What to do with my old Tascam 38?

Nate74

Nate74

HR4FREBR
I've had a Tascam 38 for about 15 years. A few albums, countless demos, etc. but for the past 5 years it hasn't had any use, and for the past 15 months it was in storage while my family moved and then remodeled the new home. So today I get it out and hook it up to a mixer to see if it still works and it sounds like the capstan belt is rubbing, one of the tape tensioner things looks like the spring is dead and the pinch roller is a bit gummy. I was actually hoping it would be fully functional and I could sell it off with the 7 reels of tape and the noise reduction units and cables. But no such luck.

So a quick look on ebay and it looks like I'd be looking at about $100 for just the belt and pinch roller and who knows if I could find a decent spring substitute for it.

So some questions for you analog guys.

I've read that the OEM no long has any parts so is ebay the only way to go?

How much would it cost to take it into a shop for repair? More than it's worth I'm guessing?

Is there a market for "AS IS" units? Guys who wouldn't balk at doing these repairs?

Any and all thoughts would be much appreciated.

BTW - I'm in Los Angeles if any body knows a local source for parts or service on this old dog.

Thanks in advance!!!
 
Since you are in LA, you have TEAC. Long shot but worth a try.

I've been gone a while from there, but there's still lots of guys that service that stuff. Some may still have parts stashed away. Maybe take out an ad "looking for a reel to reel tech" on CL. I'm sure you'll have someone pop out of the woodwork. LA is expensive, and there are lots of people hungry for work.
 
Well I lubed the pivot point for the tensioning pin and it's working well now. The pinch roller seems to be working well enough but the capstan belt is now slipping enough that the playback speed is WAY slow. For $12 I'm gonna order a belt and hope that does it, without a shop trip.
 
RFR said:
Since you are in LA, you have TEAC. Long shot but worth a try.

I've been gone a while from there, but there's still lots of guys that service that stuff. Some may still have parts stashed away. Maybe take out an ad "looking for a reel to reel tech" on CL. I'm sure you'll have someone pop out of the woodwork. LA is expensive, and there are lots of people hungry for work.
Click to expand...
Teac out sources them to a shop that doesnt do a very good job. I live in los angeles. Adrian Pro Audio in Canoga Pk is the only place to take it. Adrian use to be a tech at Teac and the best in the USA. Adrian ProAudio
 
jawbreaker said:
Teac out sources them to a shop that doesnt do a very good job. I live in los angeles. Adrian Pro Audio in Canoga Pk is the only place to take it. Adrian use to be a tech at Teac and the best in the USA. Adrian ProAudio
Click to expand...

Not too close, but if it comes to that, then yeah, I'll brave the 405 :)

In the meantime, i ordered a new belt and am sending the pinch roller to Terry (Terry's Rubber Rollers). It's my hope that these two items will be all it needs.

Thanks all for the help on this.
 
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