Tascam To Release New Cassettes For Portastudio

[Bapu]

On 1/5/2022 at 2:24 PM, Shane_B. said:

The best sounding LP I ever played was an Epi stripped down Studio. That thing sounded and felt great. But I didn't take your advice. I walked away and came back the next weekend to show my wife and beg her to let me get it and it was gone. I think it was like $299 or $399? It wasn't very much at all. It was smaller and light but it sounded and felt great.

Next time at least give them a $20 hold until your wife approves the sale. Absolute worst case you blame her if they won't refund the $20 when she says no. Then again if she's in the store with you she won't leave without the $20 and then, of course, you're still out the two sawbucks.

Edited January 7, 2022 by Bapu

[craigb]

11 minutes ago, Bapu said:

Next time at least give them a $20 hold until your wife approves the sale. Absolute worst case you blame her if they won't refund the $20 when she says no. Then again if she's in the store with she won't leave without the $20 and then, of course, you're still out the two sawbucks.

I had a girlfriend like that.  Once, when I saw a particularly nice guitar, I got it for her.

Best trade I'd made in years! ?

[Shane_B.]

34 minutes ago, craigb said:

Best trade I'd made in years! ?

When you give up everything for them and wind up depending on them for food and shelter it kind of changes the dynamic of everything. ? IOW, that's not an option. ?

[Tim Smith]

20 hours ago, Shane_B. said:

I saw your video of that Martin DX. I have the same one only Lefty. It's a really nice guitar although I wish the DI sounded a bit more natural. There is a guitar shop in Des Moines that has a huge selection of lefty Martin's. I played about 7 of them ranging from $3500 to $500. That DX felt and sounded better than all the ones there. I really don't know what all the hubbub is about high end Martin's. The neck on the most expensive one was so difficult to fret that it actually hurt my hand and was twisted really bad. I've been to Martin's factory. I was born a few miles from Nazareth PA and stop in when I go back home to visit. It's quite a place to visit. The DX's are MIM but they are excellent guitars.

My brother bought me a really nice Ibanez acoustic when I was a kid. I fell on the ice carrying it in from band practice one night and shattered the back in to a thousand splinters. Made me sick.

About the only thing I don't like about the DX is the poorly made DI. I mean, it's strapped using velcro inside the guitar. That's why I usually track it with mics only. As a stand alone acoustic it's a nice little guitar. 

True story about the Nazareth factory. We were driving close to it while going somewhere else and I decided to drop by and take the tour. I get there and the place is closed that day, so I never went. We ended up in a nice Brazilian steak house for lunch while there. If you've ever been in one of those you know they just keep bringing the food around until you pop. Being the kind of person who likes to get his money's worth I really packed it in. I probably didn't need to eat for the next three days. Sadly I never got to the tour but I ate very well that day.

19 hours ago, telecode 101 said:

My thing with guitars,  that I found , that works for me is, when you try it, you will know it's the one for you and you just have to  buy it right there on the spot. If you walk away, you will come back a week later  and it will be gone. Happens all the time.

As far as quality goes. It's all relative. I have an expensive Ricky. I hate it. Well make instrument though. I have a few US Strats and a MIM tele.. The Tele is just as good as the US strats. Different guitar but fine for what it's meant to do. My fav is still my old Italian Eko from the 70s. I don't know what they made them with, but they knew how to make a good guitar that plays well.

Yep, that's what I should have done. I buy too many things mail order although the DX was purchased at a local GC. Never heard of Eko. Glad you found a winner.

I have some unusual instruments. I have a baritone uke re stringed to play in D. Many people see them as light hearted party instruments. This uke sits in an acoustic mix very well with a more serious sound. I also have an Irish Bouzouki. It's 4 courses of strings tuned DADG. It has a long reach scale, so I often use it for backing to other things. You can play fast on it but it takes practice. Not as easy as a mandolin where everything is close. I sometimes capo it and can get some interesting ideas out of it. I want to put a nice pick up put in it so I can take it out to play. I bought one but it's not "nice" and I hate to cut a hole on  a gamble it will work.I mic it up sometimes and track it.

And i went through 4 or 5 violins before I realized you have to buy a good one. Knock offs don't cut it on the violin. It's frustrating to play in a band with one sometimes because the guitarist decides to change the key and capo. You can't capo a violin.

-Tim

Edited January 6, 2022 by Tim Smith

[Byron Dickens]

Try the iRig acoustic. I've gotten some good results from it. Not quite like a good condenser, but it sits good in a mix.

I cheat & tune my bouzouki like a guitar.

[Tim Smith]

2 hours ago, bdickens said:

I cheat & tune my bouzouki like a guitar.

You have the Irish bouzouki or the middle eastern one?

[Shane_B.]

3 hours ago, Tim Smith said:

About the only thing I don't like about the DX is the poorly made DI. I mean, it's strapped using velcro inside the guitar. That's why I usually track it with mics only. As a stand alone acoustic it's a nice little guitar. 

It's pretty crappy for sure. No matter how I try I cannot get the nut to stay tight on the DI jack/strap peg. I keep forgetting to use Loctite or something similar. We used nail polish at work. It was cheap and when people saw it, it made a nice conversation piece. Hah. I used it and some of that fabric medical tape to patch a blown speaker at a band job one night. It worked for several more jobs until we got it in to get fixed. Probably would have lasted forever.

3 hours ago, Tim Smith said:

True story about the Nazareth factory. We were driving close to it while going somewhere else and I decided to drop by and take the tour. I get there and the place is closed that day, so I never went. We ended up in a nice Brazilian steak house for lunch while there. If you've ever been in one of those you know they just keep bringing the food around until you pop. Being the kind of person who likes to get his money's worth I really packed it in. I probably didn't need to eat for the next three days. Sadly I never got to the tour but I ate very well that day.

No, I should never go there. LOL! I put on 15lb's over Christmas because of my wife encouraging me to let loose for a while and have some pie and cookies. I am furious. It doesn't take much for me to put on weight. I think I have a food allergy to carbs. Seriously.

I've only ever eaten at The Nazareth Diner on 191. Old fashioned home cooking type stuff. Stopped there many a night after band jobs. That and Key City Diner in Phillipsburg NJ. Very interesting places at 2:30am ... ?

[Byron Dickens]

15 minutes ago, Tim Smith said:

You have the Irish bouzouki or the middle eastern one?

Irish. But my music borrows more from the Arabic world than from the Celtic.

How's that for cross-pollination? An Irish bouzouki - which is an adaptation of a Greek instrument- tuned like a guitar and played Middle-Eastern style!

Edited January 6, 2022 by bdickens

[craigb]

1 hour ago, bdickens said:

Irish. But my music borrows more from the Arabic world than from the Celtic.

How's that for cross-pollination? An Irish bouzouki - which is an adaptation of a Greek instrument- tuned like a guitar and played Middle-Eastern style!

Nice!  Just add some cowbell and you've got yourself a hit! ?

[Byron Dickens]

And a kazoo solo!

[RBH]

I've got an old Tascam 246 that I reconditioned about 5 years ago. New belts - cleaned switches and pots. I'm gonna get it ready for inflate- O-fest  on Reverb.

[Tim Smith]

Who would have imagined that in 2022 we could claim bragging rights on a Tascam Portastudio?

You have a DAW. PFfffffft. I have a Tascam portastudio

[pbognar]

On 1/3/2022 at 9:07 AM, Shane_B. said:

I just bought a vintage Tascam 4 Track on FB marketplace to replace the one I used decades ago that died. I've been transferring my old masters in to my DAW and having a blast. I also have a Tascam 8 Track but it only has 4 outputs. Honestly, the 4 track sounds better. Must be the tape speed because it is normal speed while the 8 track is double which may be why the tapes make a warbling sound over time as well. I don't know. 

This was back when I got my 4 Track on Facebook marketplace.

What a great idea - my nearly 40 year-old PortaStudio II is in the basement along with my original cassettes.  It would be a blast to go through that old stuff.