TASCAM 388 Transport Problems

Posted on 22 October, 2009 in Troubleshooting

Dylan's TASCAM 388

Some time ago, I started an email correspondence with a fellow named Dylan. Dylan had acquired a TASCAM 388 – aka Studio 8 – and he had a few questions about mixdown decks and about TASCAM analog recording equipment in general. A few months later, he emailed back and said that his 388 had stopped working, and he asked if I knew any technicians in the area. I offered to take a look at it myself, in hopes that it would be a simple fix, so that he wouldn’t have to spend money on having a professional look at it. And, I just wanted to see it, because I’d read a lot about these machines and wanted a close-up look at one.

Before I go into specifics on this particular machine’s problem, I want to explain a little about what the 388 is. The TASCAM 388 is an incredible little machine. I say “little” but it’s actually pretty big – 33″x25″x9″ (WxDxH) and I don’t know how many pounds it weighs, but it takes two people to lift it. It records eight tracks on 7″ reels of 1/4″ tape, the transport runs at 7.5ips, and it has a full 8x8x2 mixer section. Also included are built-in dbx noise reduction, search and cue functions, and the option of SMPTE capability through an accessory port on the back.

The 388 is basically a self-contained eight track studio, and it is more than enough for anyone who wants to get into making quality analog audio recordings at home. TASCAM got really good at designing compact headstacks after its initial successes with the Portatstudio line and took things a step further by introducing a product which fell somewhere between a tool for recording demos and a professional recording solution for serious production work.

A good number of 388 users and enthusiasts are out there:

• Foxboro Hot Tubs, a side project by members of Green Day, released an album in 2008, recorded on a 388
• San Francisco artist Kelley Stoltz tracks exclusively on a 388
• The Black Keys recorded their 2003 album, Thickfreakness, on a 388
• And, there are quite a few dedicated 388 enthusiasts on the Home Recording bulletin board.

Anyway, back to Dylan’s 388. It apparently had been working fine for some time. Before it stopped working completely, the tape counter seemed to be losing its accuracy, but it wasn’t too much of a concern to look into. Then – nothing. The machine would turn on, but when a tape was loaded the machine would not play, fast forward, or rewind. The transport engages for a fraction of a second before disengaging completely. Here’s a quick video to demonstrate the issue:

It was pretty puzzling. The tape tension was fine, and the tension arms were engaged. It didn’t appear to be related to the capstan belt, because the tape would move about an inch when I pressed play. It seemed like whatever the problem was, it was something that couldn’t be discovered unless I took the cover off. I was kind of eager to pop the thing open, so I went ahead…

388 Transport

More fun awaits. I will follow up with another post describing what I found, along with a handful of pictures of the 388′s insides.