Nows your chance to pick up one of those "prosumer" Tascam 24 track machines

[evm1024]

No room in my garage so I will have to pass on the bidding... Some say that no Tascam could sound as good as an Ampex or Sony/MCI. Perhaps they have not heard one of these....

http://cgi.ebay.com/TASCAM-ATR-8024-...QQcmdZViewItem

[A Reel Person]

Perfect score for Ghost of FM.

I would but I lack a certain $3300, momentarily.

[cjacek]

There is nothing "prosumer" about that bad boy. Man, that is nice!

[Beck]

Hmmm… I can tell my wife it’s a new dishwasher. It just needs a little work, so I’ll have to keep it in my studio for a while.

"I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here."

[The Ghost of FM]

That's my buddy Patrick, (my technician who restored my MS-16 recently), who's selling it!

I've seen the machine in person in his shop and have been very tempted to grab it but unfortunately, it won't fit through my studio door, which is the second bedroom in my apartment. It misses getting through the door by about 3 inches even with the door removed.

Add to that, that I can't really justify buying it in that 16 tracks is just about right for my needs now and for the foreseeable future.

But...If I move to better accomidations.... and it's still available...all bets are off!

Cheers!

[cjacek]

Jeff, as you had the chance to see the machine is person, how does it stand up to close scrutiny ?

[The Ghost of FM]

Originally Posted by cjacek

Jeff, as you had the chance to see the machine is person, how does it stand up to close scrutiny ?

It's 100% functional, very minimal wear on the heads and a few minor scratches on the cabinet and remote. Patrick's a very experienced technician with these machines as well as all the other majors like MCI and Studer so you can be sure it's in very good working condition.

Keep in mind though, this is a 486 pound monster, not including the remote, which is close to 100 pounds with the trolley and umbilical cables. Shipping would be a major issue to deal with and a major expense to do properly. For me, he could deliver it right to my front door in his van but for anyone out of town or out of country, it would be a completely different ball game and probably explains why he's having a hard time finding a new home for it.

Cheers!

[Beck]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of FM

...unfortunately, it won't fit through my studio door, which is the second bedroom in my apartment. It misses getting through the door by about 3 inches even with the door removed.
Cheers!

Love will find a way!

[The Ghost of FM]

Originally Posted by Beck

Love will find a way!

Yeah!

Tell that to the building management!

Cheers!

[cjacek]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of FM

It's 100% functional, very minimal wear on the heads and a few minor scratches on the cabinet and remote. Patrick's a very experienced technician with these machines as well as all the other majors like MCI and Studer so you can be sure it's in very good working condition.

That's sound like an excellent deal indeed.

Keep in mind though, this is a 486 pound monster, not including the remote, which is close to 100 pounds with the trolley and umbilical cables.

Yeah, I knew it was going to be around that 400-500 lb mark .. The remote alone weighs more than each of my 4 - 8 track recorders / mixers!

Shipping would be a major issue to deal with and a major expense to do properly. For me, he could deliver it right to my front door in his van but for anyone out of town or out of country, it would be a completely different ball game and probably explains why he's having a hard time finding a new home for it.

Crating would work nicely but would cost an arm and a leg. A nice thought would be a local pickup. I envy your proximity to that machine!

[cjacek]

Originally Posted by Beck

Love will find a way!

Excellent illustration! LOL

[Seeker of Rock]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of FM

It misses getting through the door by about 3 inches even with the door removed.



Cheers!

This is perfect. Minus the door jamb, most door assemblies are attached to a cripple 2x (1-1/2") on either side, so you still have a vertical support (not meant to be permanent) but that could temporarily support the header during a quick move in. All you have to do is take off the door trim to access it and you're set.

Yeah, I know, easier typed than done. I'll bet it's tempting the machine being right there, though. But then again, an MS-16 I imagine is a top-notch machine. Never heard one personally that I'm aware, but they look like a serious contender, and 1" for sixteen tracks....sweet.

[A Reel Person]

and $3300!

[The Ghost of FM]

Originally Posted by Seeker of Rock

This is perfect. Minus the door jamb, most door assemblies are attached to a cripple 2x (1-1/2") on either side, so you still have a vertical support (not meant to be permanent) but that could temporarily support the header during a quick move in. All you have to do is take off the door trim to access it and you're set.

Yeah, I know, easier typed than done. I'll bet it's tempting the machine being right there, though. But then again, an MS-16 I imagine is a top-notch machine. Never heard one personally that I'm aware, but they look like a serious contender, and 1" for sixteen tracks....sweet.

In my apartment, the door framing appears to be a metal frame construction mounted pretty snugly to the concrete walls it's attached to and doesn't seem to be any visible screws to remove it so...I could go through the the trouble of ripping it out only to discover that the concrete wall is still too small and then be liable for the structural damages!

It's just not in the cards for this current place.

And yes, I'm quite happy with my MS-16.

Cheers!

[The Ghost of FM]

Originally Posted by A Reel Person

and $3300!

I never said the money to buy it was an issue! ...it's not.

I really just need a home more suited to doing a studio properly and I am working and saving toward that specific goal. Within the next 3 to 5 years, if my investments continue to perform well, I'll be doing just that.

Cheers!

[A Reel Person]

Anyway, you could do it & call it "Tear-a-Hole-in-the-Wall Studios!" I like that idea!

As for me, I'd certainly consider buying that rig if it were in Los Angeles, & I had the spare change. That setwup would command about $4500 here, more or less. To buy that gear from Toronto & have it crated & trucked to LA would cost probably $1000, just off the top of my head. That still wouldn't be a bad deal, however I'm shortchanged lately, having bought a second house last year. Also, to unload a couple dozen Portastudios and small format machines to leverage toward this beast would almost not be worth my time. PS: I love small format tape decks, plain & simple,... but I also have this 14" reel of new 468 tape that would look perfect sitting on that ATR80 like your buddy's.

Do you guys know how huge a 14" reel of 2" tape is? It's huge!

I'd been looking to buy a nice-condition ATR80/24 for a few years now, but then the steam ran out of the buying-power engine. On the other hand, I have enough gear to satisfy my engineering needs for the rest of my life, easily, and then some! With that being said, I'll say up front that I'll probably buy an ATR80/24 for the home/studio when the timing is more right.

==========

So hey,... I was gonna say there's nothing prosumer about this baby,... but I see the word is in "quotations", so is meant in jest anyway,... & I wasn't gonna nitpick the title.

[cjacek]

Here's a point of interest, taken straight from the official TASCAM site:

1987... TASCAM introduced its first 2", 24-track recorder, the ATR-80/24. This multitrack was configured for +4 (in and out). The first A/B test of the ATR-80/24 was performed against the two most popular manufacturers of 2" recorders, MCI and Otari, at Lion's Share Recording Studios in Los Angeles. In performance specs and audio quality the ATR-80/24 equaled both the Otari and the MCI recorders in every respect.

'nuff said.

[A Reel Person]

was clear evidence that Tascam had just hit it's stride in pro analog,... just before digital came along and upset the apple cart.

This unit, fully equipped, probably went for $40k/new, back in the day! Whew!

And yes,... they had a 32-track version too! Double-Whew!

[The Ghost of FM]

It officially retailed for $35K USD in the 1991 TASCAM Pocket Guide brochure I have here and that included the remote...actually, I believe it was the only deck they ever made that came with the remote as standard!

Also was only one of two decks they offered that could run at 15 and 30 ips without mods. The $4500.00, ATR60-2N/2HS being the other, which was a 1/2" 30 ips stereo mastering deck. What a combo that would make!

Cheers!

[cjacek]

Jeff, as an aside, does it say anywhere in your brochure what the TASCAM 58-OB officially retailed for ? Thanks!

[The Ghost of FM]

Originally Posted by cjacek

Jeff, as an aside, does it say anywhere in your brochure what the TASCAM 58-OB officially retailed for ? Thanks!

No, it's not in there, Daniel. it was discontinued before that date.

It did share a number of design features and principles which were carried onto the the ATR60 series of decks though and I do have mild recollections of seeing the the 58 at Long & McQuade selling around the $6K CAD price range when it was new.

The ATR60-8, which is in that handbook I have shows a $6K USD retail price for the deck alone with the CS-65 roll-around console housing and remote being optional items.

Cheers!

[cjacek]

Thanks Jeff.

[MCI2424]

Originally Posted by The Ghost of FM

That's my buddy Patrick, (my technician who restored my MS-16 recently), who's selling it!

I've seen the machine in person in his shop and have been very tempted to grab it but unfortunately, it won't fit through my studio door, which is the second bedroom in my apartment. It misses getting through the door by about 3 inches even with the door removed.

Add to that, that I can't really justify buying it in that 16 tracks is just about right for my needs now and for the foreseeable future.

But...If I move to better accomidations.... and it's still available...all bets are off!

Cheers!

Oh boy, I have a story to tell about bringing 2" machines to my second floor studio in my house.

[MCI2424]

Originally Posted by A Reel Person

Anyway, you could do it & call it "Tear-a-Hole-in-the-Wall Studios!" I like that idea!

As for me, I'd certainly consider buying that rig if it were in Los Angeles, & I had the spare change. That setwup would command about $4500 here, more or less. To buy that gear from Toronto & have it crated & trucked to LA would cost probably $1000, just off the top of my head. That still wouldn't be a bad deal, however I'm shortchanged lately, having bought a second house last year. Also, to unload a couple dozen Portastudios and small format machines to leverage toward this beast would almost not be worth my time. PS: I love small format tape decks, plain & simple,... but I also have this 14" reel of new 468 tape that would look perfect sitting on that ATR80 like your buddy's.

Do you guys know how huge a 14" reel of 2" tape is? It's huge!

I'd been looking to buy a nice-condition ATR80/24 for a few years now, but then the steam ran out of the buying-power engine. On the other hand, I have enough gear to satisfy my engineering needs for the rest of my life, easily, and then some! With that being said, I'll say up front that I'll probably buy an ATR80/24 for the home/studio when the timing is more right.

==========

So hey,... I was gonna say there's nothing prosumer about this baby,... but I see the word is in "quotations", so is meant in jest anyway,... & I wasn't gonna nitpick the title.

Pretty good estimate for "off the top of your head" as my estimate for shipping my MCI was exactly $1000. I ended up picking it up from a famous new york studio myself (as in only me).

[The Ghost of FM]

Originally Posted by MCI2424

Oh boy, I have a story to tell about bringing 2" machines to my second floor studio in my house.

So, tell it!

Cheers!