For $200 I'm expecting the worst...

I didn't know that you were sure they were relapped. That's good. I was saying that maybe the seller knew because when the head are done the tech will tell you in the report how much head life is left. At least, they did when I had mine done, and it was 60%. Hopefully this machine will continue to shock you in how nice it is. Just the fact that it was serviced back in '02 is awesome. Wonder why the dude sold it for only $200 when he could have easily gotten 3 times that? Did he tell you why he was selling it for so little money?
 
If you look back a few posts there is a picture of the relap service report. My hunch is the shop didn't have the right equipment to measure the tip depth on the 388 headstack. So there's no estimate of life left.

The seller I bought it from sort of inherited it from the guy who owned it when the service was done. The seller didn't really ever use it and was trying to clean house...he uses a digital system so the 388 and other gear was just taking up space. He wanted it to get checked out and start getting used rather than it sitting. I also think he likely didn't research the market to set his price. He was handing me stuff like "you probably don't want this but if you do you can just take it" (like the effects processors). So that was his mindset...good for me.
 
JRF would have the right equipment to measure tip depth, but you would have to know the depth when new to compare the wear and 388 head specs are impossible to find. That's another possible reason why there was no estimate of life left.
 
Well I am extremely pleased and a bit surprised, but so far every single jack, knob, button and slider on this 388 does exactly what it's supposed to do, and on top of it there are almost no scritchies from any of the pots and sliders, and almost no glitchies from any of the switches. I've tested 100% of the inputs and outputs (except for the tape out jacks) and mixing section functions, and I'd be comfortable to put it into service as-is. :D

Testing the tape section now...Jeff Buckley is helping me with that.

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Yes I did!!

Spiffing up the RC-71 remote...

Got the strain relief installed...

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It cleaned up better than I thought. Too bad there are those scratches on the button panel, but still, overall, a pretty decent RC-71.

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And I know it's a bit over the top but I can never stand a dirty remote cable when the remote itself has been cleaned up. Still a ways to go on this one, but the section of cable in the background has been cleaned, the foreground has not:

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And a little work on the connector...the pins were a bit tarnished so I cleaned them up with a little Tarn-X...before and after shots:

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Time to get all these meter lamps firing...

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Sweets, are you gonna do some test recordings with drums etc.?

I hadn't thought of doing that...I'm so focused on the refurb. Maybe if the 388 is still here the next time my brother comes down to jam I'll hook it up.
 
Right on! That's awesome. If I was closer to you I would so be interested in this. Shipping cross country would add too much to the price for me to be able to realistically consider it though, and I'd be nervous about UPS and would want to do it freight, which would probably be around $450. Ugh, I've wanted one of those for so long. Are you still set on selling it, or is it going to be one of those things that ends up being too nice to justify the sale? I've had my fair share of those.
 
I will definitely be selling it. If life circumstances were different I suspect I might keep it, but they aren't, so I'll be sprucing it up the only way I know how which is as if it *was* going to stay mine, and put it up for sale. And I won't risk shipping it regardless of the carrier. It's too great a risk...I've had my hands on a fair number of larger pieces of gear...some decent and some very very sad...I think this 388 is the most solid pieces of Tascam mixing equipment I've dealt with...the fact the pots don't hardly scritchie at all, and I found notes on a cross brace by the tech at Atlas that tuned it up every couple years awhile back...it's been maintained. I do feel fortunate. I appreciate your interest in it, but we'd have to figure out a way to hand-exchange, and you're in line behind another member who's already reached out, so he has first right of refusal. :eek::eatpopcorn:
 
Oh, I'm not in a position to buy this beautiful machine. I was just saying if we lived closer I'd definitely want to. I'd start selling off gear right now to be able to swing it by the time you got done putting the touches to it. The shipping is exactly my point too. First off, I worked at UPS for almost 3 years and saw what happens to packages first hand, and secondly it'd be really pricey to ship something that big and heavy. Whoever ends up with it is one lucky bastard.
 
I always find the "worked last time I used it" to be funny. Can't they plug it in, try it, and then say "tested and working?'
 
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