Tascam 38 symptoms. Bad belt?

  • Thread starter Thread starter jjones1700
  • Start date Start date
jjones1700

jjones1700

Learning, always learning
As most of you have probably seen in this thread, I am the proud new owner of a Tascam 38, along with some other goodies. I finally got around (this afternoon) to putting the 38 through it's paces. Upon placing a reel of 456 (post SSS era) on it and letting it play, I noticed something seemed a bit off. About twice in every revolution, it would almost stop, then pick back up and keep going. If I fast forward the tape to where most of the tape is on the take up side, I didn't really notice it doing that. Right now I have my trusty TSR-8 running that same tape to make a good tape pack for storage, and I see that it is spinning at almost twice the speed that the 38 was.

In FFWD and RWD on the 38, the motors picked up and hauled ass, so much so that it was making me nervous of how much it would destroy the leader tape when it zipped off the other reel.:eek: It's just in playback/record that it has the speed/consistency problem. I haven't cracked open my manual for it yet, but how hard is it to change the belt on the 38? I can just barely see it from the top, and I see part of the flywheel and the entire back of the capstan motor casing when I peer through the back. Suggestions? I'd love to be able to have two individual mixing boards and 8 trackers set up.:D
 
If you've got another deck playing the same reel of tape without issues, then yeah, it probably is the capstan belt on its last legs.

There's a thread on this 1st page here with a link to a you-tube video of some dude with tats talking you through changing the belt which should give you enough info alone to do the job successfully.

Good luck and cheers for the holidays! :)
 
Awesome! Thanks a bunch FM! Now all I have to do is order the belt. Damn! means I have to wait!:mad:
 
video

That guy whos talking in the video is the most hilarious dude of all time.

I love him.
 
That guy whos talking in the video is the most hilarious dude of all time.

I love him.

It is a great video isn't it? I good laugh or two out of the way he was talking. Sounds like an auto mechanic describing the procedure.:p
 
Back
Top