TASCAM 48 - need a manual

[havier3]

Hello everyone!.
If someone can help me with the operation manual to Tascam 48 - scans, pdf, something..

 

[beroshima]

hi, i do have one. the full book. its tons of pages. what part do you need ? all ?

greets
frank

 

[lodger]

Try Retrievo.com for any kind of manual.

 

[mario]

to lodger..retrevo.com...you got that right..thats where i get all my manuals

 

[christian.marcelli]

I would buy one from Tascam. It's a real pain to copy, the resulting file is huge, and the one they send from Tascam is on nice heavy card stock. I started to make a backup copy of mine and gave up. My scanner isn't big enough for the 11" x 17" foldouts...and there are a lot of them. I would say around 1/3 of the manual (maybe more) is on 11" x 17" foldouts.

 

[mocheez]

Found nothing on Retrevo. You really think Tascam still sells the manual for the 48? You think I can ask for it online? Or should I rather contact their local headquarters?

 

[bobadrew]

I found a manual for my M 520 mixing board at http://www.stereomanuals.com.
It cost $70 but was complete and had 11x17 folded pages. I was very pleased with it.

-andrew

 

[christian.marcelli]

I bought mine from Tascam about 3 months ago. I've been meaning to scan it into PDF so that I can be the cool guy sending the manual to everybody....but it's really, really a freaking hassle. You'll see when you get it. Every other page is an 11" x 17" foldout. Also, it comes punched for a three ring binder and is printed on nice heavy paper.

 

[mocheez]

Yeah, I remember the manual being a big and heavy thing. That Tascam 48 was given to me by my former boss. He had bought it for his post-production facility but the thing would just sit here, unused, for almost a decade… So he gladly gave it to me because I was making music and needed some kind of multi-track recorder. I ended up barely using it because the first DAW (Cubase VST) was released shortly after I got it…

So that Tascam 48 kept sitting around, unused, for another decade and I think it needs some servicing. My last attempts at using it were ruined by the many Ampex 456 (or was it 457?) tapes that came with the Tascam… They're all affected by the "sticky shed syndrome" and I had to clean the whole tape path a couple of times before I decided not to use them anymore ;-)

Nostalgia helping, I got back into R2R's, buying mostly 1/4" Akai's, but I would love to get that Tascam 48 up and running.

How much did you pay for it at Tascam? I searched the whole stereomanuals.com website but all they got for the Tascam 48 is the advertising brochure ;-)

 

[christian.marcelli]

I think it was $48 for both Operation and Service manuals. Having Kinko's scan it was going to be $30!

I have some of it scanned. whats your email? Send me a message

 

[ecs787s]

Hi Christian, I'm having some issues that I've posted in the DIY/Repairs forum at http://www.tascamforums.com/threads/tascam-48-record-button-and-dim-leds-and-calibration.342/

Would you be so kind to take a look at the schematic and blueprint/layout of the Control Board that I've posted and see if your manual matches or is a newer version? My manual doesn't maych the hardware that I have. I would greatly appreciate it!!

 

[christian.marcelli]

ecs787s, check your messages or send me a PM with your email. I have the manual but I'm not much of an electronics guy.

 

[ecs787s]

By the way, in your profile photo, does that remote work with the 48? did you make a mod? I would looooove to know how. Thanks

 

[christian.marcelli]

The remote is a Tascam AQ-65 Autolocator. It uses the parallel (Accessory 1) connection on the 48. From what I've read, the remote works with most later versions of the Tascam 48 (but not all). I should note that the AQ-65 manual suggests that my Tascam 48 version is too early to properly work. Maybe the previous owner did some modding.

I have a Midiizer and I'm looking for an IF-1000. When I find that, I'll sell the AQ-65...

 

[ecs787s]

Very interesting as I believe my 48 is a newer version based on the fact that the pcb boards in my machine don't match those in the manual, adding several more ICs and extra parts. I bet that thing works on my unit. Pretty neat that you found that out as I'd always heard the AQ-65 only worked with the 58. Thanks for the info, Christian!

Actually I might be thinking of the RC-51...

 

[christian.marcelli]

According to the AQ-65 manual, it is not compatible with 48's with serial numbers 110,000 or less. It is compatible with serial numbers 110,001-110,050 "w/modification" (not sure what that is), and "fully compatible" with serial numbers 110,051 and above. My machine's serial number is lower than 110,000 and the AQ-65 works great...not sure how! Nevertheless, this supports your idea that something changed in the 48. The odd thing is that I bought my Tascam 48 manual directly from Tascam about 2 months ago. They didn't ask about my serial number (which is under 110,000). The manual they sent contains the older schematic. Maybe the higher number machines are rare.

 

[ecs787s]

Yep, mine is no. 160,011-52, which by the suffix, I believe was built in the second quarter of '85. Thanks again for the info.

It is unfortunate, if it is fact, that there is only one version of the manual for all iterations of this beast.

 

[christian.marcelli]

I wonder if Tascam issued updates or bulletins to the manual, the kind where you get 5 new pages and have to swap them out. It might be worth a call to Tascam to ask that specific question.

For what it's worth, there is a factory original manual on eBay where the seller says it contains a new section for improvements made on serial nos. 110001 and higher.

 

[SkywaveTDR]

Folks, I am still looking for the original manual. My intention is to send it to Rick at Stereo Manuals where he has the ability to copy it appropriately. I have a lot of manuals from him and they are as good as Teac stuff- I know I used to work there. I bought a manual from off E bay that was for the 48. While the most of the manual is fine when you get to the schematics- the copy must have been done by a grade schooler. There is all kinds of terrible blurred pictures and you can hardly read it- If I would have seen this before I would have sent it back as it is crap. Probably the same one as is on there now. Rick at SM does not have the 48 and it looks like it is one of the only ones he does not have- that is why I want to get one over there for all of us to benefit from it. The schematics if large can be copied at any good Kinkos or such place. It might not be cheap but they have the right tools for the job. I found that the Tascam 44OB power supply is the same as the 48 as I compared the bad copy to the 44OB I have here. looking for solutions myself as I get these monsters in kind of regular. 58 is sitting here now.

Just so you know. Tascam has a very limited staff and no one there anymore with technical info. Jim Finch is gone. If they refer you to the place across the street you will be wasting your time as they are worthless as that is what I found. Forget about Simon calling you back he just does not and I doubt there really is such a person there- it might just be a code word for something.
Russ Bachmann in NJ and I in Chicago are the only guys left from Teac. Oh, Adrian in CA is another- we are not spring chickens.

 

[SkywaveTDR]

Rick at Stereomanuals.com will have some made shortly as I have facilitated that from a new fresh 48 manual. I too was tired of looking for one- no one except the garbage on E bay have them. Now you can get a good one from Rick

The manuals are in and Rick has some spares made but not a lot of them. Get them now or miss out. The two copies I got are up to Rick typical standards. This was a great endeavor and successful as well.