Opinion on the condition of this Tascam 388?

It's worth it if you can afford the extra expenses of getting the head re-lapped, purchasing the belt and pinch roller the seller claims it to need and also posses the technical prowess to get channel one back up and recording. Plus there's also the issue of having to pick this item from the seller's abode and covering those travel expenses. If all of those things are doable for you and you foresee yourself making good use of the 388 once it's fully functional, I guess it would be worth it. But it's obviously a personal equation that only you can answer.

On the plus side, the unit does indeed appear to be in good cosmetic condition and the seller is refreshing honest in terms of listing its issues.

Good luck!

Cheers! :)
 
I owned one for about 4 years, and recently sold it. I took it to a professional to have some work done when I first bought it. I then kept my eye open for parts(channel pcbs, bios pcb etc) as they are very easy to find. Was able to fix problems quickly and cheaply by swapping out parts. So if you pick it up, I highly recommend that route. Looks great cosmetically though. Plan on spending some time/money if you want it working well. If you do get everything working, you will love it, it's a great machine!
 
Thanks for your responses,

Would anyone like to hazard a guess at what sort of costs may be incurred to get the problems solved on this machine (including a head-relap)?

Thanks :guitar:
 
diskobox said:
Thanks for your responses,

Would anyone like to hazard a guess at what sort of costs may be incurred to get the problems solved on this machine (including a head-relap)?

Thanks :guitar:
Click to expand...

I'd hazard a guesstimate of an additional 300 pounds +/- 25%.

Better bet is to contact a service shop and ask them.

Cheers! :)
 
That sounds about right to me if it does indeed need a relap, new belt and pinch roller and servicing.

The sluggish rewind is likely just indicative of a need to adjust the tensions which is relatively easy, and the channel 1 record issue may actually be related to the wear path in the head...if the wear path was generated by the use of Ampex/Quantegy tape, and the owner is now trying to use anything *other* than Ampex/Quantegy tape, the wear path may be slightly more narrow than the tape being used and this will cause the tape to curl or ride up at one of the edge tracks.
 
He's dropped from 495 to 425?
I bet he'd take a lot less, given that he wont post it, and it needs work.
Unless he can be more specific you have to assume the worst and price repairs accordingly. ;)

I'd link him to this and this then offer him £280.
 
You are better off with a larger tape format- imagine getting a good amount of material on that format and the head gives out and there are no more of them. That in itself is reason not to get one- plus they are hard to repair as they are heavy to turn around. Teac built a mount that allowed you to turn them over but I am not sure what happened to it. It was like one of the roll around stands but larger.
I recommend Tascam 38 or higher model to keep you going. You will be better off.
 
skywaveTDR said:
You are better off with a larger tape format- imagine getting a good amount of material on that format and the head gives out and there are no more of them. That in itself is reason not to get one- plus they are hard to repair as they are heavy to turn around. Teac built a mount that allowed you to turn them over but I am not sure what happened to it. It was like one of the roll around stands but larger.
I recommend Tascam 38 or higher model to keep you going. You will be better off.
Click to expand...

Here we go....no 388 love here.
 
Am I right in thinking that the 388 is the only 1/4" eight track recorder ever made?

I'm about half-way through re-designing my studio around Tascam machines. I have a couple of MS-16, a couple of MSR16 and an MX2424. The interest in the 388 is purely because of the availability of 1/4" tape, new, NOS and secondhand. There seems to be a real shortage of 1/2" tape at the moment in the UK, and any machine is only as good as the availability of the tape it uses.

Al
 
No.

There's the 388, the only Portstudio format 1/4" 8-track running 7.5 IPS.

There's also the Fostex A8, A8LR, Model 80, R8 and E8. All of these are 7" reels/max, except the E8. They all run 15 IPS, with a 7.5 IPS hard-set factory option on the A8LR. They are all standalone recorders that require external mixers.

:spank::eek:;)
 
Oh of course.....thanks (Dave).

To think I once had a Fostex R8 machine as well.....I'd totally forgotten these machines.....well it was 25 years ago and I've had a bit of a love affair with Tascam for the last 5 or 6 years.
Al
 
Didn't JRF magnetics at one point make their own 388 replacement heads? I seem to remember seeing ads in older Mix magazines about them offering those for sale, should the need arise.

Cheers! :)
 
This is the state of the head of the machine for sale. Is track 1 the highest track on the head? Does it look as if it's beginning to open up?

P1050460.JPG
 
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