Not sure the worth of a Tascam 234 Syncaset

S

sr71rules

Member
I found a local(ish) as for a Tascam 234 a couple hours away on Craigslist (CLASSIC VINTAGE 4-TRACK - Tascam 234 Syncaset)

It was posted some time ago and I'm not even sure it's still available but I was curious what others thought of it's condition.

It lacks rack ears.. not a crisis. I could rack it on a shelf.

The major issues are that he says the headphone jack has no audio during play back, it has no remote and some scratchy pots... :facepalm:

It's listed for $200.. which I would not pay. Is it worth anything? I seem to recall reading about the headphone issue somewhere else, I'll do some searching...

Should I offer the guy $25? (Perhaps someone else will be offering him more since I've posted this to the forum :) )

This would be a fun unit to have for playing around but I wouldn't be prepared to $200 for it, even if it was in good shape. Not on my need list...

Robert
 
My unofficial market value assessment for the 234:

For $200 I'd expect a very clean complete system fully functioning with new rubber.

For $100 I'd expect a unit that is in good condition...maybe has some bugs and needs some TLC but otherwise is a solid unit.

For $50 I'd expect a fixer-upper...maybe even good condition but needing new rubber. IOW a unit that needs work before it can even be fully tested.

I have 3 of them, all fixer-uppers. I think I've shelled out a total of $130 for the trio and that included 3 complete units, a set of new belts, a full OEM doc set and an RC-71.

$200 for that one is definitely too much.

The 234 is a really cool machine because it has everything onboard to be able to do basic mixes and provides facilities for cue mixes during overdubs. Think of it like a Portastudio with a really basic mixer, but is primarily setup to interface with an external mixer so you have a minimum of circuitry between the input and output jacks unlike a full-fledged Portastudio. IOW the 234 has the best sonic potential of any cassette 4-track. That's a little unfair considering it is kind of apples to oranges feature-wise, but as far as a basic tracking goes you don't NEED an external mixer to do your project. So it's a cool machine...very little plastic. The transport is a nice chunk. Its my favorite Tascam 4-track cassette if you couldn't tell.

You can offer what you want on the CL unit, but depending on what they will/won't accept you may be able to sit tight and find one for not much more that is ready to go.

EDIT

Just looked at the listing. I'd offer $50 and if you get it home for that pull the top cover and see if the rubber is getting soft or tacky. If the rubber is good then you made out well in my opinion. I've got parts including rack ears, h/p amp cards, etc.
 
Sweetbeats,

Do you have a fully assembled 234 that I could add to the TASCAM wallpaper thread?

There's very few decent pics on the web of this piece and I agree with what you said about it. I consider it the best 4 track cassette on the planet.

Cheers! :)
 
Wow!

Thanks for the info Sweetbeats!

I've always been keen on them as well, though I've never used one. I'll see if the seller is willing to make deal and go from there...

Thank you!
 
The Ghost of FM said:
Sweetbeats,

Do you have a fully assembled 234 that I could add to the TASCAM wallpaper thread?

There's very few decent pics on the web of this piece and I agree with what you said about it. I consider it the best 4 track cassette on the planet.

Cheers! :)
Click to expand...

I wish I did, Jeff. Two of them are in boxes partially disassembled and the third is in semi-storage in total basket-case condition. I've thought several times of just selling the whole lot at a "can't refuse" price but I can't seem to follow through with it. Maybe someday I'll get to it. Seems never-ending and I've nobody to blame but me but it's like weirdness finds me with obscure and difficult issues with my returns. I've certainly asked for it with what I'vee taken on but sheesh...i'm hopefully on the right track for getting my viscous-damped flywheel seepage fixed on the Ampex MM-1000, and if I could just get the Tascam BR-20T to quit giving me fits...i'm having major frustration with transport DC noise getting into the audio path...can't figure it out.

Anyway, sorry to hijack...Jeff, the day will likely come when I have a super-nice 234 and I'll some nice pics of it. It'll all be a part of my "Tascam 234 Story..." thread.
 
The seller wasn't as willing to play ball as I would have expected from the ad. For his non-working unit he wasn't willing to go below $100 and I'm not going to spend 6+ hours driving to spend $100 for a broken unit :)

I'll wait for a better deal... sadly


Thanks for the info Cory!
 
Yeah...good choice. Sounds like the seller doesn't track the eBay market. If you decide you want one at some point the eBay market is pretty good for them aside from the risks of that route...and if you do have to have one shipped make sure the seller does a good packing job. The 234 is enough of a chunk that it has to be adequately padded and protected. I had one get beat up in shipping because the seller was not at all smart about the packing.
 
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