TEAC A-3440 Last Production Year ???

[Daniel]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Hello,

Does anyone know the LAST time the A-3440 (not to be confused with the 3340
which is older) was manufactured ?

Thanks so much!

Daniel

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

my records show 1979 - 1983 $1,199 list
nice unit - I use it with an Ampex remote (I also have
an Ampex ATR700 that uses a TEAC remote)
Teac make the machine for Ampex.
it was a time of transition for Teac (who bought Tascam in 1974).
they finally dropped the Teac line of open reel units
and produced only tascam - last of the great teacs
was te 40-4 (which has tascam written all over it) -
and was also available as the tascam 44
but that was more than you really wanted to know - wasn't it

 

[Daniel]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

"bbrent" <bbrent@pipeline.com> wrote in message
news:1117164565.923101.260850@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> my records show 1979 - 1983 $1,199 list
> nice unit - I use it with an Ampex remote (I also have
> an Ampex ATR700 that uses a TEAC remote)
> Teac make the machine for Ampex.
> it was a time of transition for Teac (who bought Tascam in 1974).
> they finally dropped the Teac line of open reel units
> and produced only tascam - last of the great teacs
> was te 40-4 (which has tascam written all over it) -
> and was also available as the tascam 44
> but that was more than you really wanted to know - wasn't it

Still, great info! Thanks very much my friend!

I love the TEAC 3440. I actually have 2!! Both still play and record
beautifully and look quite striking to say the least. I also have the TASCAM
388 studio 8 and a TASCAM M-30 mixer, an RE15 mic, a dbx 118 compressor and
a bunch of other stuff I picked up second hand, including lotsa Maxell UD 35
tapes! All of my gear received a handful of hrs from its previous owners who
dumped the gear for pennies. Too bad stuff like this isn't made anymore
......

The last 3440 I picked up had some sealed Ampex 641 tapes ... I wonder if
these would be bias compatible with my 3440 ??

~Daniel

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

>
> As I recall, my 3340 would not bias up to the later high bias tapes. Where's
> the 641? That wasn't one of the high bias tapes was it?
>
> Ty

Way off-topic, but - you mention the Teac 3340. Geez, I loved my 3340.
It got me into multitrack recording in 1972 at a time when it was hard
to break-in. I was thrilled to have as many tracks as the Beatles had
1963-1968. Not the best machine, but very reliable and easy to use. And
I am still amazed at how good my 1972 4-track 15ips tapes sound today,
as I dub them onto DAWs, my 2488 or ADATs and add fresh overdubs, more
than 30 years later!

It's probably hard for newbies to understand how limited things were
then for recordists, and how we old duffers had to improvise. But it
was a golden era and I had a lot of fun.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

In article <1117164565.923101.260850@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com> bbrent@pipeline.com writes:

> it was a time of transition for Teac (who bought Tascam in 1974).
> they finally dropped the Teac line of open reel units
> and produced only tascam - last of the great teacs
> was te 40-4 (which has tascam written all over it) -
> and was also available as the tascam 44

TASCAM was always TEAC. In fact, the T in TASCAM stands for TEAC
(which in turn stands for Technical Electric Audio Corporation). I
can't remember what the rest of TASCAM stands for. Neither one bought
the other. TEAC brought out the TASCAM line when they realized, with
the encouragement of Dick Rosmini, that their 4-channel consumer
equipment could be used by musicians as an alternative to professoinal
studio equipment.

The 40-4 was the TASCAM version of the 3440 and the 44 was an updated
series.

That's much more than anyone needs to know.

--
I'm really Mike Rivers (mrivers@d-and-d.com)
However, until the spam goes away or Hell freezes over,
lots of IP addresses are blocked from this system. If
you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring
and reach me here: double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Daniel <NotReal@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>The last 3440 I picked up had some sealed Ampex 641 tapes ... I wonder if
>these would be bias compatible with my 3440 ??

I think the 3440 is intended for use with JIS tapes. 641 is a red oxide
tape with a lower bias, but I would not be surprised if the bias control
inside had enough range that you could line it up. Try it and see... if
you can't find the peak, it's not the right tape. The Tascam machines
tend to have very little range on the controls....
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On Fri, 27 May 2005 05:10:30 -0400, Daniel wrote
(in article <auBle.1493665$6l.515889@pd7tw2no>):

>
> "bbrent" <bbrent@pipeline.com> wrote in message
> news:1117164565.923101.260850@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>> my records show 1979 - 1983 $1,199 list
>> nice unit - I use it with an Ampex remote (I also have
>> an Ampex ATR700 that uses a TEAC remote)
>> Teac make the machine for Ampex.
>> it was a time of transition for Teac (who bought Tascam in 1974).
>> they finally dropped the Teac line of open reel units
>> and produced only tascam - last of the great teacs
>> was te 40-4 (which has tascam written all over it) -
>> and was also available as the tascam 44
>> but that was more than you really wanted to know - wasn't it
>
> Still, great info! Thanks very much my friend!
>
> I love the TEAC 3440. I actually have 2!! Both still play and record
> beautifully and look quite striking to say the least. I also have the TASCAM
> 388 studio 8 and a TASCAM M-30 mixer, an RE15 mic, a dbx 118 compressor and
> a bunch of other stuff I picked up second hand, including lotsa Maxell UD 35
> tapes! All of my gear received a handful of hrs from its previous owners who
> dumped the gear for pennies. Too bad stuff like this isn't made anymore
> .....
>
> The last 3440 I picked up had some sealed Ampex 641 tapes ... I wonder if
> these would be bias compatible with my 3440 ??
>
>> Daniel
>
>

As I recall, my 3340 would not bias up to the later high bias tapes. Where's
the 641? That wasn't one of the high bias tapes was it?

Ty

-- Ty Ford's equipment reviews, audio samples, rates and other audiocentric
stuff are at www.tyford.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

> As I recall, my 3340 would not bias up to the later high bias tapes. Where's
> the 641? That wasn't one of the high bias tapes was it?

641 is a 1950s vintage red oxide tape, that was still in production six
months ago. It is lower than low bias..... 185 nw/m reference, bias
for a broad peak at 1 KC rather than modern overbias method. Lower
bias than HOLN tapes like Maxell UD.....
--scott


--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On 27 May 2005 09:22:51 -0400, mrivers@d-and-d.com (Mike Rivers)
wrote:

>
>In article <1117164565.923101.260850@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com> bbrent@pipeline.com writes:
>
>> it was a time of transition for Teac (who bought Tascam in 1974).
>> they finally dropped the Teac line of open reel units
>> and produced only tascam - last of the great teacs
>> was te 40-4 (which has tascam written all over it) -
>> and was also available as the tascam 44
>
snip>TEAC brought out the TASCAM line when they realized, with
>the encouragement of Dick Rosmini, that their 4-channel consumer
>equipment could be used by musicians as an alternative to professoinal
>studio equipment.

Dick was hired as a consultant by Larry Phillips. Their association
went back to when Phillips was head of marketing @ JBL.
>
>The 40-4 was the TASCAM version of the 3440 and the 44 was an updated
>series.

Not quite. The 40-4 was a 1/4" 4-track version of the 80-8 1/2"
8-track. The only physical differences between the 2 were the heads
and guides.

The 44 had better electronics and a built in vari-speed but the
transport wasn't nearly as bullet-proof.



Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle WA
http/liondogmusic.com

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Daniel wrote:

> Still, great info! Thanks very much my friend!

All except (for the historical record), TEAC didn't "buy"
TASCAM. TEAC (Tokyo Electro-Acoustic Company) formed the
TASCAM (TEAC Audio Systems Corporation of AMerica) division
here in the US to establish a presence in the professional
recording market, but what ultimately became the
"semi-professional" recording market. The Model 10 mixing
console and associated modules and accessories, and the
series 70 recorders with both 501 and 701 electronics and in
up to 1/2"-8-track configurations were the flagship
products. When they were first introduced, my partner and I
looked at several installations in Detroit, and visited a
number of dealers in the Michiana area.

TASCAM, at the time, certainly appeared to be quite a good
value compared to the Ampexes and Scullys they were sitting
next to. The complete story is written in the subsequent
history.

>
> The last 3440 I picked up had some sealed Ampex 641 tapes ... I wonder if
> these would be bias compatible with my 3440 ??

Sure. Just re-bias the machine.



TM

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

>The 40-4 was the TASCAM version of the 3440 and the 44 was an updated
>series.

my 40-4 is a Teac - very similar to my 3440 - but no headphone jack -
no variable pitch - but mine has the optional dbx unit on the bottom

it looks something like this....
http/www.angelfire.com/electronic2/vintagetx/TA110.jpg

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

two different units - the 3340 was billed as a quadraphonic unit -
though it was a true 4 track - and was really geared at the consumer
market. The 3440 was aimed at more of the pro or semi pro musician,
and was less friendly (because of the meter layout) to "quadraphonic"
fans - who were a fast fading breed in those days.

tracks 1, 2, 3, 4 equate to left front - left rear - right front -
right rear
most (not all) consumer decks line up the meters - 1, 3, 2, 4
the 3340 had them stacked front on top, rear on bottom
most pro models (not all) had the meteres lined up 1, 2, 3, 4

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Ty Ford wrote:

> As I recall, my 3340 would not bias up to the later high bias tapes. Where's
> the 641? That wasn't one of the high bias tapes was it?

But aren't they talking about a 3440, which I've never met? Or is this a
typo? Kind of hard to think some folks are saying great things about
3340's. I was given one of those in nearly new condition a few years
ago.

--
ha

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

On Sat, 28 May 2005 09:47:39 -0400, Ty Ford <tyreeford@comcast.net>
wrote:

>On Fri, 27 May 2005 21:16:12 -0400, hank alrich wrote
>(in article <1gx8fyi.q57bx71jmdk86N%walkinay@thegrid.net>):
>
>> Ty Ford wrote:
>>
>>> As I recall, my 3340 would not bias up to the later high bias tapes. Where's
>>> the 641? That wasn't one of the high bias tapes was it?
>>
>> But aren't they talking about a 3440, which I've never met? Or is this a
>> typo? Kind of hard to think some folks are saying great things about
>> 3340's. I was given one of those in nearly new condition a few years
>> ago.
>>
>> --
>> ha
>
>My bad. What was a 3440?

An impovement over the 3340 in every way. The transport was more
robust, electronics much cleaner, and you could roll and punch without
leaving punch marks.

BTW- a 3340 could be set up for 456 but not at elevated levels.



Rick Ruskin
Lion Dog Music - Seattle WA
http/liondogmusic.com

 

[Daniel]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Wow! Didn't know that my seemingly innocent question would turn out many
great and informative replies! I want to thank you guys!! Much appreciated!

Btw, here's some pictures and specifications of the 3440 .. again not to be
confused with a 3340 ... It's not my site or my picts but it is from a guy
in Texas who restores these (when needed) and has a great all around
service. Anyway, here's the link to the 3440:

http/www.angelfire.com/electronic2/vintagetx/TeacA-3440.html

Thanks again,

Daniel

 

[Daniel]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

<blackburst@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1117210513.264391.279610@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

> And I am still amazed at how good my 1972 4-track 15ips tapes sound today,
> as I dub them onto DAWs, my 2488 or ADATs and add fresh overdubs, more
> than 30 years later!

You mean the beast still works after more than 30 years!? WOW!! My 3440 is
like 10 years younger so its good to know its got at least another 10 good
years to go!


> It's probably hard for newbies to understand how limited things were
> then for recordists, and how we old duffers had to improvise. But it
> was a golden era and I had a lot of fun.

I think those limitations forced one to be extremely creative and great
demos came out of that. Plus, those machines were (are) so much fun to use
...

~Daniel

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

Daniel wrote:
> <blackburst@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:1117210513.264391.279610@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...
>
> > And I am still amazed at how good my 1972 4-track 15ips tapes sound today,
> > as I dub them onto DAWs, my 2488 or ADATs and add fresh overdubs, more
> > than 30 years later!
>
> You mean the beast still works after more than 30 years!? WOW!! My 3440 is
> like 10 years younger so its good to know its got at least another 10 good
> years to go!

I kept it in pretty good shape and had it routinely serviced until I
switched to 4-track cassette in about 1984, then stored it carefully. A
couple of years later I got a Fostex 8-track then an ADAT a few years
after that. And a 2488 recently.

Age-old problem: If you keep your multitrack tapes, you have to keep
the machine they were recorded on (or a similar machine). So I still
have a 2340, a 3340, Yamaha MT1000, Fostex 80, ADAT-XT, and a host of
mastering machines like an Otari MX-5050. It's insidious!
>
>
> > It's probably hard for newbies to understand how limited things were
> > then for recordists, and how we old duffers had to improvise. But it
> > was a golden era and I had a lot of fun.
>
> I think those limitations forced one to be extremely creative and great
> demos came out of that. Plus, those machines were (are) so much fun to use

Yep that's always the case. My newer discrete tracks are better
recorded, but there's an incredible feel to my old 4-tracks, with
bouncedowns and all.

And I still think this is bizarre: My careful cataloguing and
dubbing-to-digital revealed lots of unfinished songs, and it is truly
weird to be playing along and harmonizing with yourself THIRTY YEARS
LATER!