Hey guys
I'm new to this forum but have already learned a lot. Thank you for all your inputs.
I recently got a pretty battered-up Tascam 244 for next to nothing. It looks pretty used, but the VUs all work plus light, 'rewind' and 'forward' and 'play' make the tape move. Here comes the strange thing though - 'rewind' and 'forward' are not at the same speed and the machine forwards significantly faster than rewinding. And even stranger, when I press 'play' the tape moves as fast as when I 'forward'. Is this merely a belt issue? Should I change both belts?
I tried recording and Trk 1 sounded very weird - almost phaser-like (I guess due to the very high speed). Trk 2 and 3 didn't show signal input on the VU but the OVERLOAD blinked, when I gained the signal loud - but I couldn't record anything on them. Trk 4 seemed to work perfectly and sounded almost normal when I played what I had recorded.
Here are the big questions: Should I try to get new belts and replace those (easy to get on eBay)? Is the problems with recording on Trk 2 and Trk 3 related to the speed issue? Is it even worth it trying to fix this little beast?
Any opinions and help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!
I'm new to this forum but have already learned a lot. Thank you for all your inputs.
I recently got a pretty battered-up Tascam 244 for next to nothing. It looks pretty used, but the VUs all work plus light, 'rewind' and 'forward' and 'play' make the tape move. Here comes the strange thing though - 'rewind' and 'forward' are not at the same speed and the machine forwards significantly faster than rewinding. And even stranger, when I press 'play' the tape moves as fast as when I 'forward'. Is this merely a belt issue? Should I change both belts?
I tried recording and Trk 1 sounded very weird - almost phaser-like (I guess due to the very high speed). Trk 2 and 3 didn't show signal input on the VU but the OVERLOAD blinked, when I gained the signal loud - but I couldn't record anything on them. Trk 4 seemed to work perfectly and sounded almost normal when I played what I had recorded.
Here are the big questions: Should I try to get new belts and replace those (easy to get on eBay)? Is the problems with recording on Trk 2 and Trk 3 related to the speed issue? Is it even worth it trying to fix this little beast?
Any opinions and help is greatly appreciated. Thanks!