Some advice please...getting my first open reel recorder.

  • Thread starter Thread starter fred s.
  • Start date Start date
Fostex has a lot of plastic mechanical components,...

where the Tascam counterparts would be metal............ :eek: ;)
 
Where would you guys look if you were buying? Other than ebay, I've also gone through local paper and graigslist. I'd like to pull the trigger on this sometime n the next week.
 
fred s. said:
Where would you guys look if you were buying? Other than ebay, I've also gone through local paper and graigslist. I'd like to pull the trigger on this sometime n the next week.
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Where do you live? Craigslist started as a Bay Area classifieds site I think, and I live in the Bay Area so it is HUGE where I live, and new reel to reel's are posted EVERYDAY.

I have gotten 2 Otari 8 tracks with 1/2" tape off ebay. One I got for 100 and the other 200!! I've seen plenty of good deals on craiglist. If you see something you like, try and bring down the price, most sellers are flexible.

Newspapers ads are basically useless when it comes to reel to reels.

Ebay and craigslist is what it's all about.
 
jpmorris said:
On mine the power supply board went funny which caused the capstan to slow down sometimes. I took the board out partly to take voltage readings, and after that it started working again. Something may have come unseated during its journey :(

.
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Wow, that's sounds just like what mine does. I'll have to try that to see if it fixes the problem.
 
fred s. said:
Where would you guys look if you were buying? Other than ebay, I've also gone through local paper and graigslist. I'd like to pull the trigger on this sometime n the next week.
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Just like anti said, craigs list and also eBay. I'd look for local deals whenever possible. I'd avoid shipping unless the seller can crate it with extra padding on the inside. Another benefit is looking over the unit in person.
 
superbeatballer said:
Is this good shipping-wise?
http://cgi.ebay.com/Teac-Tascam-80-...6QQihZ011QQcategoryZ41480QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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Wow! Never seen one in its original box! I'd say the majority of good packaging is already there, HOWEVER, I do not believe this is sufficient to protect it from typical type of shipping (UPS, Fedex, DHL etc ...). I'm not saying it will arrive damaged. All I'm saying is that I personally would not feel comfortable shipping this type of recorder solely in its original box. Again, the majority of hard work is already done as the 80-8 is in its original protective packaging but I would, in addition to this, ask the seller to built a custom wooden crate, slip the original box in there and have it shipped via a freight company. It'll cost more but why take the chance otherwise, right ? ;)

Hint: This type of gear was meant to ride on a wooden sled from the factory.
 
I just want Fred to know what a crapshoot it is to buy decks on ebay. I lucked out with a kneejerk b.i.n. for $150 on my 40-4. I still had to shell out $150 to make the thing fully functional. I feel lucky! On a higher dollar item one might not be so lucky.
 
Good point. That's one of the reasons I don't purchase heavier electronics on ebay anymore. Maybe some tape or an effects box but that's it. If you can score locally then that's 100% better imho. ;)

Now, if I wanted to get something off of ebay that was bulky and fragile which needed to be shipped I'd not proceed until I knew the seller could crate it properly. Then again I'd have to be certain (impossible when buying sight unseen) the item was as advertised without any problems 'cause I'd lose out big time on shipping / crating costs. Yet more reason to buy locally. ;)
 
Thanks for the additional info.

PS: I think I'd also be interested in 4-track recorders using 1/4" tape.
 
fred s. said:
Thanks for the additional info.

PS: I think I'd also be interested in 4-track recorders using 1/4" tape.
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Look for a TEAC A-3440, TASCAM 22-4, TASCAM 34, TASCAM 34B. These are the more common recorders found on the used market using 1/4" tape (4 tracks).
 
Watch out for the Teac A-3440's. Though they look, and sound WAY COOL as they have a sorta 70's EQ bump to it, their electronics are a bit noisier than the other aforementioned 4 track models.

-callie-
 
Muckelroy said:
Watch out for the Teac A-3440's. Though they look, and sound WAY COOL as they have a sorta 70's EQ bump to it, their electronics are a bit noisier than the other aforementioned 4 track models.

-callie-
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I do agree and the 3440 is an older model than the others so it's wise to be especially careful on their condition. I did some direct comparisons bewteen the 3440 and the newer 34B and noted a certain sound difference, which is neither good nor bad, just different and also that the electronics were indeed a bit noisier (as callie mentioned) but the one thing the 3440 excelled at was its built quality and sheer power of the motors. I also dig the rather robust sound of the TEAC. The 3440 is a very good choice IF you get it in decent low use condition and have a full allignment done by a tech. Be especially watchfull for water damaged (internally) recorders of this age.
 
Hey I gave this some more thought...would the Delta 1010 LT be a good card for this? Any other cards I should look into to use with n-track?

ps: today I'm going to be checking out a local Tascam 388 I found. The guy said a couple VU Meter lights are out. Is this an easy fix?

Also found a pretty good Fostex model 80 for about $200.





jpmorris said:
One point I forgot to mention: You're talking about digitizing with a 2-channel soundcard, aren't you? That's not generally a good idea since the tracks will drift out of sync as the machine will never play back twice at exactly the same speed. You may find you have to do some fancy footwork in N-track to get the tracks to line up again, but it will depend on the length of the song and how stable the machine (and soundcard) are.

Ideally you'd want to get an 8-input soundcard and digitize them all at once, but it will probably cost the same as the recorder. That reminds me : I must get one of those cards myself so I can take safety copies of my master tapes.
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fred s. said:
Hey I gave this some more thought...would the Delta 1010 LT be a good card for this? Any other cards I should look into to use with n-track?

ps: today I'm going to be checking out a local Tascam 388 I found. The guy said a couple VU Meter lights are out. Is this an easy fix?
Also found a pretty good Fostex model 80 for about $200.
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Tascam: Don't know about the disassembly to get at them, but changing the bulbs isn't too hard. (Currently wondering whether to put christmas tree lights in his B77)

The Delta 1010LT is what I'm vaguely looking at for backing up my master tapes. If you're just doing a 2-track mixdown to the PC, you'll only need a stereo card, the Delta 24/96 thing, perhaps?
It's often a good idea to have the AD converters outside the PC, although it gets more expensive. The full version of the 1010 is not cheap, even on ebay.
For 2-track final masters I use a USB Transit. It's not without its problems, and it seems to work best in Linux (it was truly useless on my Windows setup) but it does the job.
 
One of the best 2-track digital recorders you can get is the Alesis Masterlink, but you'd be shoveling out at least 650 for a good one.

You can go the PC route, but if you're like me, and you don't wanna deal with file corruption, you may consider the classic - DATs. Otari makes some kick ass dat machines. Yeah, dat tapes are a bit pricy, but as long as you shuttle the dats before recording onto new ones, and you store them well, it's a pretty viable format. It's one of the most archivally sound forms of digital storage out there. Food for thought.
 
Yeah, I think it would probably be better though to get all 8 tracks on a pc at the same time on 8 separates...that's what I meant by giving it more thought.

I have a decent interface for 2 track mixdown...

But have been looking at the Delta 1010LT for 8 tracks.


jpmorris said:
Tascam: Don't know about the disassembly to get at them, but changing the bulbs isn't too hard. (Currently wondering whether to put christmas tree lights in his B77)

The Delta 1010LT is what I'm vaguely looking at for backing up my master tapes. If you're just doing a 2-track mixdown to the PC, you'll only need a stereo card, the Delta 24/96 thing, perhaps?
It's often a good idea to have the AD converters outside the PC, although it gets more expensive. The full version of the 1010 is not cheap, even on ebay.
For 2-track final masters I use a USB Transit. It's not without its problems, and it seems to work best in Linux (it was truly useless on my Windows setup) but it does the job.
Click to expand...
 
fred s. said:
today I'm going to be checking out a local Tascam 388 I found. The guy said a couple VU Meter lights are out. Is this an easy fix?
Click to expand...

Changing lights is easy but the disassembly to do so is a horror show, at least from my side. As long as the meters work, my best advice would be to leave the lights alone. Ok, so a couple are burnt. No biggie. Your biggest concern is that the machine works correctly and that the tape path is in good condition.
 
Guys...i ended up with the Fostex 80 for $200 :)
Local pickup.

The Tascam 388 is great but not exactly in the best condition for the asking price of $500 the guy was asking.

This is my first open reel recorder! What should i look for/test out? I dont have any tape yet...what should i get?

I also have been told I should "demagnetize" this.

What products do i clean it with?

also...are there any (free) manuals available online for this thing?
 
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