Quick Tascam 388 question

[osrtapes]

hi! I'm maybe-buying a 388 (they're not at all new to me, been mostly using one for the past 8 years but I just moved from the US to Europe) and due to the lockdown I'm not going to be able to inspect it first.

https://imgur.com/a/VZv4uBv

does anyone notice any issues with the above picture of the heads?
the capstan belt needs replacement, no surprise there, and there's a video of that attached here too. does this seem consistent with a capstan belt issue to you? or do you intuit greater issues with the machine?

THANK YOU very much

 

[SkywaveTDR]

I have only worked on them in the very distant past and that they would never fit on my bench that I use now. The right tension arm is not reacting correctly and these decks are known for problems with the servo tension system. The heads look clean and I do not see any open gaps but a machine that works like the one shown in the video will have low hours as you can not use it that way. The heads if they are needed are not to be found anywhere and so this is one reason why a device like this would be avoided. It is far better to use a 1/2 8 track like a 38, 48, 58 as these will work more professionally and can be fixed as I am one who does them still. 8 channels on 1/4" tape is pushing the technology too far and the more you do that the faster it gives you trouble and that trouble is not always easy to resolve. The Tape tension issue is not that bad as if the heads had problems.

 

[wkrbee]

Uneven trapezoidal wear pattern. Looks like a groove worn in the head the width of the tape. Tape will skew in and out of that groove causing uneven level and high freq levels on tracks 1 and 8. Needs a re-lap. Re-lapping it now will extend the life of that unobtainable part.