Info on 4 track recorders

Ok so I have been playing for a little over 2 years now, and anytime I have wanted to record anything I would always just set up a tape player and hit record, or go to my buddies and we would record on cakewalk or somthing. The more I talk to other guitarists however the more I hear about how nice 4 track recorders are and how cool they are to work with. Now obviously I know nothing about them: how they work, which brands are best, where is a cheap place to get them...and so on and so forth. Any information anyone can provide would definately be helpful. Thanx guys.

Have a look at the Tascam Portastudio range.
I started with a 424mk III and it was great.

Or if you want digital have a look at the Korg PRX4

I can vouch for the 424 the good Doctor suggested. It works like a charm and is really easy to learn how to use it.

I think 4-tracks are a great place to start for anybody wanting to get into recording. Then once you get good at that, it's just that much easier once you go digital.

Yep, wot he said !!

So do you guys think the Korg PXR4 is really a good piece, my friend has one and he highly recomends it. The thing is he doesnt know much more about 4 tracks than I do...that is why I asked you guys

The sound quality of the PRX 4 is not as good as the Tascam and with the Tascam you have the added advantages of Tape compression and warm analogue sound.

However it is not digital and that means that if you want to put your stuff on a CD or on the web as an MP3 you will have to convert it You also get things like virtual tracks with the Korg and that offers the possibilities to do non destructive sub-mixes which open up the possibilities to mix down more than 4 tracks with out having to record over anything. Also Bouncing digitally does not reduce sound quality.

The boss BR-532 is pretty cool. Its digital, and has a drum machine build in. Its really easy to use and can store sound files on windows smart media cards. The retail price was like $300 when I got it about a year ago. It also has digital effects that I belive can be altered (eq.) I don't know much about the effects though, I only use the bass effect when I don't feel like plugging my bass in to try ideas.

My concern with the Tascam is does it have any effects...I have a Crate 212 amp and it doesnt have any headphone jacks or outs anywhere on it so for distortion and effects I need somthing that has them built in.

No however there are fx sends and returns on the Tascam for using external FX units that accept line level signal like a Midiverb.

As far as getting signal in you can either plug a mic or a line level device into the the input (XLR or 1/4"). The headphones out will not sound great as it is of the wrong impedance.

The cost of a digital 8-track has become affordable. I got a Fostex MR-8 for $300, and I love the thing. Undestructive editing with undo, redo, and basic reverbs and delay. It has automatic punch-ins and outs and an amp simulator for straight in recording. These effects aren't the highest studio quality by any means, but with practice and polish, one could easily record a cd-quality demo or just hit record for practice ideas. As far as drawbacks though, the onboard memory is limited, especially with the included flash card it records to. So I resulted in getting mixing software for my computer (Guitar Tracks Pro), then I can dump my tracks to my hard drive upon need, freeing up my memory card. If I need that track to record with again later, I can put it back. Another cool feature is it can run on batteries similar to those tape multitrackers. Boss also makes an even nicer version of the same concept, but for a lil' more.