teac reel to reel machines

[dtguitar04]

Hey all, I'd like to say I'm an avid reader of this forum, and I'm hoping to open my own studio someday! In preparation, I collect random gear that I find. My job is throwing out some old gear, and I'm wondering what you guys think of Teac reel-to-reel machines. I didn't get a good look at it yet, but I did see it was a Teac (can't recall the model). Are Teac machines typically good quality machines?

[sthslvrcnfsn]

My experience is not as great as many people on this board - I've only been doing this as a serious hobby for 5 years, and lots of guys around here have been recording professionally for 10+ years - so take that into account when you hear my opinion.

Teac and Tascam tape machines (Teac is/was the parent company of Tascam) would be considered semi-professional, I think. As far as I know, all of these machines have unbalanced -10 dBu connectors. They aren't as high quality as Otari, Studer, MCI/Sony, and other machines. To the best of my knowledge, none of the Teac or Tascam machines have modular EQ and bias cards, like you would find in a higher-end stuff. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong.

That being said, my main multitrack right now is a Teac 80-8, which is a 1/2" 8-track. I've worked in dedicated studios with Otari, Studer and MCI tape machines and I really love working with them. For my little home studio, the 80-8 works just fine, and I can get pretty decent sound quality, even though mine hasn't been calibrated in a while.

I'd say the decision to hang on to it would depend on the other equipment you own, and the needs you have.

Good luck,
-jim!

[Steve V.]

I own a TEAC 2340, a 3300sx, and a Model 3 Mixer.

I love these machines. Very affordable and very good quality. They're for people like me, hobbyist engineers who have the occasional job of recording demos for other bands. With a good amount of upkeep and a good knowledge of how-to, you shouldn't have any problems with them.

I've had access to higher end machines, but I still prefer the comfort of my Teac.

Hope that nothing breaks though, because replacement parts for a lot of them are really hard to come by...yet, they are VERY easy to fix.

[dtguitar04]

UPDATE:

I just went and picked up the deck. It's a Teac X-7R, 1/4" 2 track with simple RCA in/outs on the back. It may not have the quality of the Otari/Studer/MCI stuff, but hey, for a free toy to play with, I won't complain!

I couldn't get a tape with it, so I'll have to order something. The unit at least turns on, so I'll do some more testing to see what I've got to use.