Tascam 38 questions

[qwarks]

I've had this machine for about 5 years and never put it into service, as
it needs a little bit of maintenance, I didn't have a proper mixer, was still
using my 464 until it bit the dust, and a few dozen other excuses.

So now that I've been on a campaign/binge to a$$emble a decent home
studio, I'd also like to get the 38 serviced and ready for use if I choose to.

1st Q: does anyone know of a source for rolling stands, so that I could
keep the 38 in that vs table top usage ?

2nd Q: where does the 38 sit re: quality vs the 48 and 58 machines, and
does that quality translate to better sound, more rugged transport, or ???


Thanks for any input .

 

[The Ghost of FM]

Regarding question one;

Before you can put the 38 into a roll around stand, you'll need to have the rack ears/rails which were an optional accessory for the 38.

If you have them, I'm sure your friendly, neighborhood music retailer should have something suitable and there's always Ebay too!

Years ago, I took the bottom half of an office chair which had wheels and a tilting mechanism to it and removed the seat part, replaced it with a wooden shelf and mounted my old A3340S on its back and made a cheap, functional roll-around cart for it for next to nothing.

Regarding question two;

The 38 was indeed the bottom of the line in the 80's when the 48 and 58 were offered as the upper models with additional transport niceties like direct drive, quieter and wider range electronics and additional synchronizer compatibilities which were not present on the 38.

All in all though, the differences in sound quality were not that stark a difference and if sound quality was your main concern, the 38 was and is a great sounding deck.

Cheers!