how much for a tascam 32, 42, or 42b

[Peck]

what is a fair price for one of these?

There are a few on Ebay, but I have no idea what a fair price is.

One 32 is advertised as "MINT" and has a starting bid of 375.

There was a 42 that just expired with a starting bid of 700 described as "NEAR MINT"


Any thoughts?
Thanks again. I know I have a lot of questions and I apologize in advance.

Also, why is the 42 so much more expensive?

[Peck]

if anyone on this board has an excellent condition stereo mixdown deck that you are looking to sell, I would be interested in hearing about it. Thank you.

[cjacek]

Don't believe anyone's assessment of condition, other than your own (unless you trust the source). Look over the deck in person, look locally.

The 42 is all direct drive, no belts, has better electronics and a more robust chassis. It's also a -10 and +4 recorder, via its xlrs in the back. It's not really why it's selling for more on eBay but that people know about its extended features.

The 32's seem to be selling for around $200, obviously the better ones a bit more. The 42's I'm not sure about but around $400 would be a good deal and, again, more for better condition.

Personally, if I were buying a used but clean, lower millage unit, I doubt I'd pay more than about $750 (for a 42) and about half that for a 32. I'd never look at shipping as an option, with a few exceptions.

[Peck]

that helps me a lot, because you know a ton about these machines.

And I appreciate all the info you dish out on this board... it helped me buy the 246.

Anyway, about buying locally... I feel like I could wait an eternity for a machine like this to appear in great condition locally... they are not the most common anymore.

And, I want to start recording and mixing down some stuff. So I'm feeling a little impatient.

[Peck]

or at least they don't seem to be too common from what I see.

[cjacek]

You're welcome.

Hey, there's a guy in Texas, who services / restores and sells decks and he always seems to have a few half track decks, the 32 / 42, so give him a shout:
http://www.angelfire.com/electronic2/vintagetx/

His name is Rolf and he's a very good guy, knows his trade well. Give him a shout and ask about availability. Yeah, his are a bit more pricey BUT you're getting a fully serviced plug & play deck and his packing is top notch. Maybe you can even pick up.

[Peck]

yeah, i checked out his site after reading one of your old posts I think. He has a couple of good ones, so maybe I will just go through him. Thanks a lot. I always appreciate the knowledge

[Peck]

OK, so vintage tx has a tascam 42 for $950. Do you think that is overpriced even if it comes from this guy?

He also has a 32 but there is no price listed...

Do you know if he is firm with his prices? Thanks again.

[mastercontrolme]

I lucked out and got (and sold) my 48 locally and now found a 42 a few months ago. It's a great series and are much better overall than the 30 series. Of course, the 50 series is better yet. prices are all over the place. If you can find a mint 42 or 42b, I would opt for that one, 400-500 is a good deal on these if in decent shape, if the machine is fully restored, then they could fetch much more.

[Peck]

holy sh*t. those pictures are sweet! Thanks man. ... those are awesome.

So, how much did you pay for your 42... unless you don't want to tell me.

what's the diff between a 42 and 42b?

what models are in the 50 series for half tracks (stereo mixdown.. .whatever you call em)?

sorry once again for all the questions... i'm kind of green with all this

[Peck]

Originally Posted by Peck

what models are in the 50 series for half tracks (stereo mixdown.. .whatever you call em)?

ok i'm thinking 52 is probably a safe answer for this

[tascamman]

you might want to check out these.
http://www.terrysrubberrollers.com/newdeck.html

[cjacek]

Yeah, that IS a beautiful pictorial. Do doubt!!

mastercontrolme: I think I saw some of your stuff on eBay one time and also a 34B that you were selling? If that was you then hat's off for the artistic photos! I think I still have some saved on my hard-drive.

Peck: A mint, serviced deck will always (or at least should) fetch a higher price and $950 for a 42 is not overpriced, when you consider that it's not a typical "eBay special" deal. That plus secure shipping is a selling point.

I'd suggest asking Rolf for a little discount. Never hurts to ask.

[Peck]

tascamman, thank you for the link... you make my decision a little more difficult with a $200 savings to debate on.

Daniel, it's Daniel right? I appreciate the opinion because I trust you know what you're talking about when it comes to buying these older pieces of equipment. Rolf already got back to me through email and told me his price is firm, and he would recommend the 42 if I was going to be using the deck more than twice a month (I'm pretty sure that's what he said- referring to the sturdier build on the 42). But he was very nice and gave me as much info on the two decks that he could along with shipping quotes for both of them.

He said the 42 has very low hours on it and is in excellent shape with the manual, rack ears, and a couple of reels. So... I'm thinking I may have to put a little more thought into this one, but he definitely seems like a good guy who's selling a top notch deck.

Thanks again for the info on how to find one of these guys that's in good shape. I'm starting to get excited.

[mastercontrolme]

Originally Posted by cjacek

mastercontrolme: I think I saw some of your stuff on eBay one time and also a 34B that you were selling? If that was you then hat's off for the artistic photos! I think I still have some saved on my hard-drive.

Yes, I had 4 34B's that I sold off within a few months, I have a ton of photos that I have to sort and maybe put online somewhere. I foolishly sold all my analog record stuff for pennies on the dollar, I just had a fit one day and got rid of all my electronics (don't ask), now I find myself in the same shape!

PECK: I lucked out on the 42, I got it for around 300US, but there was some adjustments needed and I had to buy rack mounts and feet to get it up to snuff, but it was in good shape and seemed to have very low hours. All in all I invested another 250 into it.

[cjacek]

Originally Posted by mastercontrolme

I just had a fit one day and got rid of all my electronics (don't ask), now I find myself in the same shape!

Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPw-3e_pzqU

[Dr ZEE]

Originally Posted by mastercontrolme

Nice shot

If I had one of those, I'd keep it plugged in

[technoplayer]

If I was in Austin I'd be a bit more patient and wait on a local machine to come up for sale. I'm in Dallas and often see what would appear to be nice reel to reels and mixers down in that area. WTF do all you hill country people do with them??? Might have something to do with that "live music capital of the world" thing.
Dunno...I've ben tempted to make the drive down there more than once, but already have too much gear

[Peck]

Yeah, I don't know man. There are a ton of musicians here, but most of them are too stoned to take good care of the equipment. And probably too stoned to figure out how to list it on Craigslist. And I am not in a patient frame of mind right now, because I'm looking to record some stuff, and I don't want to wait 6 months for the right deck to come up locally... that's the truth I guess. Even though that would probably go against a lot of the seasoned advice that comes from this board.

I'm on a mission to score a mixdown deck, an LXP-1, and a channel strip. And then I'm broke for a good while. But I'll be up and running at home. Anyway, this shit is an expensive freaking habit. I feel like a drug addict when it comes to gear. It's like I always need just a little more and it'll be okay!!!!

mastercme... sounds like you got a great deal... congrats.... i'll be paying about 400 more than you did most likely