ethyrvalve
Norman Nanoweber
Here's RMGI's list of North American dealers: Dealer Locator
Not sure if this has already been been stated: LPR-35 would be ideal but if you can't find it, SM911 would work fine too.
Here's RMGI's list of North American dealers: Dealer Locator
Not sure if this has already been been stated: LPR-35 would be ideal but if you can't find it, SM911 would work fine too.
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Note that you'll want to pay some attention to bias requirements if you use the LPR35, which as ethyrvalve said is ideal (as compared to the SM911)...but the bias level setting stated in the manual is based on 457 and I did some testing earlier in thread and found a very different setting that was ideal for LPR35...this difference was supported by Tascam Analog Support at the time (i.e. they confirmed LPR35 bias level requirement is significantly different than the level stated in the manual which was based on Ampex/Quantegy 457).
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bsco
New member
You have got a fine recorder there.....It should serve you well......Well okay. So a number of you probably figured this was coming.
This is my tribute to the king of all-in-one analog recorder/reproducer multitrack tape devices.
I've had it for several weeks now and of course already have torn it apart cleaning it up and doing various minor repairs...doing my thing...but this is a keeper for sure. As I've "dug" into it I am so impressed with how it was engineered and the features it holds...I'll get more into that as I present the story in installments. I cannot imagine this thing being anything but a blast to use.
I've had my eye peripherally on the 388 ever since I first saw one. I remember my first reaction after seeing a picture of one shortly after returning to analog a couple years ago. Seems funny but up until that point I had totally missed the 388. They were introduced and discontinued before I got serious into recording and I quickly (regretfully) switched to digital after owning a Teac 3340S for only a short time. I was focused on the digital world for over a decade. So anyway, I remember thinking "What is that??" when I first saw a 388 and when I confirmed for myself that it was what I thought it was (functionally) I thought, and still think, it is theest piece of analog kit. So one did come up locally recently. No accessories, no manual, some empty 1/4" x 10.5" and 7" plastic reels and some unknown tape in poor condition, but it was local. When I went to look at it the seller nicely took the time to help me check out all the functions...had a mic and some monitors and headphones handy and some pre-recorded material as well. What I found was 388 in sound but not perfect condition...not abused, just used and in "it'll clean up good" condition. A couple mismatched and/or damaged knob caps for which I have spares, master meter lamps burned out, lock tab for the channel 2 mic jack broken and various scratches and nicks. Everything else was fully functional. Like I said, I could tell it had been used but appeared to have been reasonably well respected...not as nice as cjacek's 388 by any means.
Anyway, $350 and it was mine. Not a steal of a deal and I knew it, but not as high as I see prices climbing for these on eBay either. And, it was local...no shipping nightmare.
Here are the pics from the listing:
Yes, I agree, the shot of the headstack was worthless but the seller tried to get a hold of a camera other than his phone...he gave it a go.
To be continued...
T
Tommy Cavanaugh
New member
Hey there, a newbie here. My band recorded on a Tascam 388 back in about 1995 or so. I just recovered these sessions from the guy who recorded us however he does not have the 388 anymore. I found a fostex Model 80 1/4" 8 track player/recorder from a friend, tested it with some tapes he had and it worked fine. Put my tape in and it did not play anything at all. Question is do I need to find another Tascam 388 to play these? Was it a proprietary machine or will another player work? Any input would be appreciated. You may email me if you like Thanks!
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
I'm not certain the tracks line up precisely the same between the Fostex and the Tascam. Tascam was tight-lipped about the track specs on the 388, even to this day. The bigger issue is the Model 80 is a 15ips machine and the 388 is a 7.5ips machine. I recommend you procure another 388.
Mark7
Well-known member
Maybe a 388 owner in your country could even transfer the tracks to a computer for you and send you the stems.
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
+1 ^^^
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Vicshat
New member
Thank you all for the wealth of information in this thread and this forum in general. I am mostly new to analog recording (besides a few cassette 4-tracks when I was young) and I have picked up a Tascam 388. It was in need of a little TLC when I got it but one problem is evading me and I can not get it figured out. I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction of what to look for next. I'll try to be detailed without rambling...
When I got the unit some of the channels had scratchy pots and the panning didn't work on some channels (more specifically some channels were only all-left or all-right, the other speaker would get some signal but it was faint and distorted, if the pot was set just right and maybe pushed in a little it would work fine until you touched the pan knob again). This also affected the "assign" function. I decided to just give it a good cleaning to fix the scratchy pots and hopefully the panning. I made the mistake of taking off the faceplate to access the mixer section guts. I got everything cleaned up with some deoxit/q-tips/brush and when I went to reassemble I realized my mistake- it's impossible to put it back together from the front. So I had to take the mixer section completely apart to get it back together from the rear. I posses only the most basic electronic knowledge but luckily this thing is pretty easy to get back together.
So I got the unit back together and 3 of the 4 problem channels where working. HOWEVER, track 5 has a very low and distorted recorded signal. Before I took it apart I was able to record to track 5 and I can still hear material recorded previously on track 5. I contacted the dude I got it from because he had a spare unit and I wanted to get another channel strip "card" from him to see if that did the trick. Long story short, the guy felt bad about sending me off with a not 100% working unit so he just gave me his spare 388.
So I have another unit (with a bad transport and no capstan belt) to hack apart to make one fully functioning unit.
This is what I have tried thus far:
1. Swapping channel strip boards. I was counting on this doing the trick but I tried 3 or 4 of the strips from the spare unit and track 5 is still not getting to tape.
2. Reseating/swapping the play/rec cards by the meters. I was sure this would do it to but I've tried replacing/swapping/moving in multiple combinations of the 8 cards available and it's always track 5 that is the problem.
3. Replacing the long buss PCB that connects all the channels.
4. Replacing the furthest right board in the mixer section that has the red "record" buttons. Not really sure why I decided to try this other than it was easy enough and I'm getting desperate.
When I assign a mic to track 5 I get signal and I hear it through mains/headphone but not from the PGM Buss out. I'm not by the unit at the moment but I'm almost positive that I can assign a mic plugged into channel 5 to another PGM buss and I can hear it from the PGM out, so long as it isn't PGM 5.
I'm not really sure what to try next. I have cleaned the heads so I don't think the problem lies there. I must have just knocked something loose when I was putting it back together but I'm just not sure where to look.
Anyone have some advice on what to try next?
Thanks!
When I got the unit some of the channels had scratchy pots and the panning didn't work on some channels (more specifically some channels were only all-left or all-right, the other speaker would get some signal but it was faint and distorted, if the pot was set just right and maybe pushed in a little it would work fine until you touched the pan knob again). This also affected the "assign" function. I decided to just give it a good cleaning to fix the scratchy pots and hopefully the panning. I made the mistake of taking off the faceplate to access the mixer section guts. I got everything cleaned up with some deoxit/q-tips/brush and when I went to reassemble I realized my mistake- it's impossible to put it back together from the front. So I had to take the mixer section completely apart to get it back together from the rear. I posses only the most basic electronic knowledge but luckily this thing is pretty easy to get back together.
So I got the unit back together and 3 of the 4 problem channels where working. HOWEVER, track 5 has a very low and distorted recorded signal. Before I took it apart I was able to record to track 5 and I can still hear material recorded previously on track 5. I contacted the dude I got it from because he had a spare unit and I wanted to get another channel strip "card" from him to see if that did the trick. Long story short, the guy felt bad about sending me off with a not 100% working unit so he just gave me his spare 388.
So I have another unit (with a bad transport and no capstan belt) to hack apart to make one fully functioning unit.
This is what I have tried thus far:
1. Swapping channel strip boards. I was counting on this doing the trick but I tried 3 or 4 of the strips from the spare unit and track 5 is still not getting to tape.
2. Reseating/swapping the play/rec cards by the meters. I was sure this would do it to but I've tried replacing/swapping/moving in multiple combinations of the 8 cards available and it's always track 5 that is the problem.
3. Replacing the long buss PCB that connects all the channels.
4. Replacing the furthest right board in the mixer section that has the red "record" buttons. Not really sure why I decided to try this other than it was easy enough and I'm getting desperate.
When I assign a mic to track 5 I get signal and I hear it through mains/headphone but not from the PGM Buss out. I'm not by the unit at the moment but I'm almost positive that I can assign a mic plugged into channel 5 to another PGM buss and I can hear it from the PGM out, so long as it isn't PGM 5.
I'm not really sure what to try next. I have cleaned the heads so I don't think the problem lies there. I must have just knocked something loose when I was putting it back together but I'm just not sure where to look.
Anyone have some advice on what to try next?
Thanks!
V
Vicshat
New member
Oh yes, one more thing I tried re: the heads: someone else on the forum was having a similar problem but if they applied pressure to the tape while recording they would get a stronger signal. I noticed no difference when I tried this.
edit: one more thing: after reassembly the right tension arm wobbles a little when playing. maybe a 1/2" back and forth.
edit: one more thing: after reassembly the right tension arm wobbles a little when playing. maybe a 1/2" back and forth.
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bsco
New member
Quick question.......Did you take say a channel strip from one of the positions that you actually recorded through and install it in channel 5 slot?? and if so, did you still end up with a dead channel 5 position??
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Vicshat
New member
Well, when I first took it apart I didn't mark which channels were which, I just put it back together so it's unlikely that the same channel ended up on 5. However, 5 was working before I took it apart.
Once I got the spare unit I tried a few (3 or 4) channels from the spare with the same result. Signal comes in and hits the meters and the mains but the recorded signal is very, very faint and distorted.
V
Vicshat
New member
Other things I tried last night:
1. Replace channel 5 fader. No dice
2. Tape out from channel 5 is also weak distorted signal
3. When recording with DBX OFF there is not even a faint signal recorded to 5. Just records silence. Tried swapping DBX cards, no dice.
4. Mic signal comes from access "send" prior to recording.
5. By running tape out 1 into pgm in 5 I can monitor what's playing on track 1 by monitoring 5. When I record on track 5 from tape 1 I can't hear any playback
6. I also swapped the monitor/fx rtn boards on the mixer section.
At this point I've almost completely swapped the mixer section from the spare unit into the main unit. I'm starting to think I'd be better off taking the transport off the main unit and getting the spare into working condition. At some point I'd like to get them both fully functional but man, I'm ready to make some tunes with thing.
1. Replace channel 5 fader. No dice
2. Tape out from channel 5 is also weak distorted signal
3. When recording with DBX OFF there is not even a faint signal recorded to 5. Just records silence. Tried swapping DBX cards, no dice.
4. Mic signal comes from access "send" prior to recording.
5. By running tape out 1 into pgm in 5 I can monitor what's playing on track 1 by monitoring 5. When I record on track 5 from tape 1 I can't hear any playback
6. I also swapped the monitor/fx rtn boards on the mixer section.
At this point I've almost completely swapped the mixer section from the spare unit into the main unit. I'm starting to think I'd be better off taking the transport off the main unit and getting the spare into working condition. At some point I'd like to get them both fully functional but man, I'm ready to make some tunes with thing.
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sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
You're doing too much at once. It makes it impossible to troubleshoot from afar. You have no idea if you have one problem or multiple problems, and by changing multiple things at once you potentially compound the issue making it harder to narrow down what's going on. Slow down. If I get a chance I will try and study all your posts to try and make sense of what the current state is, and what you've tried (taking into account the possibility of new problems you may have introduced).
The 388 is vintage and complex...there is shared logic between the transport and mixer sections, and only the primary motherboard is made from glass fiber...the rest are phenolic resin. The more plugging/unplugging/swapping you do without a plan is just asking for more trouble.
I'm not trying to talk down or discourage...I'm just wanting you to slow down and curb your shotgun approach because you will inevitably introduce new problems, grow new tails to chase, and make it impossible for anybody to help.
I have to find my 388 schematics.
The 388 is vintage and complex...there is shared logic between the transport and mixer sections, and only the primary motherboard is made from glass fiber...the rest are phenolic resin. The more plugging/unplugging/swapping you do without a plan is just asking for more trouble.
I'm not trying to talk down or discourage...I'm just wanting you to slow down and curb your shotgun approach because you will inevitably introduce new problems, grow new tails to chase, and make it impossible for anybody to help.
I have to find my 388 schematics.
V
Vicshat
New member
Understood. My intention was to do my research and try the things that had resolved the problem for other people before reaching out for help. I wanted to avoid barging in to a new forum and asking for help without trying what I could. I hadn't really considered I could be making it worse or overwhelming potential helpers with too much at once.
I didn't do any swapping on anything last night but I did discover something that I think could help narrow it down. I'll keep it brief.
When I playback something that has been successfully recorded to track 5 (recorded before the problem started) I get a strong signal out of the tape out, but a weak signal out of PGM out 5. All the other tracks have the same output level from tape out and pgm out. I'm not sure what exactly to do with that info but I think it could help narrow it down.
I didn't do any swapping on anything last night but I did discover something that I think could help narrow it down. I'll keep it brief.
When I playback something that has been successfully recorded to track 5 (recorded before the problem started) I get a strong signal out of the tape out, but a weak signal out of PGM out 5. All the other tracks have the same output level from tape out and pgm out. I'm not sure what exactly to do with that info but I think it could help narrow it down.
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
What happens to the PGM 5 output of the known good material on track 5 if you gently press on the PGM master fader cap? Anything?
V
Vicshat
New member
No difference in sound when I press on the PGM fader.
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
I think with all the changes you've made and things you've tried, I know it would help me if you posted an updated summary of what's working and what's not working.
B
bsco
New member
sweetbeats is right....you have a situation where now you don't know what is going on......Lets just say that for now the machine is assembled enough to be useable.....hook up the outputs to any small external amp and see what works and what don't....check both outputs seperately if you have to.....make a note of what channels work and what don't and then post it here.....that way the techs here can help you get this machine back in working order....if there appears to be more than one issue then list them and then the guys here on the forum can help you solve them one at a time...
V
Vicshat
New member
The only thing that is not working is recording new info to track 5 or playing back previously recorded track 5 from the pgm 5 output.
Previously recorded sound plays back from track 5 trying the mains, tape out, etc. Just not pgm 5.
All other channels function as they should, good signal from mains, monitor, tape out, pgm out.
Heres a short summary of what's been swapped from the other machine:
A few different channel strips
Rec/play cards
Long buss pcb
Dbx cards
Channel 5 fader
Monitor section pcbs (from mixer section)
Everything else still works fine but the track 5 problem remains.
Previously recorded sound plays back from track 5 trying the mains, tape out, etc. Just not pgm 5.
All other channels function as they should, good signal from mains, monitor, tape out, pgm out.
Heres a short summary of what's been swapped from the other machine:
A few different channel strips
Rec/play cards
Long buss pcb
Dbx cards
Channel 5 fader
Monitor section pcbs (from mixer section)
Everything else still works fine but the track 5 problem remains.
sweetbeats
Reel deep thoughts...
Does the problem follow the rec/play amp card? Like swap the 5-7 card with the 6-8 card. Does the problem now manifest with tape track 6 instead of track 5, or does the problem remain with track 5 even though amp cards have been swapped?