Beautiful TASCAM 48 currently on eBay ... MUST READ!!

  • Thread starter Thread starter cjacek
  • Start date Start date
I've asked him to palette it and said I'd happily pay for any extra costs so he's going to try to have that done. Best I can do for now...hope he does it.
 
the only way to insure no damage is to go get it period. or use an exclusive vehicle.one man , one van,one trip. you would not believe how many times a single piece shipment is handled.if i HAD to ship it, it would be crated by a pro and banded to a pallet like cjacek said.

AMEN to that!

I'd just add, that although crating the recorder, with some internal padding inside and strapping it to a pallet is the ultimate way to ship, it can be very costly. That is why I advise boxing it very well, with a shit load of styrofoam all around (all sides acting like additional walls) and strapping that box to a pallet (which is a bit larger than the box). It doesn't cost much, maybe about twice what the normal, typical and cheapest ground service is like. The benefit is that it's much safer and the recorder will not be dropped and tossed around by hired hand.

In fact, here's a Tascam 48 delivered on a pallet and ME cutting the straps (note knife in hand) and placing the box inside of my Hyundai Accent. (Note the forklift holding it for me). The weight of the thing (box + pallet) was 180lbs.
 

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packing tips

there are a few good semi psychological tips which can be used at hardly any cost. noting "do not top load " will help. Labeling "fragile glass" will make a difference. "tip N Tells" are stickers with a plastic triangle filled with sand which shows if the cartons are tipped. from my experience, they do help quite a bit. a guy flying around on a towmotor will notice them as they are eye catchers. subliminal caution.

doing something visually to make the carton stand out helps.the only downside of banding it to a pallet, is as it is usually handled by forklift theres a blade pierce chance as well as a good chance of freight being stacked on top as it will usually be loaded on the bed of the truck.

but i would still go with banding it to a pallet. its a crap shoot any way you look at it, but you may as well do your best to swing the odds in your favor.

man that was a nice looking reel to reel.
 
I've been looking to get a calibration tape as well. There's one on e-bay from Teac for these units but the guy said it's like 20 years old. Is that even worth it or would the tape shed too much to be accurate (and bung up the heads).
 
there are a few good semi psychological tips which can be used at hardly any cost. noting "do not top load " will help. Labeling "fragile glass" will make a difference. "tip N Tells" are stickers with a plastic triangle filled with sand which shows if the cartons are tipped. from my experience, they do help quite a bit. a guy flying around on a towmotor will notice them as they are eye catchers. subliminal caution.

doing something visually to make the carton stand out helps.the only downside of banding it to a pallet, is as it is usually handled by forklift theres a blade pierce chance as well as a good chance of freight being stacked on top as it will usually be loaded on the bed of the truck.

but i would still go with banding it to a pallet. its a crap shoot any way you look at it, but you may as well do your best to swing the odds in your favor.

man that was a nice looking reel to reel.

I agree with you and if I had to go from the absolute worst to best, I'd do this:

WORST (chance of mishandling / damage HIGH): "Typical" shipping methods via USPS or couriers UPS, Fedex, DHL, non palletized

MUCH BETTER (chance of mishandling / damage MODERATE - LOW): box strapped to a pallet, shipped freight*
*to make a mishap truly low or non-existent, line the box with some 1/4" wood, all around (and top), in addition to the thick styrofoam.

BEST (absolutely lowest chance of damage): Well packed / padded box placed inside of a crate - 4 walls of wood surround box**
**this is the most expensive
 
absolute best: Drive to seller's house and load it in your vehicle. ;)
 
I've been looking to get a calibration tape as well. There's one on e-bay from Teac for these units but the guy said it's like 20 years old. Is that even worth it or would the tape shed too much to be accurate (and bung up the heads).

The YTT-1144 like is on ebay now will have sticky-shed because they were made from the late 70’s to early 90’s using Ampex 456. But if it's been handled well and not used too much you could bake it in a food dehydrator before using it. Ideally the seller should know the history of the tape and is preferably the original owner. The serial number on the one on eBay is 5306, which would put it around 1980 or 81.

Best thing though is to look for the newer YTT-1144-2 or YTT-1144SP, which were made (1995) and later so don’t have sticky-shed problems. The YTT-1144-2 also has the added advantage of the 3.15kHz tone to set speed and measure wow & flutter. Otherwise the tapes contain the same frequencies and are almost identical to the MRL 31J229, which is the granddaddy of the MRLs for ½” multitrack.

:)
 
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