setting up a 388 after shipped

  • Thread starter Thread starter shedshrine
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Got to give credit where credit is due...

that ups store did a fine packing job. thick cardboard, good styrofoam girding, lots of bubble wrap and separation between the boxes. Still, I'm glad I didn't sent it ground :eek: The cards were seated fine.

the deck: apparently the seller was a copious smoker. The 388 has yellow clumpy tar on the inputs and outputs on the back, and the beginnings of oxidation. Fortunately, it looks like it will come off with alcohol and q-tips, and a lot of scrubbing. (whew!) Getting the inside of the 1/4" inputs is proving time consuming as the q-tips want to catch inside and pull, leaving thready remnants...

The heads however, with their semi airtight plexiglass lid looked great, as in new, no tar, no real oxidation (whew2!)

The 17 yr old pinch roller cleaned up nicely with about 3 h2o q-tips and became tacky. Think I'll save the new one I just got for a later date, thank you very much. :)

I don't have access to a variac, so I just plugged it into a furman type strip and threw the switch. All the vu's lit up.(whew3!)I lifted the tension roller, and the motors whirred up to speed smoothly, (whew4) though I think I should get that syringe sewing machine oil combo that was recommended here as I think it should be quieter, smoother sounding. I had thought the capstan belt was accessed from the bottom so I took the back off. :D Got some cool pictures of the 388 guts though. That manual is fantastic. I want to get an oscilliscope at some point and dive in to calibrating!. Yeah, I know, don't mess with it. ;)

I have a roll of 456 I will try out tommorrow, I have a reel of 407 and 457 on the way to check the loading mechanism.

I'm running a drum machine through the channels. I had to work the plug in and out a couple times, but the signal sounds good. Man, the eq sounds great to my ears. Real usable range. That's about as far as I got tonight.

Have to admit I was dissapointed it wasn't as mint as I had believed. Besides the smoke tar and oxidation, There is a small 1/2" gouge on the vinyl armrest which I'd like to fix if there's a way to do so. The record function button light for track 3 is out. Some tiny paint oxidation spots, the screws on the mixer section face are oxidized, and should be replaced, but basically a very nice machine. About a grand between the purchase price and the 2 day air shipment.
I'm going ta bed..
 
That's all good news!

What I like to do with gear in similar condition, is to remove all the knobs and the button caps that come off easily with a firm pull. As far as the buttons go, I'd not pull too hard if the cap didn't want to come off. (I'd work around it). You can pull the knobs 'bout as hard as you want! (Pull the fader caps off too).

After all the knobs/buttons are removed, clean the mixer top surface thoroughly with a damp cloth and 409, until it's super clean. Use a q-tip or the corner of the wash cloth to clean the recessed area around the transport buttons. Then let it dry and air out. Follow this by cleaning each individual knob and cap thoroughly also with the damp cloth & 409. You'd be surprised how much cleaner you can get the knob/fader caps with a real concise cleaning. (All of the 388's I've seen in used condition needed cleaning to some degree). Replace the knobs/caps when the unit's thoroughly clean and dry, (an obvious point). If it's in "original" condition, a cleaning like this should make it sparkle!

I'm sorry to say that even after cleaning like this, any smokey smell there is might take a couple months to go away completely, (but it will go away).

If there's a small gouge on the vinyl, put a small square piece of clear packing tape over it, & call it a day!

Anyway, it arrived in one piece in working condition, and that's a good start. I'm happy for your sake. E'one can exhale now! :eek: ;)

The 388's a large, heavy, bulky item that's hard to ship. Heavy duty packing is the name of the game. (Sounds like the UPS-Store guys took all my tips!) :eek: ;)

PS: I'm not too keen on the #3 record LED not working, but maybe you can get it working in the near future. It doesn't sound like a serious problem, but you'll have to keep closer track of the track 3 recording status. ;)

Oh well,... have fun!!!!!!!!!! :eek: ;)
 
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Smoking and electronics, I'm affraid, is not a simple cosmetics issue where you can just clean it off with a damp rag, a few q-tips and a couple of sprays of a contact cleaner. Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemicals, many of them carcinogens and absolute destroyers of electronic equipment.

I personally would be pissed off as hell if a seller didn't disclose this most critical piece of information, especially that you found obvious signs of this "abuse" and also oxidation. In addition to the smoking, the 388 was certainly not stored well.

I applaud the UPS store and YOUR communication with them so that the 388 received the best of packing, but that's a really shitty deal especially that you thought you were buying, from the seller's own description, a like new unit. This is certainly not it.

I'd email the seller or better yet take it up with eBay / Paypal and claim it as "not as advertised".

As you can tell, I'm not very tolerant toward this type of seller but that's just me...
 
shedshrine: I just noticed that you're from the sf bay area and I'm very surprised that you'd want to deal with the whole shipping thing, when TASCAM Analog gear practically grows on trees where you live. ;)

Between San Francisco and Los Angeles, there is not a better place for local analog gear deals, anywhere. I just did a quick search and found several nice offerings (in your area) and you could have popped in, checked the machine out and made a nice, headache free deal.

My opinion is that if you live in such great areas, then don't bother with shipping but rather find local deals. I think that even if you live in a "so so" place, it'd be worth exploring local offerings as well.

I can only speak for myself but I would never, ever again do the eBay thing, purchase without having to see the gear in person and have it shipped. Never. I now encourage local pickup deals, something which is within an hour's drive, tops.
 
If you decide to take knobs off one thing I have learned is its alot easier if you turn the knob far left or right against the stops with a little pressure till it will kinda let go.
You will feel what I mean after a couple of knobs. Then it will come up alot better.

I hope that makes sense ;)
 
caveat emptor

I didn't ask for pictures, I saw the description, the buy it now button....Boom! I own a 90 lb peice of gear in Florida. I had been researching 388s awhile and had just come across info about the unavailability of new heads, and that one place online that used to make them had stopped, and that relapping didn't last as long, blah blah blah. so I jumped when I saw brand new heads in the ad. Being complete overkill as a reference point for purchase given the geography.

The seller is an older gentleman, a retired studio musician from a time when it was probably de riguer (sp?) to light up between takes right there in the studio. The fact that the deck has been in the humid Florida keys for 17 years should have set off some alarms. Regardless, I have learned my lesson. Worst case, if the internal electronics truly are eaten alive by the insidious tar, I'll have a nice pair of heads to install in a LOCAL fixer upper, eh?

Moving forward :D Well, I need to order an empty take-up reel first don't I....doh!
 
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Anyone using AQ-65 w/388?

I would like to find the autolocator AQ-65 to use with me 388. I havn't been able to find one on ebay or any other online 'Tascam' dealer.
Does anyone out there have/use one?
Would anyone like to part with one?
 
Of the few items I've gotten from Florida, they were all a bit corroded...

on the screws and metal parts. Since then I stay away from auctions originating in Fla., but it's not just Fla. that's humid. I've gotten at least one piece that was similarly corroded from the likes of Virginia. When looking at gear on eBay, I always consider the region of origin and it's average humidity. For the most part, a little rust or corrosion won't hurt anything, except in the absolutely worst case. However, smoke will harm the unit, & especially will damage the rubber parts. On the face of it, I wasn't concerned when you said, 'I cleaned the pinchwheel and now it's tacky', but depending on how you define 'tacky', maybe I'd be concerned. The pinchwheel technically should not feel tacky, it should feel firm and dry like it has a lot of traction, (like a new car tire). I've followed enough to determine you have a new pinchwheel, so you're covered. No doubt I don't have to tell you what a new pinch roller should look like. :eek: ;)

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I like to source gear from warm, dry, sunny climates, and/or local pickup when available. I've seen rust and corrosion on some gear, and in general I try to avoid that, but the eBay game is 'caveat emptor', alright.

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Also, a certain amount of discoloration from smoke will not wash off the knobs, buttons and casing. Smoke will yellow white plastic buttons, parts, white paint, etc., and it will definitely destroy rubber parts. But then, smoke damage is all a matter of degree.

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Note: Anywhere near the coast would be considered a humid area, that's a red flag when sourcing gear. Even,... say,... Encinitas,... Redondo Beach,... Monterey, Santa Cruz,... (San Francisco), eh,... y'know,... even in California,... or like Houston,... Louisiana,... etc,... the Eastern seaboard,... North Carolina,... Georgia,... are all very humid and are red flag areas when sourcing gear on eBay. (IMO/YMMV). Sorry out-a-staters!! No'ffense!:eek: ;)
 
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Ideally I would love to swap out those screws. I'll call montebello Monday. Alternatively mount them on a two by four, Dremmel sand then paint them? I suppose a trip to the hardward store could get a match too. The allen bolts on the tape controls section etc.

As to the pinchroller, what I meant to say is that it cleaned up well and is very grippy, but not sticky. Like you said, a new tire.

Does tascam still have a stock of these old knobs? I havent' heard the prices if they do, so stickershock hasn't precluded my asking :rolleyes: Mine are indeed yellowed, and in bright light you can see the plastic is kind of "crackly" for lack of a better word. They work fine, it's purely a cosmetic thing. I guess I just would like to cherry this thing out. Don't know if you guys can understand that :D
 
Grippy is good. Sticky is not.

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Tascam Parts has screws, knobs, buttons and colored caps,... (last time I checked).

The hardware store should be sufficient to find matching screws at reasonable prices.

Cosmetic stuff and one LED are small issues. As long as it works, you're still fine. ;)
 
Ouch!

Ahright, ahright! I get the point. SHeesh :rolleyes:

I'm gonna move on to a topic like tape baking now.. :D






well, at least until I'm ready to discuss mixdown decks! Yum!
 
Just trying to help my fellow analogue enthusiast and recordist, that's all.. ;) :D

...and now, back to tape baking! :eek: :D ;)
 
..that's what I get for being a smart-aleck

Well, got a take up reel, (a nice metal Akai one with blue logo off an old 280d Quad surround!)
Turns out I've got a lazy tension roller on the take up side. I suppose some kind of tensioning is in order. Bounces up and down as tape transports. Any sage advice as to the procedure welcome. :)
 
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The Reel-Servo card adjustment for Tension Arm Position.

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Very sexy concise answer, thank you. I'm hoping when I get home to the manual that it's doing will spread before me in a vision of clarity :eek:
 
(Guess I don't have to wait til I get home, forgot I had saved a copy someone had put up on the web)

alrighty, page 1-9 has the procedure. Thanks Dave again for pinpointing the problem for me.

Couple questions:

If one is not in possession of a tentelo meter, can one "adjust by feel/sight" the (R-212, R-103 and R-105) pots to get in the ballpark, or will such an imprecise method do more harm than good?. Would turning right tighten the arm tension it as with say a normal screw?

as I do intend to keep the machine I suppose the meter might be a good purchase if they aren't too dear. Hopefully it is pretty self explanatory tool to use...

Thanks for your time.
M
 
If you get the geometry of the tension arm positions correct, you should be okay.

The bounciness should hopefully adjust out when the tension roller's in the right position. The transport's servo driven, so getting the errant tension arm in the right position should pep things up noticeably. (Don't mess with any of the other adjusments 'til you correct this problem). Tentalo meters are pretty rare items, so you have to eyeball & finess it.;)
 
Man, I hope it's that simple. I futzed with it quite a bit yesterday loaded with tape, and even just gently lifting the left and right tension bars unloaded, there was a real slowness in returning to position with the right tension bar, sometimes needing a nudge.
 
analog maintenance...straight into the deep end

:eek: Hmm.. What I thought you were saying is just getting the centerlines matched up before hitting play (referring to the manual centerline diagram). The bouncing continued. I really am out of my depth, but would love to give this a concerted effort before giving up.

WHen you say "getting the errant tension arm in the right position, is that physically placing it, (which if it is didn't cure the problem) or a mechanical adjustment made somewhere.

I guess I was expecting some kind of spring tensioner, a mechanical tensioner, rather that what looks like from the manual to be screwdriver turns of pots in a different location. (or is that what "servo" means?)

Don't expect you to hold my hand, but a shove in the right direction would be greatly appreciated!!
 
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