Yeah but .....
regebro said:
No, but I wish I did so I could sell them.
No, honestly, a 520 just got sold on eBay for under $100. How the heck do anybody in their wildest dreams think that it can make economic sense to make that stuff new today? Come on, it would cost anywhere between 20 to 50 times that price if they were made new.
Sorry to kill your dreams, but keep searching on eBay and you'll find the Tascam stuff of your dreams.
Well, they could have the stuff "Made in China" for one. That would DRASTICALLY reduce costs. Take
the KOSS PRO 4AA headphones. These were the headphones to have in the 70's and were made in Japan. By popular demand they were brought back and cost as low as $60 bucks on the net today. They are not manufactured in Japan anymore I believe BUT have the same components. They're heavy, some say uncomfortable to wear for too long, but they sound as good or better than headphones 4x as much! (I actually have them). Yes, I considered buying these on eBay but decided against it. I knew I could save some money but there's nothing better than getting brand spankin' new gear without any surprises (and lifetime warranty) - those who have had bad experiences on eBay or purchasing used gear will know what I mean. Sure, there are folks who love getting their vintage gear cheap on Ebay, and I was lucky enough to get myself a TASCAM 244 in mint condition not too long ago wih ALL the manuals, brochures and catalog - all vintage stuff - BUT I will tell you that other times I was not so lucky and many times I swore in frustration that if I had a choice between new $1000 vintage piece of gear or $100 used gear, I'd opt for the former. The "savings" sometimes are not worth the headaches in purchasing used gear. I KNOW many folks would agree. I think that people are willing to shell out the bucks if they know they're getting quality gear. It all started with the CD and the promise of "digital is better". Fact is that digital sound recording sucks shit and ANALOG rules. It's also a fact that TASCAM, in the 80's, produced gear that simply boggles the mind. It was so creative the way they made this stuff, and how good it was, that I want to scream at them for fucking up later on with their me-too digital "ga-ga" gear and cheap analog multitrackers! Shit, their vintage cassette portas (234, 244, 246) sounded better than all the digital crap they put out today, not to mention the 388 and pro reel to reel decks. TASCAM today is a big piece of me-too pile of crap! Problem started when all believed that digital is the place to be. People are disillusioned with digital, surely from the constant brainwashing by manufacturers, but they will eventually come around. When all the smoke clears ANALOG will be re-introduced. I know this. Ok, I'm done ..
Daniel
PS: I also think that the reason people buy, used, on eBay is because they don't have a choice. If they did, a good percentage of them would buy direct from TASCAM.