Tascam 38

[rickb]

Ok, so instead of continuing the "DX-4D cuts out" thread...

I purchased a Tascam 38 and it arrived yesterday...UPS Ground and all looks to be in pretty good shape considering some of the horror stories with shipping I have read (this is a great forum BTW for some one as green as me...been trying to read as many posts on the 38 as I can here and on the tascam site so thanks all!). The reel tables had been pushed in and I popped those back out. I knew the head cover and the little "flipper" piece below the tape lifters were broke and I got those to replace also. I spent last night cracking it open and a good cleaning/oiling. Plans on the DX-4D that is cutting out, are to plug into the 38 and see what goes. If it replicates cutting out on the 38 same as the 22-4 then it's likely the DX unit, or both the 38 and 22-4 have the same issue, so we will see??

I won't get 1/2" tape/reel until after Christmas at this point so I'll report on the transport and record/repro later on...getting a reel of BASF LPR35 and one of 3M 996...don't know what the calibration is currently set for, or if it is totally out of whack...I don't have the means to calibrate the deck myself so I guess we will see what sounds the best.

I did send tones to the 38 inputs...no response on chnls 1 and 5...but I can hear the record relays on all the chnls when cycling thtough each track independently. When powering the 38 on/off, the VU meters "bump" on 2,3,4,6,7,8 but not on 1 and 5. I've got the bottom opened up and have tried pressing the channel cards in on 1 and 5 to help seat, seem like they are seated...I'm a bit uneasy to pull/swap the cards but that may be what I need to do. How difficult are the cards to re-install?? Getting all of those multi-pin connectors to line up and re-insert the card looks pretty intimidating. Heads, capstan, guides look to be in good condition. Capstan belt looks goo also. Reel motors are doing fine it seems, but will know more when tape is loaded...transport logic seems fine.

Plan is to use the 22-4 and 38 in tandem if we want to bounce or set up tape echo loops. If the DX-4D works on the 38 then will focus on the 22-4 control interconnect. I have 4 chnls worth of dBx 150 available..I could use the 150's on the 22-4 with out the inter-connect cable?? Then if the DX-4D works fine on the 38 I'll look in to geting another DX-4D to cascade into the 38. Then try to figure out how to work two Model 2A mixers to interface with the 38 and 22-4.

Anyway, sorry to ramble...this is pretty damn exciting stuff for me, and as always...I look forward to your thoughts/comments/suggestions. My work is shut down until Jan 2, so I know what I'll be doing...my wife will certainly know where to find me!

[Golden]

Congratulations on the 38! I have a TSR-8 on the way I hear they're similar machines... I'm eager to get to work on the 1/2"... Let us know how you like the sound...

Merry Christmas!

[_DK]

Originally Posted by rickb

How difficult are the cards to re-install?? Getting all of those multi-pin connectors to line up and re-insert the card looks pretty intimidating. Heads, capstan, guides look to be in good condition. Capstan belt looks goo also. Reel motors are doing fine it seems, but will know more when tape is loaded...transport logic seems fine.

Hopefully it's not the electronics. 'Cause I've seen those Tascam 38 cards on ebay recently for only $25 each. I have the same problem with my 38 on channel 2. But surprisingly it does work in the Sync mode. I just don't have much time to work on that right now, but I'll be checking all the possible connections oxidation, etc.

[cjacek]

rickb: It's quite possible, even probable, that your 38 sustained some internal shipping damage. Pushed in reel tables are a dead give away. Check it inside carefully with a good flashlight. Very, very rarely are those types of items packaged properly.

[Golden]

For a lot of us here (including myself), it seems that having a machine shipped is the only way to get the one we want. There are not always a lot of options locally... At least where I live... I suppose it's a small price to pay for getting the machine we want.

Luckily for me, I have a tech guy that knows his stuff (I know very little of the repair end of things)... When my 22-2 arrived, it was obviously banged-up a bit... Nonetheless, it's working great now, thanks to my tech!

Yes, there will need to be some extra care/repair/tweaking, but the rewards are far greater than the short term pain and agony. Unless you like the pain!

[rickb]

Well hopefully it will be something fairly straightforward for me to try and fix. It did arrive in very good shape from UPS...came with the rack rails attached and I really think this helped to keep from getting banged up. So will try some card swapping and inspecting the inside to see if anything obvious can be seen. I really appreciate all of your thoughts/replys. Have a safe and happy holiday!!

[cjacek]

I'd say, if you're getting stuff shipped of such nature, the standard way, is to first assume it'll get damaged. Most likely it will. You're lucky if it arrives ok.

My best advice would be to swallow the greater cost and have whatever you're having sent, properly crated or shipped on a pallet. This is the safest way.

Unless you want your 50 lb recorder dropped on a corner from 10 feet up, you'll appreciate crated / palleted freight shipping.