Hammerstone
Out of style
Well this is the first I've heard of him. Time to start an official "don't buy from this guy" thread, like with Tapeandtape?
MagnumPI
New member
He really is bringing the prices of nice analog gear UP on ebay. Every time I see a flower pot I cringe.
famous beagle
Well-known member
On another note, some of the best deals around that I've found lately have been through the Guitar Center used site. I don't know why, but it seems that they're always asking low prices. Generally, after shipping and tax, a lot of things still seem to go for 20 to 30 percent less than what I see them go on ebay.
This is not across the board of course, but I've found some really nice deals that way.
This is not across the board of course, but I've found some really nice deals that way.
S
skywaveTDR
Active member
The 388 is totally worthless for the tape section. If you look long and hard you will find that there are no more heads for these and if you put a lot of stuff on that format it may become trapped there. I am still fixing Teac/Tascam and many other brands and this is the one Teac unit I will not take in for repair.
First it is too large and hard to work on and then when you hit a worn out head you are through at that point. If you want a real heavy mixer fine but I would think you could do better with a M300 series mixer.
There may be guys fixing these still but this is going to be one of the first Porta Studios to drop due to the proprietary head. If you don't believe me talk to John French.
I think people are trying to sell these to recover their investment and those buying just don't know what they are doing- doesn't it make sense if you are buying something to know it there is still some support for it? You can still get heads for the Tascam 38 which is a much better format- this is the direction people should go.
Just in case people do not know, I was a Lead Tech. at Chicago Factory Service and still work on the stuff now with about 40 years of doing it.
First it is too large and hard to work on and then when you hit a worn out head you are through at that point. If you want a real heavy mixer fine but I would think you could do better with a M300 series mixer.
There may be guys fixing these still but this is going to be one of the first Porta Studios to drop due to the proprietary head. If you don't believe me talk to John French.
I think people are trying to sell these to recover their investment and those buying just don't know what they are doing- doesn't it make sense if you are buying something to know it there is still some support for it? You can still get heads for the Tascam 38 which is a much better format- this is the direction people should go.
Just in case people do not know, I was a Lead Tech. at Chicago Factory Service and still work on the stuff now with about 40 years of doing it.
j.harv
@#$%
Hmmmm,Really!
I know what im doing.I have 2 of them.Lots of life left in the heads,especially on my 2nd one.Those heads will probably out last me as Im not wearing them down day to day.And I also have a spare set of heads im holding onto for dear life.John French said im lucky to have that spare head stack.
And Im sending my 388 to respected tech this coming weekend.He's looking forward to it.
Hey,I like them.....if they come up for sale cheap,I'll try to grab them up mainly to swap parts,and I wouldn't say they're totally worthless in the head section either.Sure the heads are no longer available,but these 388's are more of a basement studio deck than a pro studio unit that is getting used constantly.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
...
I have a brand new head for the 388 and 38, but I'm nowhere near wearing out the original heads on either deck.
I have a brand new head for the 388 and 38, but I'm nowhere near wearing out the original heads on either deck.
Mark7
Well-known member
lonewhitefly
Active member
The 388 thing is really just because lots of people have made good records on them, and a whole sort of scene evolved around them. People get them because they are looking for a tape machine, and the 388 comes up a lot. I think the cool records were made on them because they're easy to use and have an interesting 'mid-fi' sound ... kind of like a cross between cassette and 1/2".
Anyway, you can get a 1/2" machine and comparable mixer for less than a 388 ... so just go for that if you're in the market! It'll have a better fidelity too.
Anyway, you can get a 1/2" machine and comparable mixer for less than a 388 ... so just go for that if you're in the market! It'll have a better fidelity too.
MagnumPI
New member
Yea exactly. They are fun machines too. It's just a flavor choice. I was thinking about going 1/2" but like the 388 flavor for my current project. Totally subjective though.
MagnumPI
New member
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
B
Beck
Guest
We need to get the word out on him. Put him on your eBay block list so he can't buy from you. Then let everyone on every music/recording forum know what he's doing to the costs. Another thing to do is look for technicalities in his listings and start reporting his listings to eBay for rule violations. Just look for something to report... it doesn't matter what because if eBay gets inundated with complaints from many different users the system will flag him and eventually he'll start getting grief from eBay. Make it tough on him! He's an ass.
He does what he wants and blocks people that try to call him on his BS. This is what I did with tapeandtape... just kept reporting him because he was always violating eBay rules of one kind or another. They finally kicked him off, so he set up another account, which I quickly recognized as him under a different name. So I did the same thing and got his new eBay account closed too. One thing we need in the analog community is activism to promote and protect our art. People like the flower pot guy are the enemy.
4
4tracker
Guest
Exactly. I recorded on a TSR-8 + 16 channel mixer for years. I actually dislike the mid-fi sound and would rather just go lo-fi.