TASCAM DA-40 Boxed Brand New > Do I buy it?

Levasquez

New member
Hello All

My first post here as I need some advice from the Forum. I have just been offered a brand new, never opened Tascam DA-40 (and a CD-450) for $120USD a piece.

My question is, considering the TASCAM DA-40 is from 1999, would it still work properly out of the box, I mean the thing has been sat in storage for 19 years!

I can trust the CD Player working but I'm not so sure of the DAT with all its moving parts and rubber belts? Has anyone had this experience before.

I only want to buy the unit as I want to archive my olde music I recorded some 26 years ago, haha.



TASCAM DAT.jpeg
 
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19 years is a long time to think there could be nothing damaged by age in those units. Why go to DAT anyway? Why not just archive to a PC and keep your work as wav or mp3 files? Are you saying your archives are on CD to start with? If so......skip the DAT unit. If not....what format are your archives on?
 
Hi, I have a few DAT Tapes I want to Archive to Hard Drive. My two older DAT Machines died a long time ago. I'm here in Dubai so coming across any Machines which work is a rarity too. Given that I work in Broadcasting, we dumped DATs a long time ago too now we're tapeless. Any ones found in storage don't work either. I just want to archive these damn tapes, arghh. But yes, I'll be driving quiet a bit to collect these, so I'm curious whether it's worth it or not. The price is good as that would only buy me a few beers here, haha
 
Well.....to be honest......for that price.......and because they’re so scarce......you might just give it a try. If they work long enough to get the transfer done...........perfect! If not.......you may have to scour the web to find a service that might do that for you.

AFTERTHOUGHT..........If you do purchase the units be SURE to run some TEST DAT tapes (ones you can afford to lose) before going ahead with your archival transfer. If in doubt.........forget it.
 
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I'd get it.
Belts are easy enough to get and change. Tapes are more of an issue. Dropouts are common, and they're finicky as well.
I have two fully functional machines. DA 20 and a DA 30
Some tapes work on one machine, but not the other.

Re : belts. There is a main belt, not very big, but important. There's a smaller pulley and a larger one. Even if it hasn't turned to goo, it will become mis-shapen from sitting in the same position. It goes out of round.
It's the same as when you park a car too long. Tires will develop a flat spot.
So that belt should be replaced. But it's easy and cheap.
Periodic use helps the machine stay healthy.

Edit. Reread op, and you already have a few. Why not fix one of those?
 
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Thanks Mickster, I took some tapes and alas, the machine booted up, took the tape and kept it with the error on screen 'Mecha Com Err'. So that was a shame, the seller said I could take it for $40USD as a result. Before I did though he said he had 4 more, he will check out which of the remaining ones works, if not I can take any for $40! RFR, thanks for that advice, based upon what you wrote, I will take one either way then and give it a go! Preferably take a machine without a stuck DAT tape, just in case :) I did take the CD player home, that works fine!

I will report back as I'm sure I'll need a little more help.

Can I just add for the sake of how comic this part of the world can be, I met up with the seller at a car park where he has on one corner everything from boxed projectors, camera crew gear even Bose speakers. I was greeted with 'welcome to my office'! I asked him is it safe to keep all this gear here!? He replied with a heavy Arabic accent, 'we have cameras, inshallah, see', haha. I've attached a photo.


G1.jpeg

G2.jpeg

G3.jpeg
 
Hi, I have a few DAT Tapes I want to Archive to Hard Drive. My two older DAT Machines died a long time ago. I'm here in Dubai so coming across any Machines which work is a rarity too. Given that I work in Broadcasting, we dumped DATs a long time ago too now we're tapeless. Any ones found in storage don't work either. I just want to archive these damn tapes, arghh. But yes, I'll be driving quiet a bit to collect these, so I'm curious whether it's worth it or not. The price is good as that would only buy me a few beers here, haha

Get someone to service what you have. The NOS one will almost certainly have the same problem: all grease has hardened because it wasn't used for a very long time.
 
Well, I finally got some new belts and had it professionally serviced. It was given a clean bill of health and it works like a charm. I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this machine through my Hi-Fi, elegant. It certainly was more exciting than a HDD :)

Now to archive a few DATs and then decide what to do with it :confused:

dat.png
 
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