388 questions

[new388]

Hello everyone, I recently bought a Tascam 388 in pretty nice condition, First of all I know little about the technically end of recording and would very much appreciate any help...

The seller stated the heads are in good condition, however I have no way of knowing as I don't know what to look for in determining this. I've done some basic test recordings and it seems to produce pretty good quality so far, nothing unusual, but then again I don't have anything to compare it to.


OK, here's some things I'm concerned about...

I was thinking about getting it serviced locally at an authorized Tascam repair shop, just to have them check the whole thing out, but at a minimum charge of $200 (and a max of who knows) I'm not sure I should as it seems to work fine. There is however a short on track one, where by you must tap near the fader area in order to get a signal sometimes. Is this something I should try and fix myself?


The previous owner was using 457 1.5-mil 1200ft tape but the manual calls for 456 1-mil 1800ft tape. I've been told that the heads need to be realigned for different thickness tape, but the original owner says both 456 and 457 work with no adjustments needed. Is this correct and if not can I make any adjustments myself?

What's the difference between realigning the heads and calibrating the heads? and again can I do it myself? I was told you need to realign the heads every four hours???? can this be?

Also, are parts such as heads still available for this reelect? If so what do they sell for?


Thank you for any and all responses.

Ed

 

[A Reel Person]

I would not pay a $200 service fee for checkout of a 388, unless I was troubleshooting a tangible problem.

If you have to tap the unit to produce sound in the track, there may be a tangible problem. However, depending on your technical skills, you may take a first pass at troubleshooting this problem. In my experience, this type of problem can be related to a loose circuit card, which may be removed and reseated onto the motherboard of connectors. All the circuit cards are located under the top cover, and are easily removed and replaced, with a minimum of effort. Sometimes an audio card can become jostled loose from shipping, and it's common to have to reseat one or more cards to regain normal operation. Many intermittent problems may be related to this issue.

456 is 1.5 mil/1200', and 457 is 1 mil/1800', and they are both suitable for use on the 388, with no adjustment necessary. The 1800' reel is specific to the "Load" function, which autowinds the reel, and will stop automatically before reaching the end of tape. "Load" function will not work with a 1200' reel of tape.

Aligning the heads is a physical adjustment, made to the heads. Calibration is an electronic adjustment, made to the audio circuits, that indirectly relates to the heads. Alignment and calibration are terms that are often used interchangeably.

Alignment and calibration is not usually done by the green novice, but is done by more experienced DIY'ers and full fledged service techs. There are technical tools and a calibration tape that are required for alignment and calibration, and your typical upstart does not usually have these tools.

You do not have to align the heads every 4 hours of use, but maybe he was referring to "cleaning" the heads after 4 hours of use, which would be reasonable. That means, 4 hours or record or play time, specifically.

Having the 388 manual on hand is recommended, because although it is very intuitive to use, there are some features that are not obvious on first glance. There are also detailed service procedures, some theory, and a full diagram, schematic and parts section in the manual. The 388 manual may be purchase from Tascam Parts, at (323) 727-4840.

The 388 usually sounds pretty darned good, no matter what you're comparing it to. There are many 388 users on this board, and it almost universally gets positive reviews. I love my 388.

 

[new388]

Thanks very much for all the great info Reel. If you don't mind....

Should there be any reason for me to get it checked out and see if the heads need to be aligned and or calibrated? In other words how do I know if I'm getting 100% from it or if it could be sounding even better.

Also, are new parts still available for the 388?

Looks like great fun, I love this thing so far, never mind those 5lb digital recorders, this is a REAL MANS recorder! (no offense to all the digital owners). I bet if Tascam came out with a new version of this it would sell like hot cakes. Does anyone make analog recorders anymore?

 

[A Reel Person]

Your best layman's test,...

is to input and record a steady series of tones, f/i, from a keyboard, to register at 0VU or -10VU, and see if playback gives you the same signal strength back.

In many cases you might see a slight drop in level between what you put in, and what you get on playback, and this would be relatively normal. If this is the case, then a proper calibration would put this back in order. Most calibrations will drift over time, and this is a 15+ year old unit.

The condition of the heads themselves are a little harder to determine, but it starts with a visual inspection. It should be smooth, somewhat shiny and somewhat round. If there's a flatness to the face of the heads, if it's excessively shiny, or if there's an uneven wear pattern visible to the naked eye, then there may be head wear. Also inspect the tape lifters, those two little bars on either side of the record head. You'd be able to se a flat wear spot on the tape lifters, if any, and this should be a relative indicator of use and head wear.

The real test of head wear is in recording and playback, that you'd lose a lot of high end response on severely worn heads, and your edge tracks, 1 & 8, would experience a "fluttery" sound on playback of high frequencies, such as cymbal crashes.

I don't think the 388 heads are available, but that's an educated guess, and you'd be best to call Tascam Parts for that info. Other, more common parts for the 388 are still available, but that's on a case by case basis, and specific to the part itself. You'd also be best to call Tascam Parts for that info. The most common parts, such as a capstan drive belt, should be readily available from a number of sources, if needed.

The 388 is the best, most full featured, and most capable 8x8 8-tracker out there, bar none. It crushes the likes of the Fostex MR8, blows away the FD8, and drop kicks the likes of the Tascam 788.