Yo.

I have a Tascam 112mk3 which I used maybe for 4 hours and the push buttons (and therefore maybe the logic controls?) have gone wonky.

So I'm sitting here trying to work out do I..

- Take it over to one of the top cassette and R2R guys who's not far from me and pay what I need to pay to get it working and hope it lives for a bit longer...

- Grab one of these hilariously over priced Teac W1200s (https://www.richersounds.com/teac-w1200-black.html) which measures OK (probably better than half the rust buckets on ebay!) and will have a manufacturers guarantee.

Honestly the Teac has a bunch of stuff I don't need, but could be fun/useful once or twice.

Despite Tascam building tanks back in the 80s and 90s I'm getting nothing but trouble with cassette decks now and I've owned 3 or 4 in the last few years and all have been refurbished then started dying again...!

Is the tech just reaching the end of its natural life? or am I just cursed...

This place sells used audio gear you might want to contact him to see what he has in cassette decks...http://www.playitagainsam.com/ Normally they have quite a selection that is not on their website.

I have dealt with the owner for years and can recommend their equipment.

my tascam 122mkIII still works fine...

It's not simply the number of hours used. Tape machines can fail just sitting in storage due to lubricants drying out and seizing up the mechanism for example.

You could pay a tech just for an inspection and quotation, then make a decision on whether to pay to have it repaired.

If you want more specific advice on likely causes of faults you'll likely get more and better informed responses on a forum dedicated to service and repair of tape machines like Tapeheads or Home Recording.

Hi Joe,

If you mean a 122 mkIII, it sounds like you might have a “Gear C” problem. Several places sell 3D printed replacement gears that are way better than the original. It’s a fairly cheap, easy fix.

Interesting! thanks

Joe you stated it was a Tascam 112 MkIII. It would help if you clarify which model you have.

apologies it's actually a MKII now I have it in front of me!