Just picked up this Tascam Corporation Model 10 – anyone here familiar with it?

[temploprods]

I found this mixer through a guy who clears out old houses. They had to empty the place that same day because the keys were being handed over to the new owner. Among all the gear lying around were 3 Ampex 440s and several other interesting pieces I took. According to what I was told, this mixer had been stored in a warehouse since around the year 2000. Sadly, it’s barely putting out any signal at the moment. I just started a deep cleaning yesterday to bring it back to life.

There’s not much detailed info online about this exact model.
Does anyone here have one?
What year is it from exactly?
How would you compare its preamps to other Tascam mixers from that era?
Any schematics or documentation available?
How does the sound quality hold up compared to the M-30 or M-50?
Were the faders or switches a weak point on these units?

Any info would be appreciated! I’d love to restore this console properly.

 

[Serendipity Records]

NICE haul! @sweetbeats is our local Tascam expert

 

[temploprods]

Haha, guilty as charged! Nothing beats the feeling of real knobs and tape moving ...
Digital’s cool, but this stuff breathes.
Loving the mission of tearing it down and seeing if I can bring it back to life. The history behind it… that’s the real magic

 

[TalismanRich]

The last time I touched a Model 10 was probably around '71 when I graduated from high school. A local store was a Teac/Tascam dealer and a buddy worked there. They had a room set up with a mixing board, and a tape machine (don't remember which one). There was a tape that someone had recorded and we fooled around for a while doing different mixes. It was really my first time ever trying to mix something on my own and showed me how we hear things differently.

 

[sweetbeats]

Could it have been a little later than that? The Model 10 was not introduced to the world until the 1973 AES show in New York.

 

[RRuskin]

It was TASCAM's 1st console.

The last time I touched a Model 10 was probably around '71 when I graduated from high school. A local store was a Teac/Tascam dealer and a buddy worked there. They had a room set up with a mixing board, and a tape machine (don't remember which one). There was a tape that someone had recorded and we fooled around for a while doing different mixes. It was really my first time ever trying to mix something on my own and showed me how we hear things differently.

The companion machines from TASCAM were from their 70 series. As far as I can recall, there were 2, 4, & 8 track versions.

 

[RRuskin]

I found this mixer through a guy who clears out old houses. They had to empty the place that same day because the keys were being handed over to the new owner. Among all the gear lying around were 3 Ampex 440s and several other interesting pieces I took. According to what I was told, this mixer had been stored in a warehouse since around the year 2000. Sadly, it’s barely putting out any signal at the moment. I just started a deep cleaning yesterday to bring it back to life.

There’s not much detailed info online about this exact model.
Does anyone here have one?
What year is it from exactly?
How would you compare its preamps to other Tascam mixers from that era?
Any schematics or documentation available?
How does the sound quality hold up compared to the M-30 or M-50?
Were the faders or switches a weak point on these units?

Any info would be appreciated! I’d love to restore this console properly.

It was TASCAM's 1st console. Performance was ok but nothing to get excited about. Its main selling point was how cheap it was compared to other consoles of the day.

 

[TalismanRich]

Could it have been a little later than that? The Model 10 was not introduced to the world until the 1973 AES show in New York.

Might have been... It was a LONG time ago. My buddy worked there when we started college. I remember he bought a pair of JBL L100s with the money he made at the store. He got the "employee discount" on the speakers and a Crown Preamp. I think he still has both.

As for the console, I remember thinking it was way more than I spent on college tuition each year. There was no way I would have had the money to buy something like that! When you're clearing about $50 a week working, plus some band job money, it was just enough to pay for school, dates, motorcycle and guitar payments and gas money!

 

[sweetbeats]

I only have the brochure…no manual. What can tell from pics online is it is all discrete solid state opamp based (so no chips, but discrete opamps). I wish I had schematics. The mic amp is unbalanced…no transformer or anything. It is vintage budget. The linear faders were a relatively rare design that used cord and rotary pots. Not the most desirable IMO but work. There look to be some large filter caps on each module. Noise level could likely be improved with a recap. I know somebody that used one many decades ago. What I recall him saying is it was what they could afford. They didn’t get it for the sonics which were not remarkable. Noise and transients were improved with a custom power supply. The modules are nicely serviceable, being individual with plugin edge connectors, but they are located at the front of each module, so I’m not exactly sure how that works as far as getting them in and out. I don’t know what the headroom potential is like because I don’t know what the audio power rail voltage is, but I imagine it’s also not remarkable. The feature set is usable. As far as the build quality what I can tell you is I had, at one time, the amp card cage and amp and meter assemblies for a Model 70-8 1/2” 8-track…the first 1/2” 8-track ever…the companion multitrack machine to the Model 10. Innovative. But the build quality was really not good. Not just underwhelming, but cheaply done. The next generation of Tascam stuff was much better. I’m not slamming Teac, I’m just sharing what I know and my opinions. If the Model 10 console is the same grade, be prepared to wear kid gloves when working on it…really thin phenolic resin PCBs, thin gauge metal structures…just…budget. Even the Model 5 I consider next generation and it is a completely different story. I wouldn’t consider the Model 10 desirable, but I’d also say it is interesting and an important point in history because of the price point they hit and the features they included. This is Tascam’s thumbprint going forward and they executed it better and better each time…better builds, more innovation and features, and keeping things affordable…there are features on Tascam products you’ll not find in anything else, and they kept the prices affordable.

 

[sweetbeats]

To the OP, please, please don’t take my feedback/opinions/words as discouragement or shaming or anything. You have the console and it’s worth getting it working.

I’ve never found online versions of the manual and tech docs. I strongly encourage you to grab this:

https://ebay.us/m/LSXpzP

It’s a rare antiquity at this point.

And if you do get it and can throw up some hi res pics of the schematics I can offer some feedback on the circuits (no pun intended), but like I said there’s not a chip in sight, and sometimes that can bring some desirable character. But it’s a solid state device with no transformers or anything, so likely not a “character” signal path per se. But if I ended up with one for nothing I’d definitely get it running and see how it sounds.

Please share any additional pics you are inclined to share because there’s not a lot around.

I think the Model 10 was sold mainly like 1974-1975.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

I only have the brochure…no manual. What can tell from pics online is it is all discrete solid state opamp based (so no chips, but discrete opamps). I wish I had schematics. The mic amp is unbalanced…no transformer or anything. It is vintage budget. The linear faders were a relatively rare design that used cord and rotary pots. Not the most desirable IMO but work. There look to be some large filter caps on each module. Noise level could likely be improved with a recap. I know somebody that used one many decades ago. What I recall him saying is it was what they could afford. They didn’t get it for the sonics which were not remarkable. Noise and transients were improved with a custom power supply. The modules are nicely serviceable, being individual with plugin edge connectors, but they are located at the front of each module, so I’m not exactly sure how that works as far as getting them in and out. I don’t know what the headroom potential is like because I don’t know what the audio power rail voltage is, but I imagine it’s also not remarkable. The feature set is usable. As far as the build quality what I can tell you is I had, at one time, the amp card cage and amp and meter assemblies for a Model 70-8 1/2” 8-track…the first 1/2” 8-track ever…the companion multitrack machine to the Model 10. Innovative. But the build quality was really not good. Not just underwhelming, but cheaply done. The next generation of Tascam stuff was much better. I’m not slamming Teac, I’m just sharing what I know and my opinions. If the Model 10 console is the same grade, be prepared to wear kid gloves when working on it…really thin phenolic resin PCBs, thin gauge metal structures…just…budget. Even the Model 5 I consider next generation and it is a completely different story. I wouldn’t consider the Model 10 desirable, but I’d also say it is interesting and an important point in history because of the price point they hit and the features they included. This is Tascam’s thumbprint going forward and they executed it better and better each time…better builds, more innovation and features, and keeping things affordable…there are features on Tascam products you’ll not find in anything else, and they kept the prices affordable.

What he said.

 

[temploprods]

Claro, Andrés. Acá va una posible respuesta en inglés, redactada con tono entusiasta pero honesto, reconociendo las limitaciones sin subestimar el valor histórico y técnico de la consola. Incluye tu experiencia directa, tus observaciones técnicas y un comentario que suma a la conversación:

---

Hey everyone, thanks so much for all the input so far — I really appreciate the historical context and the detailed insights.


I’ve been comparing this Model 10 to my Tascam 2600M from the early ‘90s. While the 2600M obviously offers way more routing flexibility, just based on the look and feel of the components, I honestly get the impression that the Model 10 may have been built with higher-quality materials — at least mechanically. It definitely feels more “serious” in its construction, even if it’s older and more limited in functionality. But of course, everything in audio is relative.


On the restoration front, I’ve fully cleaned the master section, subgroups, and channels 11 and 12. After doing that, I noticed a significant reduction in noise and a general improvement in clarity. That gave me a lot of hope. However, I’m still not getting any audio through the CONTROL ROOM or STUDIO outs. Signal is coming through the headphones output, and also through the MONITOR OUT of the subgroups, which is encouraging. Still, the main outputs seem dead for now.


There’s still a long road ahead — I haven’t touched channels 1–10 yet and there’s a lot more contact cleaning and continuity checking to do. But so far, I’m enjoying the process and the learning curve.


If anyone knows of any common issues with the CONTROL ROOM or STUDIO outputs on this board, I’d love to hear about it.

Thanks again to all who’ve replied — this kind of community feedback is what keeps these vintage machines alive.

 

[RRuskin]

I have experience with both the Model 10 & the 2600 and assure you that the Model 10 is sonically inferior.

 

[Slouching Raymond]

The grub on it annoys me the most.

 

[Mindset]

Preamps are decent but noisier than the M-30/M-50. Cool console for drums or synths once cleaned up. Worth restoring.

 

[temploprods]

Thanks for the input — I appreciate you sharing your experience with both consoles.

Just to clarify, I haven’t actually tried recording anything with the Model 10 yet. So far, I’ve only tested channels 11 and 12 with audio after doing a thorough cleaning. What stood out to me immediately was the EQ section — it feels noticeably more precise than on the 2600M, with more clarity, warmth, and presence. That really surprised me in a good way. Of course, I know there’s a lot more to evaluate once I get the rest of the channels cleaned and everything fully functional. But for now, that EQ section definitely caught my attention.

I have experience with both the Model 10 & the 2600 and assure you that the Model 10 is sonically inferior.

 

[sweetbeats]

I would have to agree with RRuskin.

The Model 10 feels more “serious” in its construction because it’s 20 years older than your M-2600, and was modeled after other consoles at the time…that’s 20 years worth of “value-engineering” reversed…but the Model 10 wasn’t nearly as robust as period professional consoles, and I see undesirable decisions in the physical design…some mentioned earlier. It’s made of more metal. That’s why it feels more “serious”…and the switches and pots are larger. And I like all those things. But that’s kind of where it ends for me in comparison to the M-2600.

The M-2600, while being made of more plastic and not being modular in construction and all that, does have higher quality components…better quality power…higher performance parts…I consider the M-2600 in kind of the latter end of the 4th generation of Tascam consoles…the M-1500 series, M-2500 and M-3500/3700…and then toward the end the M-1600 and M-2600. I don’t have schematics for the top line M-700 and M-5000 consoles, but outside of those possibilities the M-2600 is an odd duck among all Tascam consoles for which I have schematics or have serviced/taken apart…it uses opamps not used in any other period Tascam console of which I’m aware, which were relatively leading edge parts at the time, and partly because the audio power is +/-20V, when pretty much everything else was +/-15V, and in some cases +/-12V. Barring other means of mitigation, the audio power rail voltage is directly tied to the headroom potential of the circuit; higher power means higher headroom. Again there are other ways to work around this…transformers, fancier circuits…but that is all more expensive, and Tascam was primary in creating a market space for innovative products priced in lower budget brackets, and taking care to focus where costs were prioritized brought well-designed and built feature-rich products within reach of people with lesser means. So more expensive designs were not part of approach…example: my Studer console has +/-12V audio power rails, which means higher reliability and lower heat generation, and by using high-quality transformers and less common but more complex amplifier circuits achieves extremely good audio performance across a wide load range and at all levels, has very low noise and distortion, and exceptional headroom throughout the entire signal path…sounds and performs amazingly compared to any Tascam stuff I’ve used. But it cost over $100,000 new in the year 2000. For what it is the M-2600 has uncommonly high audio power rail voltages for high headroom, has a discrete front end on the mic amp, which is not uncommon, but every other Tascam design used 2 or 4 transistors…the M-2600 has 6 transistors, has some really really great split inline monitor functionality including split EQ that can be assigned to the main input or monitor path…available full meter bridge…it’s a bit of a lark among that generation of Tascam consoles. And given the choice between the Model 10 and the M-2600 I would grab the latter every time, for any application. Again, I think the Model 10 has historical significance, and I’d want to putter on one if I had it…but I think I’d consider it more of a novelty.

Also I’m happy to try and help with your signal path issues, but you or somebody will have to provide me the manual. I can’t afford to get into reverse-engineering the thing and then giving step-by-step guidance for troubleshooting over the internet. Do you have the manual? If so get some high res scans going and start sharing docs. It would make it much, much easier to help you.

 

[sweetbeats]

Thanks for the input — I appreciate you sharing your experience with both consoles.

Just to clarify, I haven’t actually tried recording anything with the Model 10 yet. So far, I’ve only tested channels 11 and 12 with audio after doing a thorough cleaning. What stood out to me immediately was the EQ section — it feels noticeably more precise than on the 2600M, with more clarity, warmth, and presence. That really surprised me in a good way. Of course, I know there’s a lot more to evaluate once I get the rest of the channels cleaned and everything fully functional. But for now, that EQ section definitely caught my attention.

The EQ on the Model 10 has much more simple architecture…the switchable frequency points are limiting, but also can help avoid non-linear anomalies or phase distortions that swept type EQ filters, especially in budget products, often include. So it might work better for you. For a lot of other applications it might be prohibitively limiting. You’re in the great position of being able to choose.

 

[sweetbeats]

A couple other points about the M-2600…plenty of AUX busses with some flexibility in signal path source points…8 mono/stereo returns in the master section with great routing flexibility…great for monitoring or sourcing of effects returns, playback devices, etc…and a completely independent stereo per channel monitor buss with inline monitoring flexibility…per channel direct outputs, balanced mic and line inputs as well as tape returns…What I’m kind of surprised about, considering the comprehensive feature set, is the lack of phase inversion circuit on the mic inputs…yes you can just make up inline adapters to accomplish this, but with everything else going on with this console I’m surprised to not see that feature…I consider it an important one…and the other is no HPF. The EQ is decent as far as the feature set, and it has the split dump architecture between the main input or monitor signal paths, but no HPF. I also consider this a very important feature. It’s a budget console…so it’s not fair to be like “it’s supposed to have everything!”, but stuff like split EQ (which is something I don’t see except on higher-budget bigger consoles), and all the inline monitoring functions, etc., I’m just surprised to not see common features like phase inversion and HPF functions. But I still consider the M-2600 to be a sleeper among the late gen budget offerings from Tascam.

 

[temploprods]

A couple other points about the M-2600…plenty of AUX busses with some flexibility in signal path source points…8 mono/stereo returns in the master section with great routing flexibility…great for monitoring or sourcing of effects returns, playback devices, etc…and a completely independent stereo per channel monitor buss with inline monitoring flexibility…per channel direct outputs, balanced mic and line inputs as well as tape returns…What I’m kind of surprised about, considering the comprehensive feature set, is the lack of phase inversion circuit on the mic inputs…yes you can just make up inline adapters to accomplish this, but with everything else going on with this console I’m surprised to not see that feature…I consider it an important one…and the other is no HPF. The EQ is decent as far as the feature set, and it has the split dump architecture between the main input or monitor signal paths, but no HPF. I also consider this a very important feature. It’s a budget console…so it’s not fair to be like “it’s supposed to have everything!”, but stuff like split EQ (which is something I don’t see except on higher-budget bigger consoles), and all the inline monitoring functions, etc., I’m just surprised to not see common features like phase inversion and HPF functions. But I still consider the M-2600 to be a sleeper among the late gen budget offerings from Tascam.

I totally agree with you: the M-2600 is such a sleeper console. The amount of routing options, returns, and AUX flexibility is honestly amazing for what was marketed as a budget desk. Even though I’m currently in the process of restoring the Model 10 I recently picked up, there’s no way I’m letting go of the 2600M. Its flexibility is exactly what makes it so valuable to me — it’s been a workhorse in my setup and I still rely on it heavily.
Thanks again for sharing all this — much appreciated!