Whats a Tascam 85-16 worth?
- Thread starter evm1024
- Start date
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
I've dug up several discussions / user experiences pertaining to the 85-16.
Here:
http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.a...64bdf7538?tvc=2&q=teac+85-16#a6c0da564bdf7538
...and here:
http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.a...fc3340e15?tvc=2&q=teac+85-16#da97b1bfc3340e15
Last I checked the TEAC 85-16 (and 85-16B) playback and record heads will run you over $1000 USD each (new)!
I have never seen a low use 85-16 and noting the problems the original had, I'd look elsewhere. If heads are very worn or shot and that's more than likely, then the rest of the machine is basically worthless or a cheap for parts unit. My 2 cents .... 
Here:
http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.a...64bdf7538?tvc=2&q=teac+85-16#a6c0da564bdf7538
...and here:
http://groups.google.ca/group/rec.a...fc3340e15?tvc=2&q=teac+85-16#da97b1bfc3340e15
Last I checked the TEAC 85-16 (and 85-16B) playback and record heads will run you over $1000 USD each (new)!
I have never seen a low use 85-16 and noting the problems the original had, I'd look elsewhere. If heads are very worn or shot and that's more than likely, then the rest of the machine is basically worthless or a cheap for parts unit. My 2 cents ....
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While I don't use the analogs as much as I used to, I l-o-v-e- my 85-16b now even after all these years. Same for my first version that wasn't a "b".
I can't speak for a machine that's had twelve owners and fell off a truck somewhere along the way, but in terms of machines still with us first-time owners....there were no out of the ordinary problems with 85-16's.
The comment on the yahoo conversations that "all" owners had capstan problems and a hassle with Teac is simply untrue. I was a Tascam dealer and never heard of that type of problem ...and ...I was/am an owner of the machines purchased brand new and there was/is no capstan problem. It's a far leap to say that "all" owners had any sort of problem with a particular model of anything.
To clarify the comment about the rack structure ..the 8516 could be taken apart for easy travel. The lower "drawers" of electronics and dbx can be opened like a drawer for adjustments, and actually taken off the machine for transport. About 150lbs of the machine weight is right there. The transport, which has two cool pull-out pins enables one to either flipt the transport straight up (in case one needs to get up inside the bottom of the transport while the 85-16 is fully assembled...or it allows, with a couple of other adjustments, to lift the entire transport off the machine ..for transporting it.
Connectors between all major components in the back are done with special umbilical cable bundles and the machines are real fast to take apart. Field work was one of the marketing pushes for the 85-16.
Each of the three generations (prototype with orange legs, production models that were dark brown, and the final "b" versions that were tan and brown) are built like tanks. A replacement head stack is expensive, but the machines are easy to repair...stock parts in those things. The next generation of machine that followed, the ms16, is also a great one.
The "b" is an updated machine in that you could now do punchins and have your choice of how the monitoring would flip between tape/source. The orginal 85-16's didn't have this which was a little bit of hassles for tight punch-ins because you couldn't have a "monitor tape until hitting record which would then flip to source". That feature (eventually found on all machines) didn't come in till the "b". Which is no big deal if you're not doing tight punch-ins routinely.
If I were buying one now, I'd figure on taking it to Montebello to have Teac check it over and get any factory replacement parts in there that are needed...and then expect to have a very fine machine for the next twenty or so years.
If you buy it and go pick it up, remember, it weighs 300 pounds. It can however be taken apart into three major parts (if you really want to) and put into a car. Not bad for such a huge recorder.
I can't speak for a machine that's had twelve owners and fell off a truck somewhere along the way, but in terms of machines still with us first-time owners....there were no out of the ordinary problems with 85-16's.
The comment on the yahoo conversations that "all" owners had capstan problems and a hassle with Teac is simply untrue. I was a Tascam dealer and never heard of that type of problem ...and ...I was/am an owner of the machines purchased brand new and there was/is no capstan problem. It's a far leap to say that "all" owners had any sort of problem with a particular model of anything.
To clarify the comment about the rack structure ..the 8516 could be taken apart for easy travel. The lower "drawers" of electronics and dbx can be opened like a drawer for adjustments, and actually taken off the machine for transport. About 150lbs of the machine weight is right there. The transport, which has two cool pull-out pins enables one to either flipt the transport straight up (in case one needs to get up inside the bottom of the transport while the 85-16 is fully assembled...or it allows, with a couple of other adjustments, to lift the entire transport off the machine ..for transporting it.
Connectors between all major components in the back are done with special umbilical cable bundles and the machines are real fast to take apart. Field work was one of the marketing pushes for the 85-16.
Each of the three generations (prototype with orange legs, production models that were dark brown, and the final "b" versions that were tan and brown) are built like tanks. A replacement head stack is expensive, but the machines are easy to repair...stock parts in those things. The next generation of machine that followed, the ms16, is also a great one.
The "b" is an updated machine in that you could now do punchins and have your choice of how the monitoring would flip between tape/source. The orginal 85-16's didn't have this which was a little bit of hassles for tight punch-ins because you couldn't have a "monitor tape until hitting record which would then flip to source". That feature (eventually found on all machines) didn't come in till the "b". Which is no big deal if you're not doing tight punch-ins routinely.
If I were buying one now, I'd figure on taking it to Montebello to have Teac check it over and get any factory replacement parts in there that are needed...and then expect to have a very fine machine for the next twenty or so years.
If you buy it and go pick it up, remember, it weighs 300 pounds. It can however be taken apart into three major parts (if you really want to) and put into a car. Not bad for such a huge recorder.
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