just bought a 388. taking it to get serviced. what all do i need

  • Thread starter Thread starter drewblue
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drewblue

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i just bought a 388 pretty cheap off of craigs list. im picking it up monday. im new to analog. in the pics it looks really nice. in my area is a great service tech. im taking it straight to him. ive ordered a manual,some 457,a calibration tape,demagnatizer, a new capstan belt. and some tape head and rubber cleaner. is there anything else you would suggest. maybe a new pinch roller.
 
Sounds like you've got the basics and more covered...I'd wait on the pinch roller until you know what you've got. There may be other things needed to get with it, or maybe you don't need one at all! Keep us posted!
 
What area do you live in? I'm looking for a tech.

Don't forget to get some DeoxIT while you're shopping for cleaners and what-not.
 
Great thanks alot. One other thing though. Should I use 457 or lpr35. Can I use both after the calibration. Or does the machine need to be set up only one type. I was under the impression they are almost the same. And the lpr is still being made.
 
They are not bias compatible. They are also slightly different widths which can be a problem depending on how worn the tape path is. Do you know what has been used on the machine? Is it 457?
 
i have no idea of what type of tape was used and neither does the owner. it was his dads and his dad passed away. this guy knows nothing about the machine. what would you go with 457 or lpr35.
 
drewblue said:
what would you go with 457 or lpr35.
Click to expand...
Either one's a solid choice. The 388 is designed to use 1 mil tape like those two you mentioned, so the one you pick may be down to availability and/or tape path wear. LPR35 is supposed to be slit wider than 457, so if your machine was broken in with Ampex/Quantegy, you may have to stick with it unless you want to relap the head.

But don't be afraid to use 1.5 mil tape once in a while, or all the time if your machine won't be used heavily. The 388 will handle it fine although mine will occasionally struggle with winding RMGI SM911 near the head of a reel. You won't be able to use the Tape Load function if you use 1.5 mil tape, since the machine is expecting ~45 minutes of playtime to a reel and 1.5 mil tape gets you ~30 minutes, but I've never heard of anyone using Tape Load. I just keep an eye on the reels. :)

One more thing--do not use any Ampex 457 made before 1995! It will eventually show signs of sticky shed syndrome (perhaps right out of the box!) and gum up your 388. I would not recommend putting your master multitracks on bad Ampex tape. This goes for many other Ampex formulations like 406, 407, and 456--stay away from anything pre-1995.

All Quantegy tape is free of SSS, however...at least so far... O_O
 
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