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are you using used tape? If so, then sounds like it might be due to the stickiness of the tape itself than problems with the unit itself, especially if you had it serviced recently. That's my first hunch since a few threads down, you'll see that I had the same exact problem. If it isn't used...

so guys, I've been bit by the bug. I snagged my second open reel kit yesterday and tested it out. I gave it a good thorough clean (by which I mean, scrubbing the heads, tape leads, pinch roller, capstan shaft, and tape risers, with isopropyl alcohol) and noticed that the levels kind of...

Unfortunately, the VU meters don't seem to respond while either recording and playing back so I've just been hitting them as hard as the preamps allow me to without clipping. I've definitely been cutting down on effects as much as possible, especially seeing as how I realize how much I've...

thanks for the mixing advice! I'm kind of glad that you bring this point up without my asking if the volume's too low. I was thinking that I was crazy or something. This has actually been my biggest issue. I first attributed this low volume to crappy equipment lacking the proper headroom but...

um....sounds amazing, dude! I love all these awesome recordings coming out of this forum. And this one's no joke. You're using some high-end equipment there. 2", eh?

thanks. I just thought that the make-up removing pads were advised though not really necessary. I just hope that I didn't cause any damage to the heads when using napkins. The sound sounds fine but I'm not sure if I'd be the right person to be the judge of that. And maybe if the condition of...

man, what a super awesome deal! Thanks for the link and confirmation of this place as a legit dealer, guys! I don't think I could ever be an archiver for lack of funds and space. Come to think of it, I do have like 20 cassette tapes of bits of material scattered about. This is the stuff of...

ok. This is a case where the path of least resistance becomes the wisest one. The food dehydrator may do a bit to lengthen the longevity (if we can even call it that at this point in these tapes' lives) of my tapes, but after reading all these responses, it seems as if one reel of fresh tape...

so I bought a lot of 4 Ampex 406 1/2" reels that seem to be dated from 94 and before and the first thing I felt were the effects of sticky shed syndrome. I couldn't tell from the thread but is it safe to say that general opinion here is bake the reels if in already in the situation that I'm in...

I used some cheap isopropyl alcohol on some napkins and elbow grease and got that off and once that happened, I started hearing my recordings again! I hope that rubbing against the heads as firmly as I did didn't lead to anything permanent. I feel that the Tascam 38 is built like a tank but...

oh man. This is really sweet stuff, man!

thanks again reel person for your advice. I actually bought 3 used reels and hopefully the tape hasn't damaged the heads, because it seems as if you pretty much nailed it with suspecting SSS as I'm wont to agree with looking at the picture below. I tried all of them and it seems like my Tascam...

I have two concerns since I started work on the Tascam 38. 1) the rewind mechanism sometimes struggles to get the reel going after having recorded it. It does however start to accelerate once I give one of the reels a good nudge. I'm wondering how common this is and if this should raise some...

np. i hope i didn't come off as too snappy with my comment. i was just a bit confused and thought that i was misreading your advice. but yeah, it may do me well to look on ebay, but for now, i've been using my half full reel as a take-up reel -- with the tape still on it. I think I can get...

I hope no one minds me reviving this old thread seeing as how I'm considering getting one as a mastering deck. I have a Tascam 38 as of now and am wondering if getting the Otari MTR12 would be a bit redundant. Thanks.

you nailed it on the head, jpmorris! I want to keep a good portion of the tape intact while rebuilding the emptied spool to the flanges to use as a take-up reel. The main goal is to somehow get a take-up reel out of the reels I do have without having to buy a new one. If I could even buy a...

unfortunately, as mentioned above, "transferring pancakes" wasn't the topic of this thread.

I did one and still can't figure out what's meant by pancake just through context. Is the pancake the core part that's left after the flanges(the metal parts?) are removed? I did a google search and it yielded not much more light on the matter. And if the pancake is what I suspect it is, the...

I have half a reel of tape remaining on this one reel and am in need of a take-up reel. Now, I was wondering how I could salvage the tape. I had already unscrewed it and removed the core part holding the tape. Is there a way of removing the tape from this core part while salvaging a good...

wow, thanks for such an exhaustive response. So, at best, it can be a bad capstan belt. And I presume that upon following your instructions, I can at least confirm whether it is a bad belt or not before going further to either ask here with my new findings or going to a technician. Also, can...