Tascam 38 - is it worth.......

jjones1700

jjones1700

Learning, always learning
........$250 and a 7 hour round trip and probably 3 tanks of gas?

I know the 38 is an 8 track 1/2" machine that's built to withstand everything just shy of a nuclear blast, but that is about as much as I know about them. Should I hold out for a TSR-8 or jump on this one? What is parts availability like for the 38? Sorry for the questions which are probably redundant as they have probably been answered a few times already on here, but I'm on a tight schedule at the moment and don't have too much time to google around and sort out the info. Thanks!
 
SO.....$400 plus or minus for a 38? I'd do it if I had 7 hours to spare. I owned one before I bumped up to 16 tracks. My only complaint is the rca I/Os.
 
Yes I think it would be worth it; the RCA outs are not that big a liability. Much is made of balanced XLRs, but the truth of the matter is that most patch bays don't use the shield, even in many professional studios. The 38 is a rock solid machine and you will likely be able to find spares fairly easy.


AK
 
Talldog said:
SO.....$400 plus or minus for a 38? I'd do it if I had 7 hours to spare. I owned one before I bumped up to 16 tracks. My only complaint is the rca I/Os.
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There is one catch to the 7 hour trip.................I would be doing this right after work...................and I have to work tomorrow.........yeow.:eek:

Forgive the ignorant question, but which units would have either 1/4" or XLR I/Os?:confused:
 
Yeah the 48 has XLR ins and outs as well as the rca's. I'm sure the 58 has balanced in's and out's as well.

I wouldn't let the rca's be a deal-breaker for the 38. Sounded just fine when I had to use the rca's on my 48. Unless your doing a long cable run it shouldn't be an issue.

$250 + gas + 7 hour drive after work in my mind would just about equal the current market value from what I've seen. If it's in decent condition then it's a good deal. I'm not sure if it'd be entirely worth it if it needed work. It'd be a very good deal for someone local.

38s are from what seemed apparant to me when I was shopping around, to be the most prevalent in this format. I believe parts would probably be easiest to find for this machine.
 
You nailed all the important points Rufer - the real question is the condition and whether it is worth the drive to possibly pass if the thing isn't up to snuff.



AK
 
Another question is what comes with it??? Takeup reel? Tape? Manual? A couple DX-4D's?? An RC-71? Any of these with it if it is in good condition is in the market, and figure you'd spend over a $100 to have it shipped to you and that's a crap-shoot.

I agree on the whole RCA unabalanced I/O thing...consider this:

  • My 58 manual shows that the response specs are actually better when using the unbalanced I/O.
  • If you plan on using noise reduction with it and choose to use the DX-4D's (which I would recommend), the I/O is all RCA unbalanced anyway.
  • The only reason I've determined that you would need to use balanced I/O would be if your cable run is in excess of 30' or so. Balanced I/O wasn't put on the 58 and 48 (and many others) because it sounds better, it is because those decks were geared for a more professional environment (particularly the 58 for video production) where there would be a greater likelihood of a sizeable control room with a separate isolated machine room. If the cable runs were in-wall that could easily go over 30'. Take it from me...I have a 48 and a 58 and I'm swimming in balanced I/O dbx 150X's with unnecessary level calibration trimmers...and now with my M-520 console literally covered with RCA I/O...I'm looking for a couple DX-4D's...I bought the hype.
  • RCA connectors are actually a good style of connection which, in most cases, have a better contact surface area than a TS or TRS plug, and IMO, by looking at the design, have the potential to last longer. That's IMO.

My 2p.
 
yep, its all about the condition of the deck. chances are there are few things wrong with it:

1- at the very least, I'm willing to bet that its gonna need a new pinch roller, capstan belt, and the brake solenoids are prolly gonna be all gummed up. all the rubber has probably turned to goo.

2- its probably due for an alignment and calibration too. you might be satisfied with the deck as is, even if its not at factory spec. I have been told by a few techs that these decks are pretty hard to get spot on, and they are a pain in the ass to work on cuz you have to take them apart to get to stuff. my point is, unless its WAY out of calibration, you might live with it as-is and be fine.

the rubber stuff is almost to be expected, and I wouldn't let that turn into a deal breaker.

on the other hand, if the heads are badly worn or the reel motors are slow, or there are dead channels, then I would pass, or try to talk the seller down (way down).

as already mentioned, RCA ins/outs shouldn't be much of a factor in your decision.

if you pass, do you think a better opportunity will come up soon?
 
Hi_Flyer said:
yep, its all about the condition of the deck. chances are there are few things wrong with it:

1- at the very least, I'm willing to bet that its gonna need a new pinch roller, capstan belt, and the brake solenoids are prolly gonna be all gummed up. all the rubber has probably turned to goo.

2- its probably due for an alignment and calibration too. you might be satisfied with the deck as is, even if its not at factory spec. I have been told by a few techs that these decks are pretty hard to get spot on, and they are a pain in the ass to work on cuz you have to take them apart to get to stuff. my point is, unless its WAY out of calibration, you might live with it as-is and be fine.

the rubber stuff is almost to be expected, and I wouldn't let that turn into a deal breaker.

on the other hand, if the heads are badly worn or the reel motors are slow, or there are dead channels, then I would pass, or try to talk the seller down (way down).

as already mentioned, RCA ins/outs shouldn't be much of a factor in your decision.

if you pass, do you think a better opportunity will come up soon?
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I think I might pass on it. That is a hell of a drive for something that might or might not be questionable. I'd love to have a 38, but I'll wait until I truly do have the funds to let go on it without starving myself for a few weeks. From what I've seen, something usually pops up every few weeks somewhere in Texas, usually Dallas area though, which is a further drive. Guess I'll stick to my 424mkII for the meantime.:p
 
But what if it comes with a bunch of stuff too? Not that you could eat that, but it might sweeten the deal...does it come with any accessories?
 
Unbalanced inside

the tascam machines and all others that I can think about are unbalanced inside. This is the 48, 58 and the MS16. To get balanced they take the unbalanced signal (where it goes to or from the RCA jacks) and run it iinito another stage to convert to/from balanced.

So the RCA jacks give you a signal that has less chance of being messed up.

If you don't need long runs or work in an electrically noisy environment or don't need +4 (or +8) signals then RCA unbalanced would do better.

-Ethan
 
There are a couple of dbx units in the photos (DX-40 ???) that I might be able to have thrown in. No tapes or reels. The whole RCA connector thing doesn't really bother me, as I'm not a professional and wouldn't know the sound difference at this point anyway. It's the 7 hour trip and $150+ in gas that is holding me back. My girlfriend and I, along with another couple, are heading to San Antonio the weekend after this just to goof off. I may see if I can send the guy payment to hold the unit for me and just pick it up when we are up there. The down side is that I haven't seen the machine yet and I don't know this guy from Adam so just sending someone money makes me a little wary.

On the upside, my birthday is coming in a couple of weeks so I wonder if I can get the girlfriend to spring for it for me.:D:p I'm going to email the guy tonight and see if I can get some better photos and a better description and rundown on it.
 
Goodness...if the heads look alright, and you can get him to include the DX-4D's (or maybe they are already??? Act like they are and then go bonkers if he says they aren't included and then act like nobody in their right mind asks $250 for just the deck...it might work), and if you are already in the "neighborhood" so-to-speak...that would be a good deal. ;)
 
sweetbeats said:
Goodness...if the heads look alright, and you can get him to include the DX-4D's (or maybe they are already??? Act like they are and then go bonkers if he says they aren't included and then act like nobody in their right mind asks $250 for just the deck...it might work), and if you are already in the "neighborhood" so-to-speak...that would be a good deal. ;)
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Excellent! I'll have to see what he says. Thanks folks!
 
I paid $800 for my 38 but it came with a really nice Calzone flight case and a Soundcraft Rac Pac board in excellent condition; not to mention two snakes and four reels of 456.

Mine is in very good condition and I've improved it further. The 38 is worth the drive as long as it's not trashed.
 
I will be picking up the unit this coming weekend.:D

I'm curious though, does anyone have a spec sheet or manual for the 38? Pretty much all I know about it at the moment is that it is 1/2" 8 track and runs at 15ips. Is it a single speed machine or does it also run at 7 1/2 or 30 ips? I've got questions..................who's got the answers?:p:D
 
sweetbeats said:
Are the DX-4D's included, and what did the seller have to say about the condition?
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There are two in the photos he sent me and he says the only thing that has been sold are two loudspeakers. I don't think he knows what they are.

He just gave me his address and it turns out he lives in Austin, not San Antonio. So that adds another hour of driving once we get into San Antonio............:mad:

He said the machine is still functional and the pinch roller is still in good shape, so says he. No manual or rack ears though. I'm curious to see what kind of condition the belt is in.
 
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