tascam mp3 bass trainer

varunkapahi · #1 09-29-2010, 11:10 AM

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.c...ner?sku=241198

its just what i want, headphone amp with metronome! but the reviews say the power switch goes bad very often thus making it useless. have you really faced this issue too? is there any other device which can give me similar functionality?
also- all the tascam trainer units are on sale, does that that mean they are going to come out with better upgraded versions soon?

edit: please check the link for the reviews mentioning the durability issues

Slowgypsy · #2 09-29-2010, 11:14 AM

I've used my Tascam mp3 Bass Trainer on a daily basis for several years now, and it has worked perfectly. Someone here did post that they issues with it, but many more folks posted that they had zero issues. From my own personal experience I can recommend this product.

varunkapahi · #3 09-29-2010, 11:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slowgypsy

I've used my Tascam mp3 Bass Trainer on a daily basis for several years now, and it has worked perfectly. Someone here did post that they issues with it, but many more folks posted that they had zero issues. From my own personal experience I can recommend this product.

hmm idk it might be the newer lot or something but there is like a whole lot of people posting bad reviews regarding its durability on the MF link i posted

Slowgypsy · #4 09-29-2010, 11:30 AM

Not for nothing... but... Tascam has probably sold tens of thousands of these units. While I don't begrudge the folks who had a bad experience with a particular product, and I think it's helpful for others to know about that experience, I think the overwhelming majority of buyers have had a positive experience, but folks with bad experience tend to be a bit more vocal. Also, I've found the Musicians Friend reviews to be unreliable. You really have no idea who the person was behind that review. Just something to be aware of.

I can say that I've used this unit on a daily basis for about 2 years now, and it has worked perfectly. But it's your dime...

varunkapahi · #5 09-29-2010, 11:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slowgypsy

Not for nothing... but... Tascam has probably sold tens of thousands of these units. While I don't begrudge the folks who had a bad experience with a particular product, and I think it's helpful for others to know about that experience, I think the overwhelming majority of buyers have had a positive experience, but folks with bad experience tend to be a bit more vocal. Also, I've found the Musicians Friend reviews to be unreliable. You really have no idea who the person was behind that review. Just something to be aware of.

I can say that I've used this unit on a daily basis for about 2 years now, and it has worked perfectly. But it's your dime...

thanks for the response! i really want a unit like that but am bit more cautious because am going to get it shipped here to India so that means if something goes wrong with then its junk, its just not worth sending it back for repairs even if it is in the warranty period you know

although another option i just did figure is getting an Itouch or an iphone, they have some apps which give you the same functionality on the go!

thomashawk · #6 09-29-2010, 11:39 AM

I purchased one about two months ago. I love its capabilities, and it has become almost vital to my practicing. However, the power switch is problematic. Mine hasn't broken at this stage, but I can feel the issue. Overall the construction is terrible. I am forced treat it with extreme care, and I would have gladly paid $100 more for better components.

But I love this thing!

varunkapahi · #7 09-29-2010, 11:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thomashawk

I purchased one about two months ago. I love its capabilities, and it has become almost vital to my practicing. However, the power switch is problematic. Mine hasn't broken at this stage, but I can feel the issue. Overall the construction is terrible. I am forced treat it with extreme care, and I would have gladly paid $100 more for better components.

But I love this thing!

yeah thats just what i keep reading all the time about this unit! the thing is you can send it back if it fails within the first year i dont even have that option, its a considerable lot of money so am looking for alternatives!

SnakeKappele · #8 09-29-2010, 12:15 PM

I have had mine for 11 months now and use it almost every day for two or more hours. I absolutely love it! The only problem I ever had was a glitch in a file I transfered to it locked it up. I pressed the reset button with a paper clip and was up and running again. I split the headphone out to my headphones and my Zoom recorder and record myself playing to the songs so I can listen to them later and critique myself. I find it to be very well built and worth twice the money. I also have the CD version and have no problems with it.

They are coming out with a trainer for guitar and bass that also records (GT-R1 & GB-10).

varunkapahi · #9 09-30-2010, 02:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeKappele

I have had mine for 11 months now and use it almost every day for two or more hours. I absolutely love it! The only problem I ever had was a glitch in a file I transfered to it locked it up. I pressed the reset button with a paper clip and was up and running again. I split the headphone out to my headphones and my Zoom recorder and record myself playing to the songs so I can listen to them later and critique myself. I find it to be very well built and worth twice the money. I also have the CD version and have no problems with it.

They are coming out with a trainer for guitar and bass that also records (GT-R1 & GB-10).

do you find the switches and knobs to be crappy?

varunkapahi · #10 09-30-2010, 03:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeKappele

They are coming out with a trainer for guitar and bass that also records (GT-R1 & GB-10).

i love how they have combined a portable recorded and trainer in the gt-r1 but its way too expensive and out of my range.
any clue on whats the pricing for gb-10?
edit: gt-r1 is priced at 172$ on amazon! but again its reviews have all the people commenting on how the guitar/bass input jack goes bad! :-/

SnakeKappele · #11 09-30-2010, 04:24 AM

I think the buttons, selector wheel, input level wheel, and on/off/hold slider feel good and work well. I really don't find anything cheap of poorly built and I'm picky.

SnakeKappele · #12 09-30-2010, 04:44 AM

Now I'm confused.

I just went to Amazon and read all 17 comments on the MP-BT1 and all 10 comments on the GTR1 and there was not one mention of a bad jack, button, or wheel. What complaints are you reading?

varunkapahi · #13 09-30-2010, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SnakeKappele

Now I'm confused.

I just went to Amazon and read all 17 comments on the MP-BT1 and all 10 comments on the GTR1 and there was not one mention of a bad jack, button, or wheel. What complaints are you reading?

reviews regarding power switch on mp3 bass trainer are here, all of them mention the switch issue
http://accessories.musiciansfriend.c...ner?sku=241198

there was this review page stating the input jack on the gt-r1 has a "design flaw" and it fails a lot. i will have to search for the link for it though

anyway i just figured the gt-r1 cannot change keys or pitch of the mp3 play back which is important for me hmm. wow this is getting tricky

SnakeKappele · #14 09-30-2010, 06:20 AM

I could be wrong, but I think those people rode the short bus to school.

The power switch is a spring loaded momentary slide switch. The switch has some play in it and if it is slid down and held there for a second or two, it powers the unit on or off. When the unit is on, sliding the switch up will activate the HOLD feature. I didn't read all the reviews (I'm trying to have some form of a life), but I just saw people saying the switch was "bad" but not what the actual problem was with it. Maybe they just didn't get the hang of it. The only problem I ever had with it was my finger or thumb sliding off too soon. You have to wait for the unit to start booting or it will shut off (even though the screen activated).

VWbug08' · #15 09-30-2010, 06:46 AM

( know what you mean) But if you get a chance, maybe you could add your common sense to the musicians friend Reviews? It helps to see somone with the experience and common sense balance a review. I once saw somone on a bass review comment about the "cheesey" piece of plastic covering their pickguard on a new bass! LOL

MichaelVee · #16 09-30-2010, 06:56 AM

I've had mine two years and used it extensively. I do occasionally take it out of the house, but keep it protected in a padded bag. I don't think these units would take kindly to being dropped on a hard surface or gotten wet, but you know, think about it. What MP3 player would, other than those that are designed to be waterproof and/or shockproof, and most aren't.

I replaced the earbuds earlier this year when the pads came off and the sound became scratchy. The factory earbuds are very low-end, but I got a lot of use out of them. The new ones I bought are much better. In general, I think the company knew that most players would be buying better buds or headphones to use with these. I'd like to try top-notch headphones with it- I think it'd sound great!

TASCAM products like this one are in the same sort of league as the Peterson tuners. They are pricier probably than they should be, but the company stands behind their products reasonably well overall, provided they've not been idiot-abused, and taken care of. Also, neither company comes out with new versions of any one product model in their lines every year. When something like the MP3 Bass Trainer comes out, it will be several years or more before a new model that does that same category of functionality is brought out. They tend to ride their product lines as long as possible until new technologies require new products (i.e. digital Portastudios vs. cassette models).

I do wish that TASCAM would come out with a new firmware revision. The first, and only one to date, was primarily bug fixes. That was a couple years ago. There are some things that could be improved and more features added.

It would also be nice if the units could accept different kinds of MP3 files other than the basic 44k standard. That might be hardware-related, I don't really know.

Overall, these trainers are very nice for what they do. I'm surprised that there haven't been competitive products arising in the marketplace, AFAIK.

Slowgypsy · #17 09-30-2010, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichaelVee

Overall, these trainers are very nice for what they do. I'm surprised that there haven't been competitive products arising in the marketplace, AFAIK.

My point exactly. The OP, I think, wants to not like this unit. But in the end, the lack of competitive products suggests to me that Tascam is doing a pretty good job of it, and a pretty good price point. If they weren't, there would be more competition.

Again, I'll say that for the past couple of years I've used my unit on a daily basis and it's has worked just fine. Nothing's broken. Nothing feels like it's going to break. Just my $.02

SnakeKappele · #18 09-30-2010, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VWbug08'

( know what you mean) But if you get a chance, maybe you could add your common sense to the musicians friend Reviews

Done!

varunkapahi · #19 10-01-2010, 04:28 AM

thanks for the replies guys!