I found a Tascam 388 // Reel to Reel Tape Recorder

I found a Vintage Tascam 388 tape machine, a multi track tape recorder intended for home recording studios. This thing is cool, they are getting rare, and it was a journey to find it, diagnose it, repair it, and record a song with it!

My Tape Recording Tactics Course:
https://tinyurl.com/3u7nysmp

My Gear:
Clarett 4Pre - https://imp.i114863.net/Jr0brE
Danelectro Honeytone - https://imp.i114863.net/RyXzkv
The Timmy Pedal - https://imp.i114863.net/n1zqoR
line6 m9 pedal - https://imp.i114863.net/jWgNnn
Epiphone SG - https://imp.i114863.net/5b3R61
Warm Audio tb12 tonebeast preamp - https://imp.i114863.net/ZdD2Zz
SM7B Dynamic Mic - https://imp.i114863.net/WDLb1e
SM57 Dynamic Mic - https://imp.i114863.net/Eajk3D
MXL 990 Condenser Mic - https://imp.i114863.net/Xxq6V3
MXL v67g Condenser Mic - https://imp.i114863.net/BXQj6J
Audio Technica AT2020 Condenser Mic - https://imp.i114863.net/zakW7G
Mogami Guitar Cable - https://imp.i114863.net/KeAV1e
Mogami Mic Cable - https://imp.i114863.net/mgBeAO

I've messed with the Tascam 424, and the Tascam 414 Portastudio, both cool. This is like the portastudio on crack. Plus it isn't very portable

If you'd like to see me tear this entire machine apart and fix channel 1, please let me know by subscribing thanks :)
https://www.youtube.com/travisraab?su...

0:00 How did I find this deal?
1:35 Testing, Loading Tape.
3:23 What the heck is wrong?
5:35 Repairing
7:41 Recording & FF Time Warp

100% of this home recording studio build has been with reclaimed gear, and 90% of those things I found inside this barn. For instance the monitors are old speakers that I repaired, run into my interface with old cables I found, sitting on a folding table desk that was in here, using an old 58 and radio shack mics, recording old instruments that I repaired, using my old drums from college, an old amp that someone left here that I fixed, and my dads old guitar, etc.

There were a few times where I needed little things for this studio build. And I totally did not need a tascam 388. Digital recording is absolutely fine and great. But during covid times I have done a lot of bargain hunting on craigslist and facebook market place in the dead of winter, and wow there are some amazing deals out there. This tascam 388 studio 8 was one of them. At first I really regretted buying this. I tried to just get rid of it right away. I was convinced it would be an irreparable paper weight that would never have any use. Even though it was a good deal and a cool machine, it just felt like the complete opposite of the whole spirit of the studio, and so I plan to sell it eventually. Right now i'm just messing around with it and trying to get it into good shape.

I am not a professional electric, or certified tascam repair person, nor do I claim to have any knowledge of what the hell I am doing, as you can see. So, I was under the impression that transport controls are sort of interrelated, and adjusting one function can effect all of the other aspects fo the machine. So that was freaking me out a lot, especially without having the proper tells to calibrate the machine. But I guess that fast forward speed is normal after comparing it to another 388 machine, so that's good to know!

I've messed with cassette machines and they are definitely cool, in fact I compare this 388 with the portastudio 424 and the yamaha mt44 in another video. But the kind of squishy response on this is quite different. It's a lot of fun, definitely not for everything, but pretty cool!

Thanks for watching!
#388 #tascam #analog #tape #homerecording
https://www.TravisRaab.com
Studio Guitarist & Virtual Guitar Teacher
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