Tascam 388 for me?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Erockrazor
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Rickson Gracie said:
Has anyone compared teh DMP3 with the mic pres in the 388? Ive used the Dmp3 in the past and its pretty good sounding. I have an Audio Buddy too. How do you think the Audio Buddy compares with the 388 pres? Thanks
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I have an audio buddy as well. I would say that the audio buddy will be cleaner than the 388 pre's. The 388 will probably have more character than the audio buddy but I'm not sure how that would translate into more musical terms. If you listen to the song I posted maybe 10 posts ago in this thread, that was recorded with an audio buddy. The audio buddy was the pre for the overhead condensers that I used. It worked well but I wouldn't say that the 388 pre's didnt work well, they just dont have phantom power. The 388 pre's are quieter than I expected.Hopefully you can get something out of that.:)
 
Hi to all and Happy New 2012 :) !
i came across this old tread and thought its a right place to ask.

I am trying to negotiate a deal with a seller here in France
who is selling Tascam 388 for 350 euros + 50 euros shipping.

The seller proclaims that the unit ( of his ex-band mate) is working
and has been stored in a dry place for long time , but that he cannot make a video
of it in action or even test it, and asks me to just trust him.
But if he is selling something that belongs to his ex-band mate , he might have no single idea of
how this unit works and in what state the unit really is....
All i got so far from him are few pics , the pic of the tape heads is really blurry ...

So i am absolutely puzzled to go for it or not ?

thanks in advance for any ideas

tape_small.webp
tascam_small.webp
 
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@vintagefreak:

I would insist on clear pictures of the heads before I bought it. That should go without saying any time you shop for a vintage tape recorder.

The top photo shows a reel of tape, so it shouldn't be a problem for the seller to thread the tape and give a demo. (A common seller ploy on Ebay is "I don't have the tools or technical knowledge to test it.")
 
@diggy_dude
thanks for such a prompt reply :)
i've just emailed the seller asking for more clear pics of the heads.
its not from eBay but from a forum with gear adds in france called Audiofanzine,
so its a private sale with communication trough email...
 
vintagefreak said:
maybe that's why the seller has dropped asking price from 500 euros
to 350 euros , when i've asked for a test video?
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I suspect he was hoping it would be a quick and easy sale to some credulous greenhorn who was compelled by the "vintage Tascam" hype to jump on it without checking things out first. That didn't go as expected, so now he just wants to unload it.

Your best bet is to wait for a good recorder to come up for sale in the HR free ads. There are two 38s listed right now. Then find a cheap M-308 to go with it, and you'll have a fair approximation of the 388, maybe a little better.
 
diggy_dude said:
I suspect he was hoping it would be a quick and easy sale to some credulous greenhorn who was compelled by the "vintage Tascam" hype to jump on it without checking things out first. That didn't go as expected, so now he just wants to unload it.

Your best bet is to wait for a good recorder to come up for sale in the HR free ads. There are two 38s listed right now. Then find a cheap M-308 to go with it, and you'll have a fair approximation of the 388, maybe a little better.
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i feel that you are right , as the seller is trying to make me feel guilty of doubting his vague info and telling me that "we, french aren't scammers" (btw, i am not french ;) , i just happened to live in Nice like lots of other foreign musicians ) . The reason i have reacted to his email , cause i 've posted a "wanted Tascam 388" add on the french Audiofanzine -
- hoping to purchase a good Reel-To-Reel 8 tracker locally ( Europe ) to safe on customs taxes that are crazy high in France for anything that comes outside of EU and costs more that 100 euros.

Are the users on this forum that post in the HR free ads are mostly from US or also from EU , should i post a "wanted" gear add here ?
 
vintagefreak said:
i feel that you are right , as the seller is trying to make me feel guilty of doubting his vague info and telling me that "we, french aren't scammers" (btw, i am not french ;) , i just happened to live in Nice like lots of other foreign musicians ) . The reason i have reacted to his email , cause i 've posted a "wanted Tascam 388" add on the french Audiofanzine -
- hoping to purchase a good Reel-To-Reel 8 tracker locally ( Europe ) to safe on customs taxes that are crazy high in France for anything that comes outside of EU and costs more that 100 euros.

Are the users on this forum that post in the HR free ads are mostly from US or also from EU , should i post a "wanted" gear add here ?
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Steenmaroo lives in the UK and has tape decks for sale all the time. The two 38s I mentioned are in Arizona, so the shipping cost might rule them out for you.
 
WarmJetGuitar said:
Wish we had 388's in Europe.
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yeah, there are rarely on sale :(

Honestly all i am after is an affordable 8 multitrack 1/4' reel-to-reel that is not an overkill
to maintain and find some parts as well as tape, with a good quality sound for recording jazz/soul/funk bands

Maybe i should look for other 1/4' reel to reel alternatives than Tascam 388 that sound as good or even better ?
 
vintagefreak said:
yeah, there are rarely on sale :(

Honestly all i am after is an affordable 8 multitrack 1/4' reel-to-reel that is not an overkill
to maintain and find some parts as well as tape, with a good quality sound for recording jazz/soul/funk bands

Maybe i should look for other 1/4' reel to reel alternatives than Tascam 388 that sound as good or even better ?
Click to expand...

You might find a better deal on a Fostex 80 then. They're not quite as in demand, although that will probably change as machines become more scarce.
 
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