Was a classic, is a classic, will be a classic, and in parallel remains and will forever be a testament to a pinnacle marriage of systems completely unmatched by any other product.
You don't see it at first, the thinking that went into the 388. For instance I think the automatic monitor switching is a gem, not that I necessarily like having a machine do my thinking for me, but by having the monitor source auto-switch you save panel space, reduce the chance for impaired connectivity (by eliminating the mechanical switches), and as the brochure states you stay focused on the project. They then used the panel real estate for functions that mean something like having the individual level and pan controls for the monitor mixer separate...no dual function send controls.
I like Tascam's dig at (I'm assuming) the Akai MG series with their comment about non-standard formats. The Akai MG 1212 series recorders are the only product I know of that comes close to the 388. Some may argue that the 1212 is a better unit because it has 12 ~ 14 tracks across 1/2 inch tape and runs at 15ips but it MUST be considered that the tape is packaged in a proprietary cassette that is unobtanium for a long time now, and that the specific formulation of the tape is unknown as AFAIK so reloading the cassettes with fresh tape is a murky solution at best. And parts and service. Forget it! But on the 388 Teac has almost every single part in stock to replace everything tape touches on the 388. The only thing they don't have is the lifter assembly. That's impressive.
Plus, look at the mixer sections between the two...absolutely no comparison. And the transport on the 388...
I've had extensive exposure to the bowels of Tascam's model 48 and 58 1/2 inch 8 track transports and as of late my Ampex 440 1 inch 8 track...the 388 transport is a wonderful piece of craftsmanship. Built for professional work for certain. I'm not saying the 440 transport or 48 and 58 transports aren't impressive, but the 388 is professional to scale. Very finely built and designed. I'm impressed with it. I'm not against the Fostex 1/4 inch 8 tracks at all. They are really great sounding but from what I've seen of the construction and design of the Fostex units compared to the 388 the 388 is in a different class. Why did they not design it to run at 15ips then? I think there are two reasons: 1. it is a production machine with a strong focus on opening the doors of the creative process...do you want to be switching reels or do you want to be tracking? Plus with the push to have it as a viable partner for video production it would fall short if reels needed to be swapped every 20 minutes. That would not work. 2. Squeezing solid performance out of those narrow tracks requires compromise, but to design the gap for 7.5ips gave the 388 SOLID LF peformance...its -3dB point is at 30Hz! If it ran at 15ips it would loose LF response at a gain of HF response but mostly in the inaudible range. Teac thought it through.
And back to the mixing section...no compromises in construction there, just smart choices about what is useful and necessary and it puts just about ANY small format mixer to shame presently offered in a wide price bracket...Teac put the 388's mixer together with the same quality and components you will find inside the M-300 and M-500 mixers. It truly is a professional machine. Take it from somebody who obsessively tears stuff completely apart and learns his gear inside and out. I'm impressed.
And I have to mention how easy so many of the PCB's are to access...4 screws and you have instant access to PULL-OUT cards for the PSU, reel servo, meter amp, and balance amp PCB's as well as (of course) the recorder amp cards, bias PCB's and dbx cards. Anything else in this format requires a complete removal of the shell of the deck. I couldn't get over it when I discovered that the PSU is on a plugin card.
I'll stop ranting, but the 388 will always be a signpost pointing to what was ahead for analog before the market tragically shifted.
