G
Good Friend
New member
they
They couldnt be any tighter. I think it must be something else.
They couldnt be any tighter. I think it must be something else.
FALKEN
*************************
is the noise constant or a quick 'ding' ? how long does it ring out for?
G
Good Friend
New member
noise
Its like a spinning/whirring type of a sound. It gets higher in pitch the faster rewind goes until it sounds as if there is no abnormal sound at all. Then as rewind comes to a stop it makes the same whirring sound as when rewind starts, but in reverse ("whirring" pitch goes from high to low).
Maybe im just going to have to send it to tascam and take it on the chin.
Its like a spinning/whirring type of a sound. It gets higher in pitch the faster rewind goes until it sounds as if there is no abnormal sound at all. Then as rewind comes to a stop it makes the same whirring sound as when rewind starts, but in reverse ("whirring" pitch goes from high to low).
Maybe im just going to have to send it to tascam and take it on the chin.
G
Good Friend
New member
capstan motor
I think the sound is coming from the capstan motor. But i dont understand why only when its rewinding. It sounds normal and smooth all other times (if thats where the sound is coming from).
Is there any particular problem in the capstan motor that would only show up during rewind?
I think the sound is coming from the capstan motor. But i dont understand why only when its rewinding. It sounds normal and smooth all other times (if thats where the sound is coming from).
Is there any particular problem in the capstan motor that would only show up during rewind?
FALKEN
*************************
perhaps your pinch needs to be oiled.
B
Beck
Guest
Reel motor bearings.
G
Good Friend
New member
over
Hey im just going to give up. I dont know whats wrong with it and i dont feel like dealing with any of this. Im not a tech or a collector or anything like that. I just want to record some tunes without having it sound like a wav file but i guess i am just doomed. Im so fucking pissed right now that i feel like smashing every instrument i own including recorders and mics and then shaving my long hair off and never touching another instrument again and living in a white walled room with no furniture and just going to work every day and sleeping and eating and never trying to think of a song or have a creative thought ever again until im dead.
Dont be discouraged by me saying this, but nothing in my life has taught me greater disappointment and shown me the least return for my efforts than this business of "art".
Thanks for everyones help though, youre cool.
Hey im just going to give up. I dont know whats wrong with it and i dont feel like dealing with any of this. Im not a tech or a collector or anything like that. I just want to record some tunes without having it sound like a wav file but i guess i am just doomed. Im so fucking pissed right now that i feel like smashing every instrument i own including recorders and mics and then shaving my long hair off and never touching another instrument again and living in a white walled room with no furniture and just going to work every day and sleeping and eating and never trying to think of a song or have a creative thought ever again until im dead.
Dont be discouraged by me saying this, but nothing in my life has taught me greater disappointment and shown me the least return for my efforts than this business of "art".
Thanks for everyones help though, youre cool.
B
Beck
Guest
Don’t give up!
You may have more than one issue with this machine, so yeah you may be chasing your tail. Try to get it checked out locally if you can. You don't have to send it to Montebello.
Check here for authorized TASCAM service centers near you.
http://www.tascam.com/service_centers.php
Take a breather. Keep your head through these frustrations... success will be that much sweeter. Remember we’re dealing with mostly used stuff and you can have a false start or two. Many here have, so you’re not alone.
Take from me... a guy who once smashed a vintage SG over a chair because I couldn't get it tuned perfectly enough for my super human hearing (and I was tired… and 20-something).
It was a nice chair too. It felt good at the time, but... like for about 37 seconds. A bit longer than the average orgasm, but still not worth it. 
You may have more than one issue with this machine, so yeah you may be chasing your tail. Try to get it checked out locally if you can. You don't have to send it to Montebello.
Check here for authorized TASCAM service centers near you.
http://www.tascam.com/service_centers.php
Take a breather. Keep your head through these frustrations... success will be that much sweeter. Remember we’re dealing with mostly used stuff and you can have a false start or two. Many here have, so you’re not alone.
Take from me... a guy who once smashed a vintage SG over a chair because I couldn't get it tuned perfectly enough for my super human hearing (and I was tired… and 20-something).
It was a nice chair too. It felt good at the time, but... like for about 37 seconds. A bit longer than the average orgasm, but still not worth it.
G
Good Friend
New member
its ok
Oh yeah, im too much of a puss to actually smash anything, but sometimes i feel like it. I just need to figure out what im going to do.
Thanks for the link and the help.
Oh yeah, im too much of a puss to actually smash anything, but sometimes i feel like it. I just need to figure out what im going to do.
Thanks for the link and the help.
G
Good Friend
New member
no service
Well i checked the link and there is no tascam service center in Arizona. So ill just have to get the money together and cross my friggin fingers. I hooked up some digital recording program to my computer and tried recording a few things and i wanted to barf. So i dont care if i have to live on bread and water to get the money together for the fix cause i cant sit and click and drag and stare at the monitor. For me personally, it is the least pleasant method and sound ive ever tried. A cassette portastudio feels more "correct".
Ive got a bad disease where i play what i see and feel. If i am not inspired by the feel of something i never really "click" with it and everything just ends up sounding slightly uninspired. I could no doubt create some chopped up edited masterpieces on a digital setup in time, but its just not where im at.
So i guess ill just have to save up for the repair costs.
Well i checked the link and there is no tascam service center in Arizona. So ill just have to get the money together and cross my friggin fingers. I hooked up some digital recording program to my computer and tried recording a few things and i wanted to barf. So i dont care if i have to live on bread and water to get the money together for the fix cause i cant sit and click and drag and stare at the monitor. For me personally, it is the least pleasant method and sound ive ever tried. A cassette portastudio feels more "correct".
Ive got a bad disease where i play what i see and feel. If i am not inspired by the feel of something i never really "click" with it and everything just ends up sounding slightly uninspired. I could no doubt create some chopped up edited masterpieces on a digital setup in time, but its just not where im at.
So i guess ill just have to save up for the repair costs.
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
Good Friend: I personally would not pay the costs involved, in time, money and shipping, to repair the 38. I'd look for another local deal and perhaps sell / keep the broken recorder for parts.
G
Good Friend
New member
38
Ive considered that. The thing is, its not really "broken" yet. Im sure in time it will be. It records, plays, rewinds, fast forwards, all VUs work, and to me the input sounds just like the playback. Only a slight noise during rewind that troubles me. I was thinking about possibly buying a 34b at some point, cause i actually LIKE the limitations of only 4 tracks. It forces you to make decisions. Ive done most of my best recordings on only 4 tracks, but really thats a subject matter for a different thread.
By the way while i am off topic, this is what my room/"studio" looks like. So now you know what the things are that i said i feel like smashing (haha). This picture is not "set up", this is just how it always looks. Crowded, shit everywhere, and i can never find a single uniform way to put things that i am not wishing it was some other way.
Ive considered that. The thing is, its not really "broken" yet. Im sure in time it will be. It records, plays, rewinds, fast forwards, all VUs work, and to me the input sounds just like the playback. Only a slight noise during rewind that troubles me. I was thinking about possibly buying a 34b at some point, cause i actually LIKE the limitations of only 4 tracks. It forces you to make decisions. Ive done most of my best recordings on only 4 tracks, but really thats a subject matter for a different thread.
By the way while i am off topic, this is what my room/"studio" looks like. So now you know what the things are that i said i feel like smashing (haha). This picture is not "set up", this is just how it always looks. Crowded, shit everywhere, and i can never find a single uniform way to put things that i am not wishing it was some other way.
Attachments
G
Good Friend
New member
motor
So i was considering what you said about it being the reel motor bearings since there is a strange sound coming from the left side of the machine and rewind seems sluggish. My friend bought a reel motor from tascam a little while ago and never installed it and he was offering it to me. Should i try to put the motor in?
So i was considering what you said about it being the reel motor bearings since there is a strange sound coming from the left side of the machine and rewind seems sluggish. My friend bought a reel motor from tascam a little while ago and never installed it and he was offering it to me. Should i try to put the motor in?
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Damn, that's a mess!
I mean,... dang, that's cool! Heh, heh.
You may want to try finding a "reel motor lube syringe" on Ebay to lube the reel motors, before attempting to replace it. The 38 did not specify lubing the motors, but all the older TEACs did.
Re-check all the basics, like sticky brakes & brake pads, before going in deep.
Just my 2¢.
I mean,... dang, that's cool! Heh, heh.
You may want to try finding a "reel motor lube syringe" on Ebay to lube the reel motors, before attempting to replace it. The 38 did not specify lubing the motors, but all the older TEACs did.
Re-check all the basics, like sticky brakes & brake pads, before going in deep.
Just my 2¢.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
Is this one of those "Look and Find" photos?
Okay,... I see something that looks like a sitar, one of those funky old VOX guitars, a pair of Converse High Tops, a GTE Flip Phone from the early 80's, one bongo drum, a single 19" kick drum, an SM57 on a desk stand, a 244 on a chair & pieces of the 38's outer skins scattered around.
Okay,... I see something that looks like a sitar, one of those funky old VOX guitars, a pair of Converse High Tops, a GTE Flip Phone from the early 80's, one bongo drum, a single 19" kick drum, an SM57 on a desk stand, a 244 on a chair & pieces of the 38's outer skins scattered around.
A Reel Person
It's Too Funky in Here!!!
... a bong & a duffle bag full of dope!
Haha, just kidding!
Haha, just kidding!
G
Good Friend
New member
alright...
1. crappy old speakers because i accept only the highest fidelity and clarity
2. my 1970s black and white tv (its orange) that only gets PBS BBC shows like "Keeping Up Appearances"
3. old tube based Wurlitzer organ that uses reeds
4. 1970 Gibson 12 string acoustic guitar. Super smooth and low action, but a thick neck. Sounds good live but it sounds FANTASTIC over a microphone. Like an old dry wooden box.
5. old tube reciever and cd player and a pile of psych, folk, and 80s new wave cds
6. 50s spinet piano, sounds ok, needs brightening solution added to hammers
7. various crushed velvet jackets
8. the Bee Gees "Horizontal" LP, if you havent heard it go get it right now
9. Shiny Box Ribbon mic (sounds tonally smooth and great, but noisy, bassy, etc)
10. old bell kit that sounds like metal shards in your ear until you mic it with the ribbon, then it sounds perfect.
11. vintage 70s paisley shirts and ties, some 70s bell bottoms from canada
12. one lousy bongo
13. orange paisley couch, where i sleep
14. old cassette recorder with built in mic for fast ideas
15. no drugs in this bag, just an old JVC graphic eq
16. casio keyboard for drum sounds (dont laugh, the snares and kicks are huge)
17. David Bowies "Oh by Jingo" LP where he tries to sound like an old lady on LSD for half the record
18. Vox Phantom 12 string copy that was custom made with options no longer available. But the downside is its heavy and you cant sit with it and everything you write on it sounds like every 12 string based song you ever heard in your life no matter how hard you strive for originality.
19. Shure 545, kinda sounds bad in a way, but authentic at least
20. old drumset that sounds fantastic live in the room but sounds like absolute unrecordable shit once the mics are up
21. mustang bass for ease of use
22. Koss Pro4-aa headphones
23. 1970s Fender Mustang guitar that i drilled the entire body wood out underneath the pickguard and painted to look like candy stripes. Now it sounds like a guitar/banjo. I learned everything i know about music theory and playing on this guitar. I have bought and then sold 1500 dollar strats because i ended up going back to this guitar again and again. I know this instrument like the back of my hand, every fret, every imperfection, every flaw in the action and frets i know by FEEL ALONE where they are and i dont ever have to guess how its going to sound cause it always plays just as i thought it would in both sound and feel.
24. tascam 244
25. the excalibur of tiny toy cheapies. Its previous owner was an old mexican guy who played it as his main guitar his whole life. He played it at all family gatherings and in every band he was in. Now i play Zombies and Beatles tunes on it at 4 am in the dark.
26. the Aislers Set's home recorded (1/2" otari 8 track) LP "How I Learned to Write Backwards". Entirely written and self recorded by Amy Linton in her garage. Dont not listen to this, its a motown derived work of genius.
27. old tube console record player
28. roland tape echo missing its face plate but sounds like a living thing
29. 70s Tapco spring reverb tank. Sounds best to speed tape up, record the reverb onto the tape, then slow the tape back to normal for extra boingy reverb sounds
30. tascam m30 mixer
31. old Roberts tube reel to reel modified for preamp only use. Noisy, bassy, but you can get some authentic sounds
32. some no name student model sitar. I learned tunes from Donovans "Sunshine Superman" LP on this sitar
33. tshirt depicting the BeeGees as Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
34. regular old boring sm57
35. Nintendo Wii
ok thats all my crap
1. crappy old speakers because i accept only the highest fidelity and clarity
2. my 1970s black and white tv (its orange) that only gets PBS BBC shows like "Keeping Up Appearances"
3. old tube based Wurlitzer organ that uses reeds
4. 1970 Gibson 12 string acoustic guitar. Super smooth and low action, but a thick neck. Sounds good live but it sounds FANTASTIC over a microphone. Like an old dry wooden box.
5. old tube reciever and cd player and a pile of psych, folk, and 80s new wave cds
6. 50s spinet piano, sounds ok, needs brightening solution added to hammers
7. various crushed velvet jackets
8. the Bee Gees "Horizontal" LP, if you havent heard it go get it right now
9. Shiny Box Ribbon mic (sounds tonally smooth and great, but noisy, bassy, etc)
10. old bell kit that sounds like metal shards in your ear until you mic it with the ribbon, then it sounds perfect.
11. vintage 70s paisley shirts and ties, some 70s bell bottoms from canada
12. one lousy bongo
13. orange paisley couch, where i sleep
14. old cassette recorder with built in mic for fast ideas
15. no drugs in this bag, just an old JVC graphic eq
16. casio keyboard for drum sounds (dont laugh, the snares and kicks are huge)
17. David Bowies "Oh by Jingo" LP where he tries to sound like an old lady on LSD for half the record
18. Vox Phantom 12 string copy that was custom made with options no longer available. But the downside is its heavy and you cant sit with it and everything you write on it sounds like every 12 string based song you ever heard in your life no matter how hard you strive for originality.
19. Shure 545, kinda sounds bad in a way, but authentic at least
20. old drumset that sounds fantastic live in the room but sounds like absolute unrecordable shit once the mics are up
21. mustang bass for ease of use
22. Koss Pro4-aa headphones
23. 1970s Fender Mustang guitar that i drilled the entire body wood out underneath the pickguard and painted to look like candy stripes. Now it sounds like a guitar/banjo. I learned everything i know about music theory and playing on this guitar. I have bought and then sold 1500 dollar strats because i ended up going back to this guitar again and again. I know this instrument like the back of my hand, every fret, every imperfection, every flaw in the action and frets i know by FEEL ALONE where they are and i dont ever have to guess how its going to sound cause it always plays just as i thought it would in both sound and feel.
24. tascam 244
25. the excalibur of tiny toy cheapies. Its previous owner was an old mexican guy who played it as his main guitar his whole life. He played it at all family gatherings and in every band he was in. Now i play Zombies and Beatles tunes on it at 4 am in the dark.
26. the Aislers Set's home recorded (1/2" otari 8 track) LP "How I Learned to Write Backwards". Entirely written and self recorded by Amy Linton in her garage. Dont not listen to this, its a motown derived work of genius.
27. old tube console record player
28. roland tape echo missing its face plate but sounds like a living thing
29. 70s Tapco spring reverb tank. Sounds best to speed tape up, record the reverb onto the tape, then slow the tape back to normal for extra boingy reverb sounds
30. tascam m30 mixer
31. old Roberts tube reel to reel modified for preamp only use. Noisy, bassy, but you can get some authentic sounds
32. some no name student model sitar. I learned tunes from Donovans "Sunshine Superman" LP on this sitar
33. tshirt depicting the BeeGees as Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band
34. regular old boring sm57
35. Nintendo Wii
ok thats all my crap
Attachments
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
Fantastic post Good Friend! I bet the camera that took the pict is vintage too? 
G
Good Friend
New member
actually
actually its a digital crapper that makes blues look extra blue thats why the bag looks so strange (greenish).
So anyways i dont think the brakes are bad in the 38. They are fast to react and they never seem to be interfering but i could be wrong cause im new. I am only considering the reel motor replacement because he is offering me a free one he bought from tascam a little while ago that he doesnt need. So i got all psyched.
PS i know this picture doesnt really fit with this thread but i just thought id kill some time here at work.
actually its a digital crapper that makes blues look extra blue thats why the bag looks so strange (greenish).
So anyways i dont think the brakes are bad in the 38. They are fast to react and they never seem to be interfering but i could be wrong cause im new. I am only considering the reel motor replacement because he is offering me a free one he bought from tascam a little while ago that he doesnt need. So i got all psyched.
PS i know this picture doesnt really fit with this thread but i just thought id kill some time here at work.
cjacek
Analogue Enthusiast
With regard to lubing motors..... Some of the older TEACs (and some early TASCAMs too like the 22-2) had open motor designs with small straw type tubes where you inserted the oil but others were the "closed / sealed" motor types where oiling was not possible. I'm not sure if the 38 is the closed or open type. It's pretty easy to spot while you're casually pokin' inside. But yeah, I also would not advise changing of motors, as your problem, as Tim G and Tim Beck pointed out earlier, seem to be electronic. I agree with your previous statement to get a nice 4 track reel to reel. Do local whenever possible.