thining about picking up a tascam 38

DuddyGuy

DuddyGuy

No good fer nothin!
Im thinking of picking up a tascam 38 as my first big plunge into reel to reel equipment.

From the pictures it appears to be in decent shape, the seller has advised that the capstan drive belt is broken... ive done my research and decided this is not a big enough issue to put me off and should be pretty straightforward to repair.

Im wondering though if anyone has any advice on particular things to take note of when I go examine the unit, and also I will be paying somewhere in the $300 range and wanted to know what you all thought of that price for what we will assume is a good condition 38 with a broken capstan belt.

Thanks much
 
DuddyGuy said:
Im thinking of picking up a tascam 38 as my first big plunge into reel to reel equipment.

From the pictures it appears to be in decent shape, the seller has advised that the capstan drive belt is broken... ive done my research and decided this is not a big enough issue to put me off and should be pretty straightforward to repair.

Im wondering though if anyone has any advice on particular things to take note of when I go examine the unit, and also I will be paying somewhere in the $300 range and wanted to know what you all thought of that price for what we will assume is a good condition 38 with a broken capstan belt.

Thanks much
Click to expand...

If you're handy, and if you are comfortable with cracking it open to replace the belt (it's not difficult, just a little intimidating), then $300 is a fantastic price. Make sure that the heads are OK. If you're unfamiliar with tape heads or how to inspect them, look at the images here for a rough guide. Any signs of oxidation are a red flag, too.
 
It looks like this is a local deal and that's great. The way I see it, shipping is ideal for objects not requiring a massive time / material investment (and know-how) in packing, that precise and often heavy electronics demand, that very, very few sellers can supply, unfortunately. Many a Tascam recorder end up at landfills or are stripped down for parts, perfectly working / looking units, prior to shipment, that is. :eek:

Yeah, back on point, lo.fi's right on. I'd also run the machine through all of its operations, listening for any odd noises and such. Listening and careful observation, is key. If possible, record something.
 
I have a Tascam 38. I love the way it sounds. I've had it since the mid 80s. Havn't been using it though because the capstan won't turn. It feels stuck. Maybe it's the belt but I'm afraid to open it up. It also makes a wonderful analog slap echo!
 
Coincidentally, I need to either adjust or replace the belt on a deck that I just bought. I'll write a little article about it and post it here. I'm getting a digital camera this weekend, so I'll probably have something up in the next week.

Replacing a belt isn't as tough as it might seem.
 
300 is a good price if things are in good shape. I bought mine in November for 125.00 plus 40.00 shipping. When I got mine it needed some work that cost me 225.00 but it works fine and has a great sound. Post pics if you get it. I also have the manual if you need it.
 
I got mine for $300 plus shipping and it arrived as junk.

Capstan belt was disintegrated but I got another one for about $20, opened up the unit, and cleaned it up and replaced the belt.

The bottom frame was bent inwards but did not damage the cards inside. I also had to raise the left reel table as well.

I got the machine working but I am going to perform a full align/cal procedure on it anyway.

Replacing the capstan belt was pretty easy though, cleaning the melted rubber out was a pain.

If you can pick up the unit, great.

Good luck.
 
thanks for the replies guys, ill take the advice to heart... it's a fairly local deal ~100miles so local enough, worst case im out 40 bucks in gas:mad:

as to the manual both the service and the operations will be included according to the seller so thanks for the offer but hopefully ill have no need. as well as a new reel of tape which is sweet.

i knew to avoid machines with tarish sticky rubber parts, but was unaware of the oxidation issues... where should i be looking for it at? the heads? thanks for the links on the head pics i had seen that before but now i can review it real quick before i head out without having to look for it again.

Im pretty handy im not too concerned about replacing the belt seems pretty straight forward from what ive read, and since tascam still stocks the part i feel pretty confident that it wont be an issue for me. in fact i think ill enjoy taking it apart and putting it back together:)

As to running through all the machines operations my understanding is that with a snapped capstan im going to have to lift the tension arm in order to get it to play fast forward or rewing... correct? and im assuming this is done without tape in the machine, can it be done with? and would i be able to test playback and record functions while lifting the arm? also i believe i know which one the tension arm is but if someone could post a pic confirming its identity i would appreciate it!
 
And it is always worth checking with Teac to see if they have stock on a rubber roller first, but I'm about to have my first experience with Terry on a rebuild of my BR-20T roller and in that case it made a lot of sense to send it to Terry...About $43 including shipping both ways for a rebuild from Terry, and about $65 + S&H for a new one from Teac but they are presently out of stock.

I have also heard nothing but good regarding Terry Witt and his services either from a quality or customer service standpoint.
 
good to know about terry, ill take sweetbeats vote of confidence any day as we have all seen the standards he imposes on his equipment. If I run into rubber issues ill definitely check with teac, as i used to live in montebello, and currently live about 45 min away and still have some family and what not up there that would be delighted if i popped in for a bit.

of course now im intrigued by this
http://sandiego.craigslist.org/csd/msg/1381073306.html
 
DuddyGuy said:
As to running through all the machines operations my understanding is that with a snapped capstan im going to have to lift the tension arm in order to get it to play fast forward or rewing... correct? and im assuming this is done without tape in the machine, can it be done with? and would i be able to test playback and record functions while lifting the arm? also i believe i know which one the tension arm is but if someone could post a pic confirming its identity i would appreciate it!
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot that the capstan belt is the problem. OK, you still can lift up the right tension arm (which I believe has the tape sensor) and press REW / FF even play (but it'll still run fast) but the pinch roller will engage. You can still observe how crisp and commanding the operations work, including any strange noises coming from the motors etc... BTW, the capstan motor will still work but (because of the capstan belt) the capstan shaft won't turn (and thus in turn the roller). Listen carefully to the capstan motor sound when you solely lift the right tension arm (is it working?). You can test a lot of the operations that way and then visually. You can also hook up the back to a signal and watch the input on the VU meters. Obviously, you can also check that all lights, indicators work etc.... OK, you can't really record (bad capstan belt) but at least you can make an educated guess that this machine has or has not any more problems or how beat up / worn it is or if it's mint. Treat this as a used car.

Also check this:
http://www.analogrules.com/badheads.html

:)
 
Don't think, do. If it's in good shape and the belt is the biggest obstacle, jump on it. It's built like a tank and will practically last forever.;)

I got a TSR-8 (basically a newer version of a 38) and love it, but I'm still on the hunt for a good 38.
 
jjones1700 said:
Don't think, do. If it's in good shape and the belt is the biggest obstacle, jump on it. It's built like a tank and will practically last forever.;)

I got a TSR-8 (basically a newer version of a 38) and love it, but I'm still on the hunt for a good 38.
Click to expand...

I seen one off junkbay for 200.00 plus 30.00 shipping I think. It's suposto be in good shape but you know how that can be. I'll keep an eye open for you. BTW I'm still working on the rack ear thing. I'll keep you in the loop.
 
dodgeaspen said:
I seen one off junkbay for 200.00 plus 30.00 shipping I think. It's suposto be in good shape but you know how that can be. I'll keep an eye open for you. BTW I'm still working on the rack ear thing. I'll keep you in the loop.
Click to expand...

I'm not too keen on having a 50+ lbs work of art destroyed in shipping. It also doesn't help that I got laid off on Tuesday. Going to have to take it easy on buying the new toys for a while.:(
 
cjacek said:
Oh yeah, that's right, I forgot that the capstan belt is the problem. OK, you still can lift up the right tension arm (which I believe has the tape sensor) and press REW / FF even play (but it'll still run fast) but the pinch roller will engage. You can still observe how crisp and commanding the operations work, including any strange noises coming from the motors etc... BTW, the capstan motor will still work but (because of the capstan belt) the capstan shaft won't turn (and thus in turn the roller). Listen carefully to the capstan motor sound when you solely lift the right tension arm (is it working?). You can test a lot of the operations that way and then visually. You can also hook up the back to a signal and watch the input on the VU meters. Obviously, you can also check that all lights, indicators work etc.... OK, you can't really record (bad capstan belt) but at least you can make an educated guess that this machine has or has not any more problems or how beat up / worn it is or if it's mint. Treat this as a used car.

Also check this:
http://www.analogrules.com/badheads.html

:)
Click to expand...

perfect! thanks. yeah i did some research on the fostex and decided id be better off with the 38, so im off to check it out first thing tommorow, thanks everyone ill let you know how things turn out.
 
well thanks for all the help guys, but this one didnt work out... the overall condition was much poorer then i had expected and there seemed to be more wrong with the unit then just the capstan.

so unfortunately it looks like im still just a digital guy with an analog board:(

im still on the hunt though so ill post a follow through when i do come up with something
 
jjones1700 said:
I'm not too keen on having a 50+ lbs work of art destroyed in shipping. It also doesn't help that I got laid off on Tuesday. Going to have to take it easy on buying the new toys for a while.:(
Click to expand...

Man I'm real sorry to hear about your job. I was layedoff in March so I know where your coming from.Good luck.
 
DuddyGuy said:
well thanks for all the help guys, but this one didnt work out... the overall condition was much poorer then i had expected and there seemed to be more wrong with the unit then just the capstan.

so unfortunately it looks like im still just a digital guy with an analog board:(

im still on the hunt though so ill post a follow through when i do come up with something
Click to expand...

Man that sucks. I hope you find one soon. I'll keep an eye out and if I see one I'll let you know.
 
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