Has Anyone used a Porta 1?

H

Hot Rocks

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I'm expecting a porta 1 any day,I bought it on ebay on thurs..I have a few tascam decks,a 238 246,and a 388. They all have different application's in my anolog studio.The reason I bought this porta 1 is because as many if not all of you know, when you are out playing a gig,many a time you are rushing hooking up you amp,tuneing your guitar, Bass ect, especially when there's a few bands on the bill or your running late ect.I thought I would try this porta 1 deck out because it runs at 1 7/8 speed so you can almost tape a full set or change your tape once if you use a 90 min.tape during your time on stage.also a friend has one of the marantz portable decks that cost at least a few hundred dollars used and while it sounds pretty good,I was not bowled over.This porta 1 can run on batteries which is cool,records on 2 tracks simultaniously and you have a couple of tracks that you can do a "studio over dub" on your finished tape if you like,and is compatible with my 246. To those of you who have owned one of these older decks,how do they sound?
 
I used one for a while, and I even replaced the motor in it. But when I replaced the motor I couldn't get the same one that was in it , even from tascam themselves. So I had to change the speed control pot as well. the pot that was in it was 5 ohms and the one I had to get was 7 ohms or viceversa. But as long as I used TypeII High-biased tape, It didn't sound to bad.
GOODLUCK, T.J.
 
i bought my porta one used many years ago and it's still going today. i've used it to record shows and rehearsals as well, and always thought it sounded great. i've since upgraded to an eight track, but only for the extra tracks, not due to bad sound or it breaking down...
 
That is so cool that you got it used and like it and it still can do the job today if the need arises.The way I see it,they built these decks in Japan back when a buck was a buck and they did'nt cut corners.I love my old battleship tascam 246 but won't bring it out. The seller said The porta 1 I just won is in ex. working condition. Shows you, taking care of these old decks extends their lives for years and years. I'm glad to hear another happy user in the audio quality Dept.
 
The tape mechanism inside is actually TEAC Which I think owns Tascam. When I said I had to change the motor in it I wasn't meaning anything negative. I thought it was cool I could get the motor at all. A good machine indeed.
 
I bought mine back in 1986. I still use it for some projects. However, I'm shipping it off today as a lend to a good friend who wants to get started in multitracking.

[This message has been edited by hixmix (edited 07-11-2000).]
 
i've never used a 688, but i figured that the extra features that it had wasn't worth all that extra money. i love the 488, serves my needs quite well. i think that if i was going to spend that much money on the 688, i'd save a little more and get a reel to reel of some sort.
 
Hmmm...you really think a reel to reel would be a better way of going? Like the Tascam 38 or 48? Which one would you suggest? Are there any 16 track reel to reels that wouldn't break my wallet?
 
I'm no expert, but I think the reel to reel would be better mainly because of the width of the tape. Your media (tape) would cost more, but the end quality would be worth it.
 
Well, because of cost of media...and everything else, I decided just to stick with the Tascam 688 for now. I'm gonna buy it (and I hope to God everything on it works), and eventually, when I build up a studio and start recording other bands (who knows when), I will go for a good reel to reel. Just say NO to digital!
 
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