tascam 388 repair ?'s

C

cracklin'

New member
Hey all. I just found a Tascam 388 (they seem to be hard to track down), but the guy told me: "there is some kind of motor problem and the right-hand spindle will not move. This means that, as it is, it can't play. Everything else works." Can anyone tell me if this is a common problem, and if it could be easily fixed. Does this mean that something else on the machine might also break soon? Will the machine be able to work properly and sound like the machine is supposed to? How much do you think it will cost? and does anyone know of a trusted place to take it in the new york city/metropolitan area (i will travel far for good service)?
sorry about all the questions, but the few times Ive posted I have been amazingly supplied with kind and easily understood advice (thanks A Reel Person!).
and I really cant wait to get my hands on a 388...
 
Funny enough,... I had that problem once.

It turned out to be a blown drive transistor for the motor, and it cost $125 for Tascam to fix it. Labor is the highest part of repair cost. I'm sure the transistor probably cost under $5.:eek: ;)
 
!!!

i just called a tascam repair place near my home and got shocked. The guy said they have a flat rate for labor on the machine: for $350 all labor is included + re-calibration + cleaning...but the parts are separate. does this sound legit...or am i gonna get ripped off?
thanks for the help
 
The majority of repair costs is in the labor.

The parts for replacing a drive transistor & maybe the belt should cost under $20, (est).

Considering they're repairing it, which could take an hour or two, cleaning and calibrating it, a calibration which could take a couple hours, $350 seems fair. Figure it may be a repair/calibration that could take up to 4 hours. Also figure it should be in tip-top shape when you get it back.

Cost of pro-tech repairs is sometimes prohibitive on this type of gear, and that's what motivates many home rec'cers to DIY on repairs & maintenance. You have to be motivated to DIY, with basic electronic & technical skills, and it requires investing in some pretty pricey tools, like meters, counters and scopes, plus the required alignment tape. You spend more money up front if you DIY, that's for sure, but over time the tools pay for themselves, if you stay with it.

$350 for repair and calibration of a 388 seems about right. That's the price of tech bench time. For that price they should fix anything and everything that's wrong with it, and calibrate it to spec, and you'd be good to go after that.;)
 
$350?? CRAP!!!!
I guess I'd better hang on to the complete 388 I bought for "parts"!! I was gonna sell it since it works fine, but might be worth keeping as a backup in case my "prime" units crashes. :eek:
 
Yo Crack-lin-Rose`:

Give Sweetwater Sound a call--free 800 number.

Ask for repairs and tell them your problem. I'm not saying it will cost less, but Sweetwater has been on a "make the folks happy" campaign and their repair service might do you good. Of course, the fricking shipping is your cost.

Just a suggestion--OR buy a new unit with a guarantee from a reliable vendor.

Green Hornet :D
 
You sometimes have to be carefull about ebay, becasue they say, "sold as-is" alot. It can either mean that it does not work, or does not work.

Heh... only kidding.
 
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