Fix my TEAC 3340s or...

Level Anything

Level Anything

Member
HI!

New to this community but wanted to say hey and thank you all for the countless advice and info I've gotten from all these threads. Anyways...

I was given a TEAC 3340s by a friend. He recently had it brought into a repair shop and was quoted $300 for a complete repair but didn't get it done. I had originally planned on buying a TEAC A3440 for $325 off some stranger on Craigslist in working condition, but now I'm wondering what I should spend the money on considering I now have a machine right here and I know the previous owner and what condition the heads are in etc.

The main question basically is should I get the 3340s cleaned up and running, or should I just buy the Teac A3440 for the same price as the repairs would cost me. The A3340 is a good 9 years newer, and in better shape (cosmetically) than the 3340s I inherited but I'm torn as to which will get me better recordings / be easier to use.

I mainly play acoustic guitar with vocals along with some keys and light percussion and ambient noise so 4-tracks is just right for me.

Thanks guys!
 
When your friend got the estimate from the repair shop, what work did they say it needed?

I ask because if its just something like a capstan belt change and a lube job, those tasks could probably be done by yourself and cost you significantly less to get done.



Cheers! :)
 
My friend showed me the work order and I took a picture so I would know, but the guys writing is really hard to read. The guy who repaired it is actually a member here I think. His name is Russ from New Jersey Factory Service. I think I've seen him posting on here before. Anyways, it looks like it's only two parts. One is definitely a belt which I probably could do myself but the other thing I can't read. It looks like it says "Both RT Broken". Maybe the right tension arm?

The reason I am leaning towards fixing this machine up is because I know where it came from and that it was taken care of and that it only needs the $320 to get it calibrated and aligned etc. If I buy one off CL it may be newer and have a couple more features but the guy selling it knows nothing about it.

I'm going to get in touch with Russ again and ask him if he remembers fixing the other one but I'd welcome yr guys input. I'm brand new to reel to reel 4-tracks.

Thanks!
 
"Both RT Broken", I would take to mean Reel Tables but that's only a guess.

If you could get some clarification from him on this it could go a fair way toward making an informed decision as to which way to go of fixing or moving on to the CL deal, assuming the CL machine is in reality fully functional.



Cheers! :)
 
I emailed him and and waiting to hear back.

From some info I got on another board I'm pretty sure I'm going to repair my 3340S. The motor in it is an AC which are known to last a very long time compared to a DC. Although the 3440 is a little newer and has a couple features that make recording easier the sound difference is pretty much zero. Knowing that the 3340 comes from it's original owner and that I know him gives me piece of mind.

I'll keep you guys updated on what happens next. Any other advice is welcome! Thanks
 
So, the repair shop got back to me. The 3440 needs a "capstan belt, pinch roller, fix the p/r arm and cleaning and cal. around $330."

Not bad for a machine from the 70's. I'm going to go through with it. What I'm thinking is that I should find a replacement belt and install it myself. Is this something I can handle? I've done it for cassette multi-trackers but never a R2R. It would cut down on the bill so...
 
Level Anything said:
So, the repair shop got back to me. The 3440 needs a "capstan belt, pinch roller, fix the p/r arm and cleaning and cal. around $330."

Not bad for a machine from the 70's. I'm going to go through with it. What I'm thinking is that I should find a replacement belt and install it myself. Is this something I can handle? I've done it for cassette multi-trackers but never a R2R. It would cut down on the bill so...
Click to expand...

So it was P/R arm and "RT".

I would safely assume that means Pinch roller arm. So that could mean its bent, or that the mechanism is out of adjustment or alignment which usually involves adjusting the position of the solenoid piston that pulls and pushes it in and out of the tape path....which can be a bit of a tricky adjustment for a novice.

About the belt change, I believe its accessible by removing the rear panel, and bench-time wise, if he's billing you accurately for time will only shave a couple of minutes off the job and probably not worth the effort if you're going to let him do the other work at the same time.

Cheers! :)
 
Welcome to the nut house! You are in the right place.

It sounds like you have chosen your path. Which I think is a good one.

To respond to your first post on this subject, should I fix, or buy the other...

Well if you bought the other, there goes 300 some bucks that could have gone to bring the one you have into top notch shape.

Also, you now have two machines. One for sure needing work, and the other most likely needing work.

That turns your potential cash outlay into 900 bucks.

Unless you're loaded, I d fix the one you already own.

:-)
 
Haha! Yeah, that's true.

After hearing what a couple people that know there stuff had to say I'm going to fix the 3340.

Let's see how it goes..
 
My general policy is to always go for a machine that's mostly working, especially when given a choice ... and not to mess with machines that have major problems. In this case, you would need to test out the 3440 to make sure that it's really working well. If it is, that would probably be my choice.

I can see why you opted to go with the 3340S though ... sounds like the issues it has are only minor, and it's generally just a matter of time when any given deck will need work done.

The 3440 would be easier to use overall. It has push buttons instead of the funky switches ... and I'm not sure, but the Sync response might be better on that deck than the 3340S. I have not personally used the 3440, but it was an update to the 3340S, and it's from the 80-8 era ... the designs were moving from the sort of modified consumer decks to machines that were designed for budget studios and home recordists. That said, in some ways I think the 3340S sounds better than the machines that followed, or has more character to the sound anyway.
 
Yeah, I'm usually like that too. The 3340 I got for free is coming from the original owner who took really good care of it and the problems that need fixing are all a result of sitting in a storage room for 15 years. I ave a feeling that if I was to spend the $350 on the Craigslist 3440 I'd end up needing to repair it almost immediately (Two VU meters are un-lit in the picture)

I've heard other people say that the sound on the 3340S was better too. I'm wondering what exactly it is that sound better.

Anyways, I'm totally obsessed with tape at this point. Hopeless. After getting this thing up and running, and mastering it's use I'm going for a Crown 1/2 track mastering deck. Every time I'm at at work waiting tables for crazy people in NYC I always think to myself "This shift is going to allow you to get closer to saving that money you need for a mastering deck" HAHA!
 
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