Good price for a 388? ...and do I need one?

  • Thread starter Thread starter WhinyLittleRunt
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WhinyLittleRunt

WhinyLittleRunt

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I was in a local music store the other day and to my surprise he had a mint-looking Tascam 388 sitting there in the corner for sale. I asked how much, and he said "cleaned and serviced, $450.00". Is that a good price realistically? I see them go for much more on eBay but he's smart enough to check that stuff too (he does eBay sales as well) so I wonder where he pulled the $450 price tag from... Also, his version of "cleaned and serviced" isn't really what one would think; he deals mostly with vintage stereo equipment and tests it out, blows out the dust, etc... I have purchased a receiver from him recently and while it works great, it certainly wasn't "clean" by my standards, anyway. :rolleyes:

If i already own a Tascam 38 an an M308 mixer, is there really any benefit to having a 388, besides the fact that it is an all-in-one unit? I don't know what the difference in sound would be, though I would have thought the 38 would produce a "wider" sound because of the track width as opposed to the 1/4" tape on the 388 at 8 tracks squished in there... Opinions? I know this has been touched before...
 
One benefit would be the joy of owning a mint 388. It's a beautiful system. I take it you're more interested in practical application than nostalgia or collectibility or whatever.
 
If it's mint, everything works, and it's truly been serviced, that's not a good price, it's an excellent price.

Whether it's worth it or not for you to have to different analog 8 track recorder set ups is totally up to you.
-MD
 
Honestly if you have a Tascam 38 setup already that works fine, you might as well save your money. The 388 is charming and very fun to record with, but I don't think it's radically different enough from your current setup to justify the hassle and expense of owning another large tape machine. (8 track 1/2" vs. 8-track 1/4". It certainly wouldn't be an upgrade in sound quality.)

If it was your first analog gear purchase I would say go for it, no doubt. I have a 388 and I love it. But I wouldn't have one if I owned a 38.
 
The Swill Man said:
Honestly if you have a Tascam 38 setup already that works fine, you might as well save your money. The 388 is charming and very fun to record with, but I don't think it's radically different enough from your current setup to justify the hassle and expense of owning another large tape machine. (8 track 1/2" vs. 8-track 1/4". It certainly wouldn't be an upgrade in sound quality.)

If it was your first analog gear purchase I would say go for it, no doubt. I have a 388 and I love it. But I wouldn't have one if I owned a 38.
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That's kind of the opinion I was hoping to see and I was getting worried that the 388 was so coveted that you need both!:cool:
 
WhinyLittleRunt said:
That's kind of the opinion I was hoping to see and I was getting worried that the 388 was so coveted that you need both!:cool:
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Not need, but want. To covet something is to want it. Your priorities will lead you to the right decision. Not everyone needs a ridiculously large SUV, but most people want one badly enough to convince themselves they do!
 
I currently have both (38 and 388). Do I need both of them? No. I'm parting with the 38 since the 388 does what I need in a nice, neat package. I'll miss the 38, but consolidation is beneficial at this point for me.
 
Of course you need it. I have nine decks, need everyone of them, give me a minute or two and I'll figure out just why.
 
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