What if TASCAM ...... ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cjacek
  • Start date Start date
Ok, let me ask you all: When someone takes their 246 or 388 or 34 or 38 or whatever to TASCAM and asks them to "refurbish" it, what does this usually entail ? What is involved in the "refurbishing" process ?

Daniel
 
Derek Verner said:
You can't refurbish 30 year old machines without a stock of parts. Many of these parts were made by sub-contractors that are no longer even in business.
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Well, most of the parts would be possible to manufacture with a relative simple set of tool manufacturing. Manually, of course, but there ya go.

The exception would be buttons.

A refurbished machine like this will probably be seriously expensive, but at least much cheaper than a new one. Since you can get the machines for quite cheap, the refurbish cost it almost only work. Say a couple of days per machine = 30 hours, with a cost of $50 per hour = $1500.

That seems like reasonble costs for me.
 
cjacek said:
Ok, let me ask you all: When someone takes their 246 or 388 or 34 or 38 or whatever to TASCAM and asks them to "refurbish" it, what does this usually entail ? What is involved in the "refurbishing" process ?

Daniel
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It entails changing what ever is out of factory spec.

Each machine will have its own unique set of requirements.

There is no universal answer for your question.

Cheers! :)
 
There is a private individual that has a hobby/ business of refurbishing old recording machines. I don't have the link handy, but I think it is "Vintage TX" or something similar.
 
regebro said:
Say a couple of days per machine = 30 hours, with a cost of $50 per hour = $1500.

That seems like reasonble costs for me.
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Depends on what machine we're talking about. If you saw the inside of my M600 I bet you'd add a zero....or two to that number. I guess we're talking recorders here.

Seriously though, why can't TASCAM just contract a few batches of the most common parts to fail? Granted it wouldn't be cheap but I think there would be a small but profitable market for that.
 
jake-owa said:
Depends on what machine we're talking about. If you saw the inside of my M600 I bet you'd add a zero....or two to that number. I guess we're talking recorders here.

Seriously though, why can't TASCAM just contract a few batches of the most common parts to fail? Granted it wouldn't be cheap but I think there would be a small but profitable market for that.
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Agreed. Also, I think TASCAM made a major error in putting all of its eggs in one basket - Digital. I think TASCAM can still do it so that it profits and puts out some ANALOG gear outthere. I think it can be done, cutting costs where it can etc .. I also think many people today, who bought into the whole "digital is better" concept yesteryear, and perhaps helped to drive analog gear into extinction, are slowly finding out that digital is not all it was purported to be and that recording analog is something they severely miss or wish to get into again. I know how this whole thing works and how easy one can be braiwashed into buying into digital. I've been through that.

Daniel
 
jake-owa said:
Depends on what machine we're talking about. If you saw the inside of my M600 I bet you'd add a zero....or two to that number. I guess we're talking recorders here.
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Yeah, I was thinking about recorders. Mixers could be worse, because a mixer gone bad may need to have most of it's pots changed, and and each of those then needs to be recalibrated too, so yeah, in worst case, a zero.

But most working mixers getting refurbished would only need a few pots replaced, some knew knobs and a good vacuuming. :)
 
regebro said:
Yeah, I was thinking about recorders. Mixers could be worse, because a mixer gone bad may need to have most of it's pots changed, and and each of those then needs to be recalibrated too, so yeah, in worst case, a zero.

But most working mixers getting refurbished would only need a few pots replaced, some knew knobs and a good vacuuming. :)
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I would guess most of TASCAM's pots and faders would be easily cleanable, mine was. I bet the recapping and testing/calibrating would be the most costly issue with the consoles.
 
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