Tascam 488

[john smies]

Hi there,

I am totally new to this forum and to the subject at hand.
I play keyboards and (acoustic) guitar, and I sing.
I am considering buying a tascam 488 porta, and wonder in how far the quality of the sound reproduction is inferior to a four track ,say 242, as there is considerably less tape-space available for each track ?
I can have a second hand 488, MK11, for about 350 Euros, is that a good bargain ?

thank you for your advice/opinions,

john

 

[The Green Hornet]

Yo John:

The Tascam 488 is a pretty good unit. I had two of them and still have one in my storage area.

Not too difficult to get around on the gear and the "manual" isn't too bad to follow.

Main trouble, you have to wait for the tape to rewind before you can over-dub or add another track or more tracks.

Do not use 90 minute tapes in the unit -- 60 minute quality tape is recommended in the manual I believe.

I'd take a look at some of the digital DAWS out there if it's within your $ range. No waiting -- push a button and ZAPPO, right back to the beginning, plus so many other advantages over the 488.

I'm sure you enjoy the unit but make sure that the former owner hasn't spilled Heiniken beer down the faders, or Tuborg or gin, etc.

Cheers,
Green Hornet