388.. mixer/player all in one. It actually was really great at the time. The extra 4 tracks made a big difference to us back then. We even used the board for rehersal as our PA. It was a great unit. Our lead singer spent all his pocket change and bought it. I think he got it under a grand, used, I believe.

edit...oh..I see there is a thread about one further down... cool!! great unit...except for those "special" VHS tapes you have to get.

[A Reel Person]

the Akai MG1212 and later the MG1214. They came out roughly the same time as the Tascam 388, and I was fascinated by each of them! I never could afford either of them, though, but at the time I already had the 1/2"-reel Tascam 38, and I was quite satisfied. I was always wary of the proprietary Akai cartridge media, that was roughly the size of a Beta cartridge. 1/4" tape on 7" reels always seemed like a more practical solution to me, and FWIW I believe time has proven me right!