What if TASCAM ...... ?

cjacek

cjacek

Analogue Enthusiast
Here's the scenario: TASCAM announces that it will reintroduce all the popular ANALOG gear it was so praised for in the 80's. This includes the vintage portas, reel to reel, mixers etc ... The re-launch date is January, 2004. The plan is to gradually roll out the gear so that by the end of 2004, all will be available. Now, how would YOU feel about this, if it were true, and do you have any thoughts ? Would it be a good move by TASCAM and, if you were the head guy leading the relaunch, what would you advise ?

Daniel
 
Mark7 said:
You have shares in Tascam? :confused:
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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. :)
 
Man it sure would be nice to be able to get on the phone and order a brand new 38 48 or 58 though wouldnt it?
 
I'm not sure how that would work out, but I think Regebro hit on the key factor...Price.
Would it be cheaper to produce the exact quality today OR so expensive that it wouldn't be a realistic option for the general consumer?

I'm wondering if their last smaller analog mixer was held an over all marked improvement from like featured vintage models in the same price range.

Do you guys think that Tascam service has gear that no one has picked up for whatever reason?


:)
 
I think it would be great but let's get real here...no one will fork out the cash for an ATR/M mixer combo in today's world of disposable recorders?

I'm with Reg here, they would crash out of the market.

What might work would be a limited rerelease of a couple of their most successfull machines. Or even better the TASCAM guys could buy up some of the old gear and start refurbishing it to factory specs...that would take off. I would be first in line to send some stuff in to them if the price was right.
 
I'm with Jake.

If Tascam totally refurbished selective pieces their old gear (Practicaly insuring a nearly new piece of gear) for a reasonable price it would perhaps show that they stood behind the quality of the gears first build as well as it's continued longevity. (Not that there is or ever was a question of quality.)
I think I'm getting at the concept of Tascam analog reinventing itself SOMEHOW.

:)
 
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. :)
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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.
 
Herm said:
Man it sure would be nice to be able to get on the phone and order a brand new 38 48 or 58 though wouldnt it?
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Yes, and I know many more people sure wish that.

Daniel

PS: To all who read this thread, take a moment to write TASCAM and let your feelings be known. It'll take a few minutes of your time and, really, why not at least try ?
 
BillyFurnett said:
I'm not sure how that would work out, but I think Regebro hit on the key factor...Price.
Would it be cheaper to produce the exact quality today OR so expensive that it wouldn't be a realistic option for the general consumer?

I'm wondering if their last smaller analog mixer was held an over all marked improvement from like featured vintage models in the same price range.

Do you guys think that Tascam service has gear that no one has picked up for whatever reason?


:)
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Main problem with the cost was that gear was "Made in Japan". The labor wages were VERY high as compared to stuff made in China today. Sure, Japan made stuff is often though of as the "best" but I have read some stuff from some knowledgable people that say the stuff "Made in China" suffers perhaps a bit in "quality control" but MOST stuff put out on store shelves is every bit as good as Made in USA or Japan. Fact is that China labor costs pennies and saves companies HUGE $$$. That's the first and best step to re-introducing gear at palatable prices.

Daniel
 
jake-owa said:
I think it would be great but let's get real here...no one will fork out the cash for an ATR/M mixer combo in today's world of disposable recorders?

I'm with Reg here, they would crash out of the market.

What might work would be a limited rerelease of a couple of their most successfull machines. Or even better the TASCAM guys could buy up some of the old gear and start refurbishing it to factory specs...that would take off. I would be first in line to send some stuff in to them if the price was right.
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I definitely would be "for" a "limited" TASCAM roll out. A 246 TASCAM comes to mind and the 388 and then some reel to reel machines like the 34 and 38 and it's matching mixers. That would take care of the "portastudio" market, with markedly better machines, and then some of the popular reel to reels .. I'm all for it. Ok, here's a question, and a poll: What "machines" would you like TASCAM to reintroduce ?

Daniel
 
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BillyFurnett said:
I'm with Jake.

If Tascam totally refurbished selective pieces their old gear (Practicaly insuring a nearly new piece of gear) for a reasonable price it would perhaps show that they stood behind the quality of the gears first build as well as it's continued longevity. (Not that there is or ever was a question of quality.)
I think I'm getting at the concept of Tascam analog reinventing itself SOMEHOW.

:)
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Yes, I agree with that whole "refurbishing" idea also! What if TASCAM made an announcement on the site that they're willing to give cash for any and all, in good condition, vintage TASCAM gear to people. All technicalities aside as to how this would be accomplished, I think this would be a GREAT idea. It's like they put out an ad, people sell them their gear for some cash and then TASCAM refurbs these and sells for a nice profit. This reminds me of company that opened up a few years ago under RCA/BMG. It's called FTD (Follow that dream). It was structured to "compete" with the Elvis Presley bootleggers and to give the fans what they want. It's not for the mainstream market and so cd's don't sell into the hundreds of thousands. Perhaps 5,000 - 10,000 or so. Each CD costs 2x what a normal cd costs BUT the content is so far removed from what the general public hears that it's worth it to the collector. FTD is very successful and has a "cult" following. The company makes money but not so much that it can't do without the sales. No. It serves its purpose and keeps the die-hard Elvis fans happy. Now, why can't TASCAM open up a "TASCAM- VINTAGE" sub company and keep us happy ? What happens when the "digital heads" abandon TASCAM, and they will in time, and then the company realizes it has to do "something" different, and that the only customers / die-hard followers of their "good gear" they've had, us ANALOG heads, it abandoned and disrespected ?

Daniel
 
Herm said:
Man it sure would be nice to be able to get on the phone and order a brand new 38 48 or 58 though wouldnt it?
Click to expand...

Yes, it would be nice to have that amount of money. But I'd rather put them on a relapped 38 and a second hand nice mixer and an LXP1, a Waldorf wavetable synth, an RNC, an RNP, some nice stereo mics, and save the rest for the new Clavia G2.
 
Re: Yeah but .....

cjacek said:
Well, they could have the stuff "Made in China" for one. That would DRASTICALLY reduce costs.
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Not enough.

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.
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You have your head in the sky, and that's kinda cute, but it too hard work trying to tie your feet to the ground, so I'll stop now. :)

Dream on, man! And I mean that.
 
You can't refurbish 30 year old machines without a stock of parts. Many of these parts were made by sub-contractors that are no longer even in business.
 
If you look at the fact that TASCAM offered models like the 32 up until very recently, it would tell that the reason they kept them around was because there was still a normal, retail demand for these units. When the demand dried up, they followed business logic and discontinued production and availability.

If 1000's of us supposed analog die-hards were willing to put our money where our mouth's were, there will still be shinny new 38's and such on the shelf in stores. The reality is that we talk a good game but don't have the deep pockets to back up all the bravado. (myself, included).

How can you rationally expect a company to put a $3000.00 product on store shelves when the used market is selling the same thing for 10 cents on the dollar and digital is offering cheaper alternatives new in the box for not much more.

Put down the crack pipe, please!

Cheers! :)
 
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