Hi Audio Fans,

Who has a working 8 track player hooked up to there audio besides me?

Vintage is king!
John...

Well, I did the last time I had my whole system set up. Most of it's buried in storage right now. I cant remember the last time I actually played something on it.

John

Well I've got a Pioneer H-R100 8 track deck, with Dolby capablity wired to my system. However I will admit that it's installed in the cab behind the storage doors so not visiable unless the doors are opened. Haven't fired it up in a few months, I should give it a work out soon :yes:

Has a H-R99 prior to finding the 100, same deck minus the Dolby feature. Dolby feature really takes out most of the famous 8 track hiss, however it came to late to fight out the advances to the cassette format. Besides the big track switching clunk sound never did impress the golden ears.... :D

Lefty

I have a home unit Wollensak that also records and a portable with the two halves that unhinge so you can seperate the speakers. If you ignore the wow & flutter and inter-channel crosstalk or the high end rolling of between 5 and 7 k They sound fine. Or you can pretend you are 16 again and in your first car and they will sound just fine.
Richard. :music:

I have 8 trk Realistc TR-882 Cartridge tape recorder. I haven't tried it in a while. All the tapes kept breaking at the splice. I threw away my 4 track a few years ago. I could barely find 4 track tapes when they were in style let alone now.

John.

I have an AKAI X1800SD "Cartridg Super Delux" reel to reel using crossfield recording and an 8 track slot in the right side, it even includdes it's own small speakers with swing out doors!

I think this was made for when RR was giving way to the 8 track format (or at least a way to get your favorate RR on to carts!

I dubbed many an 8 track onto cassette for friends, the side player is built like a brick S**t house, it really locks in the tape and you have to give it a good tug to remove it!

Here is a crude pic, let me know if you want better.

Mark T.

was that they were intentionally designed to wear out - the cartridges, that is. The continuous loop of lubricated tape would ultimately generate enough friction for the tape to be 'eaten' by the player. It was a fact of the design.

As a result, many 8 track carts just don't last long these days. I've not seen a new black 8-track cart in decades but I must admit that I don't go out of my way looking for them.

Despite that and the low-fi audio, they were quite popular for one reason along: They were as simple to operate as any audio device ever produced.

My grandparents never mastered the art playing an LP but loved their 8-track player for the Lawrence Welk and Guy Lombardo tape because they could just shove the carts in and the whole rig woke up and played it.

Cheers,

David

I think they used poor tape. After high school I worked at an FM top 40 radio station and almost all music and commercials were recorded on endless loop tape cartridges that are very similar to 8-tracks but the pinch roller is in the machine (like a 4 track) and we ran them at 7.5 ips and they hardly ever gave trouble, even at 7.5 ips while 8-tracks run at 3.75 ips. My 2 cents worth.
Richard.

I have 8 trk Realistc TR-882 Cartridge tape recorder. I haven't tried it in a while. All the tapes kept breaking at the splice. I threw away my 4 track a few years ago. I could barely find 4 track tapes when they were in style let alone now.


There is a place that fixes 8 track tape to like original condition. They are not that expensive.

http://home.comcast.net/~dkgibson3/katestrackshack/index.htm

I send my broken tapes to them.

John...

John.

I have an AKAI X1800SD "Cartridg Super Delux" reel to reel using crossfield recording and an 8 track slot in the right side, it even includdes it's own small speakers with swing out doors!

I think this was made for when RR was giving way to the 8 track format (or at least a way to get your favorate RR on to carts!

I dubbed many an 8 track onto cassette for friends, the side player is built like a brick S**t house, it really locks in the tape and you have to give it a good tug to remove it!

Here is a crude pic, let me know if you want better.

Mark T.

Nice picture, I have the GX-4000D RTR, and a few A-1500 Teac's

John.

was that they were intentionally designed to wear out - the cartridges, that is. The continuous loop of lubricated tape would ultimately generate enough friction for the tape to be 'eaten' by the player. It was a fact of the design.

As a result, many 8 track carts just don't last long these days. I've not seen a new black 8-track cart in decades but I must admit that I don't go out of my way looking for them.

Despite that and the low-fi audio, they were quite popular for one reason along: They were as simple to operate as any audio device ever produced.

My grandparents never mastered the art playing an LP but loved their 8-track player for the Lawrence Welk and Guy Lombardo tape because they could just shove the carts in and the whole rig woke up and played it.

Cheers,

David

David , I buy up a bunch of 8 tracks from ebay every once in a while just to play the old tapes, most of them still play well, I am playing "Leon Russell" Back to The Island now... Taping to Cassette for my truck player.

John.

I have a Muntz 4/8 track player in the BR. Disconnected, as it could be a baby killer! It has a cavernous opening, the size of a vcr tape, with no door and a straight shot to the transformer :nono:. Also have a Realistic recorder and blank tapes sitting idle. :sigh: Have a stack of 4 and 8 track tapes.

Pioneer HR-99 and an Akai GXR-82. They both sound very good for 8 track, and the Akai can fool you into thinking it's gotta be FM or at least a very very good cassete.

Shockingly good..for 8 track :)

I have a Muntz 4/8 track player in the BR. Disconnected, as it could be a baby killer! It has a cavernous opening, the size of a vcr tape, with no door and a straight shot to the transformer :nono:. Also have a Realistic recorder and blank tapes sitting idle. :sigh: Have a stack of 4 and 8 track tapes.
I have one of those, too. It's hard to imagine how you could shock yourself on it. It must be a little different.

John

I have one of those, too. It's hard to imagine how you could shock yourself on it. It must be a little different.

John
Such a large opening and even with a tape in it half of it is still open with a straight shot to the transformer.

I'll have to have another look. I do have the wide opening. Does yours say Muntz on it? Mine says "Audio Stereo". It's still a Muntz.

John

Technics RS-858/U (Quad 8 capability)

I'll have to have another look. I do have the wide opening. Does yours say Muntz on it? Mine says "Audio Stereo". It's still a Muntz.

John
Muntz Stereo. Walnut case, weighs about 15# (this is a large tranny), opening is 7-3/4". Can drive 4ohm.

I'm currently standing at about....50 different 8 track players and recorders in my vintage audio collection,some are stand-alone players,some are recorders,some are all-in-one systems(am-fm stereo/turntable types),portables,and a few car stereos.I have about 300 8-track tapes,which I have re-spliced,re-pressure padded,unwound and rewound when the tape pack became loose,so my love affair for the 8-track is both enduring and a labor of love.I believe with the proper care and feeding(no pun intended)of your 8-track player and tapes,they will endure.I collect any blank tapes I find also,and when a certain tape sounds like it on it's way out,I can dupe it over to a healthier tape.And so..the 8-track saga goes on. :music: :yes: Rob

I have a Boman auto unit and the FM insert maybe even a cassette one also. :scratch2:

I've got one of those high-dollar 8track am/fm player w/speakers that they used to send you when you joined the record club. Even got one 8track tape- Free's Greatest Hits! And yes, it still works... :D

I have several working Akai units and about 500 working tapes. 50+ Elvis, 50+ Johnny Cash, a bunch of punk and new wave, 50+ K-tel compilations, and lots of classic rock.

A properly aligned 8-track player will sound better than an average cassette deck. The Akai's and Wollensak's are good decks.

Yump. I got one. Cheap ($1) Morse Electrophonic standalone hooked to my main system. Seems to work OK and doesn't sound as bad as it probably should - guess the manual bias control helps. Got about 100 or so tapes to play on it, and the total cost of those tapes couldn't have been more than $2.

Yes, Pioneer player/recorder bought on EBay a couple of weeks ago. I have an old Realistic player/recorder too. I wanted a better quality 8-track recording capability. My '71 Buick Skylark convertible still has a Pioneer FM/8-track player installed.

Akai, Sony, and Toyo player/recorders and a Realistic quad player only. I've got between five and six hundred tapes with close to a hundred still sealed. Rock, blues, singer/songwriter.
John

Got me an Akai GXR-82D had it since 76. Still loving it. :thmbsp:





banana love for all...... :banana: :banana:

Back in the late seventies and early eighties, the company I worked for made 8-track raw decks for the Ford Motor Company to put in their automobile radios.

My partner and I were the line techs and became expert at all sorts of things with this format. Sometimes we would sit at the end of the line with our own test set-ups to identify particular problems with the decks.

I remember that shortly after we started there (both on the same day), they were having problems with flutter and the combined wisdom of the place was that it was the belts. Trouble was was that a lot of these decks were rejected time after time after the belts were replaced. They were all sitting in roll-around shelves and they didn't know what they were going to do with them.

We set up at the end of the line and analyzed each reject deck and were able to tell whether it was the belt, flywheel bearing, tape stripper, etc. that was the cause. A guy came down the line one day and grilled us about how we were so sure such and such caused the flutter. I guess we were kind of smart-assy with our answers (the key was the percentage of flutter and cyclic action) and when he walked back up to the office, one of the line gals said "Do you guys know who you were talking to?" We just thought he was maybe some production engineer. She said, "That was the plant manager" and we thought "Oh oh, there goes our jobs." Instead, after all of these shelves were cleared of reject decks (having been repaired and passed) within a week, we both got promoted.

Turned out that he was a no nonsense kind of guy and liked our gung-ho approach.

Anyway, when the company closed the plant here in 2001 and I lost my job, they let me keep a complete quadraphonic deck/radio that I had brought back from Toronto years earlier. I have yet to hook it up though.

I once had a 8-track set-up in my car with an amp, 8 inch woofers, etc. and a friend of mine couldn't believe it was 8-track. He said, "It's all there." Of course, I made my own tapes from test tapes we had that had gotten out of spec. The mechanism in these was very good, unlike the dreck of most commercial tapes. I still have all of these.

The key to the longevity of an 8-track is the tension on the tape. Too often, in commercial tapes, the tape pack tightens up and the tension gets too high and breakage occurs. You can fix this by undoing the splice, unwinding the tape a few turns, resplicing, and turning the pack until the slack is absorbed by the pack.

Doug

wollensak 8055, used a concord dolby with it to make tapes for friends. they got used to the channel changes in mid song (no more irritating than a tic or pop on vinyl). with a good lube job and new belt, it would probably be fine.

i also used to have a roberts (akai) rtr with 8t in the side and built in amp/spks.

the good old days!

Here are some links you trackers may like to check out..

First is The Heaven.. Everything you ever wanted to know about 8 tracks and more.. Has a great tape repair section..

http://www.8trackheaven.com/index2.html

Next is an 8 track Google Group with a great members..

http://groups.google.com/group/8trackheaven

Last is my website if anyone is looking for some tapes..

http://www.angelfire.com/rock3/bkville/

Guess I've been collecting for about eight years now.. With a nice collection of a little over 600 tapes and a few players, decks and portables.. Actually, it's quite fun and damn cheap music.. I'd say sound quality depends on the equipment played on and if your tapes don't have good pads it ain't gonna play for shit anyway..


Later, Brent

Thanks for the link Brent. I have some about 50 tapes and a Pioneer Centex and a Wollensak 8050. I hardly ever listen to them but I do have fun showing others.

I collected about thirty Q-8 (quadraphonic 8-track) tapes and three quadraphonic players/recorders in the late eighties, but, I sold them all about the time I got married in 1990. The Q-8s were one of the easiest ways to get truly discrete four channel (quadraphonic) recordings. Really good stuff for very little money.

Be sure the check out Russ Forster and Dan Sutherland's prize winning movie So Wrong They're Right. Two thumbs up :thmbsp: :thmbsp:

The Muntz. Look to the left and see the transformer. Inquiring fingers want to know.
http://206.225.95.32/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=12423&stc=1

I picked up a Realistic 8-track player/recorder with nice meters and Bakelite buttons about 10 years ago, as well as hundreds of 8-tracks. I have enjoyed it for some time, and must admit picking up 8-tracks for dirt cheap is nice- many for ten to twenty-five cents per cartridge. At some point I'll convert all my music to cd, and the cassettes and 8-tracks will go the way of the dodo for me. But I'll keep the records. Not that I hate the 8-track or cassette, I just prefer to have my music either digitally convenient or pressed onn a big black delicious platter.

But good to read the stories here. 8-track fellas are a rare breed- I'd argue more rare than the reel to reel fellas, no?

I picked up a Realistic 8-track player/recorder with nice meters and Bakelite buttons about 10 years ago, as well as hundreds of 8-tracks. I have enjoyed it for some time, and must admit picking up 8-tracks for dirt cheap is nice- many for ten to twenty-five cents per cartridge. At some point I'll convert all my music to cd, and the cassettes and 8-tracks will go the way of the dodo for me. But I'll keep the records. Not that I hate the 8-track or cassette, I just prefer to have my music either digitally convenient or pressed onn a big black delicious platter.

But good to read the stories here. 8-track fellas are a rare breed- I'd argue more rare than the reel to reel fellas, no?

I was suprised to see this many replies to this thread,I found a NIB 8 track player on eBay from Sears, I am putting it in my pickup next to my cassette deck. The old stuff sounds better to me maybe because it is what I used back in the day! 1963 Rambler Classic with my 8 track Player in it, crusin the Ave to the drive ins.
Thank for the memories.
John.

The Muntz. Look to the left and see the transformer. Inquiring fingers want to know.
http://206.225.95.32/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=12423&stc=1
It looks the same as mine and yet... not. I havent had time to get a picture yet, but I will soon. I just dont remember that transformer. It probably is there. Mine has a huge motor, and it runs hot. there is ventilation for it in the top of the cabinet.

John

I think they used poor tape. After high school I worked at an FM top 40 radio station and almost all music and commercials were recorded on endless loop tape cartridges that are very similar to 8-tracks but the pinch roller is in the machine (like a 4 track) and we ran them at 7.5 ips and they hardly ever gave trouble, even at 7.5 ips while 8-tracks run at 3.75 ips. My 2 cents worth.
Richard.

The cartridge type design was originally intended for this use, with very short tapes. The fact that it was ever considered for automotive or home use is crazy.

There is a Sony TC-228 8-track recorder/player and a Toshiba 8-track player with a built-in amplifier at a thrift store nearby. I have no idea if they work or not and I didn't pay any attention to the prices but I am sure that they would be very cheap. Anybody want 'em? Let me know (but you will have to tell me.... why :dunno: ). Just kidding. If anyone really does want either or both just let me know.

It looks the same as mine and yet... not. I havent had time to get a picture yet, but I will soon. I just dont remember that transformer. It probably is there. Mine has a huge motor, and it runs hot. there is ventilation for it in the top of the cabinet.

John
Actually, in mine there is a fan that is sitting next to the tranny, it is housed in a stacked plates that looks like another tranny. If yours is running hot check if you have a fan.

The cartridge type design was originally intended for this use, with very short tapes. The fact that it was ever considered for automotive or home use is crazy.
Actually, since the carts ran at twice the speed as 8-tracks you could get them wound with anywhere from 10 seconds of tape for jingles or station ID up to 10.5 minutes for long recordings. Since the pro models ran at 7.5 IPS and had clear top case halves you could see the spool of tape. Those long ones had almost no room from the spool to the tape guides. Oh yeah, being almost half track stereo did not hurt. There was a narrow third track that could be used to flash a light at the DJ that the song was ending and a different tone to stop the tape at the begining of the recording.

I finally have a working 8 track player. Its a realistic TR-882. Got it from Goodwill for $7.50. The belt was definitely toast, so I found just the right rubber band and it works fine. The wood case had two holes drilled in it, but epoxy and sanding went a long way. Then I stained it ebony and it looks awesome. All the lights work and so do all the functions. I have only like 8 cartridges right now but I'm very impressed with the sound. If anyone has any classic rock 8 tracks that they don't want, send em my way!
If I could only fix my Akai r2r/8 track deck, then I could just use that, but I don't know how, and the lights dont work and the program selector does nothing, The 8 track just plays the 3rd program. Anyone know what could be wrong?

[QUOTE=HIFIVINYL15]I If anyone has any classic rock 8 tracks that they don't want, send em my way!

Unless you happen to be an Elvis fan than I don't think the case of 8-track tapes I bought at a garage sale would help. However, Somewhere in my den, computer room, guest room and work shop I have a Wollensack (when was the last time you heard that name) 8-Track recorder/playback deck. I will look for it tonight and test it and if all is well it is yours. I put new belts on it about a year ago and it has been in the closet at 73 degrees around 60 to 70% humidity. If you don't hear from me by tomorrow 8 pm. Shoot me an email to get me up off my ass. Besides, As I remember since the major record companys used high speed dubbing so you lost all what little highs that were there then wait as the music faded out track change then music fade back up. When recordered in real time they sounded much better and the track change was just a fast click in the speakers. How did they record video tapes? They had to be done in real time to keep tape tension correct and the video drum from spinning so fast it would explode. My 2 cents,
Richard.

Richard D-
I have an 8 track player that works fine (the realistic one), I think My dad would kill me if I adopted anymore vintage audio, that and I'm scrapin the bottom of the money barrel (shipping and crap). All I'm lookin for now are 8 track tapes, since I only have 5 that work, and four that I like. Elvis Is pretty cool, Im into 50's rock and stuff like that.

In that case how about if I just send you 3 or 4 different tapes, I will try to make an assortment. To bad about the 8-track recorder, it is not very big and all I would ask for is shipping cost. I don't charge for "handling"
Richard.

In that case how about if I just send you 3 or 4 different tapes, I will try to make an assortment. To bad about the 8-track recorder, it is not very big and all I would ask for is shipping cost. I don't charge for "handling"
Richard.

I might be interested in your tape deck if you really wanna move it along.. What model number is it..


Thanks, Brent

hey man i already pm'ed him earlier today. Sorry, but I had tried to record something on mine, and when I played it back it was all slow. I sorta noticed it before, but just thought it was because of the tape (I only have like 3 others and the blank memorex I tried today). So Im pretty sure somethings wrong with the motor or belt. Thats why I need this Wollensak. sorry again, but I thought everything was hunky dory and its not. Thanks. Oh, and BK- I checked out your website, expect an order as soon as I gain a little more money.

I have never had a rubber band work on any device, no matter how perfect it looked and fit. Cassette decks, reel 2 reel, turntables you need to use a belt. You can even cheat a little if what you have is a belt. There is a shop here in North Miami called Paul's Electronics and they have a great selection of stuff for 1970s era electronics, belts, indicator lights, blank 8-tracks, etc. If you don't have the old belt or a piece it measure the length with a piece of string,(I have used very thin solder when I could not get the string threaded) Of course, I am lucky, I live in South Miami about an 80 mile round trip. Try to describe the old belt, flat 1/4 inch wide or if it is square the approximate thickness or if it was round. Very helpfull folks. Forgot the phone #, Paul's Electronics, 475NE 167 ST. N. Miami Beach FL. 33162 Voice 305-653-7488 Fax-305-653-7573 email raj55@aol.com

HIFIVINYL, I did not get a chance to search today, will go for it tomorrow. I just bought a "new" 1977 Ford Ranchero that has been sitting in my neighbors garage for about 15 years. It has been flat tires for about 10 years. He was out doing some yard work and I asked him what his plans were for because it is just starting to form some rust bubbles in the bed where it got scraped somewhere along the way. He looked over at my 1994 4.6 V8 T-Bird and asked if everything worked, I replyed yes they do. He said I will trade you even. I asked for a day and he said sure, put a new battery and some fresh gasoline in it and it started! Did not run well but it did run. I filled the tires and took it to have all the lubricants changed. The more I drove it the better it ran. The A/C works better than any new car I have looked at that use 134a refrigerant. The next day I had put about 100 miles on it and a Ford specialist go over it and was told it was the best non-restored 1977 Ranchero he had looked at, no rust except the surface bubbles on the bed. The night before I did some research and my T-Bird was wholesale valued at $1,200 to $1,800. The ranchero was $5,000 for rough to 15,000 + in show condition. Most body shops I have taken it to for estimates wanted to buy it on the spot. So I spent the day removing the satelitte radio adapter from the T-Bird and I had bought a 1977 stock Ford am/fm stereo radio so it looks like it rolled out of the dealers lot about a year ago, not 30. Sorry for the rant, that is why I did not fing the 8-track recorder today. But tomorrow I promise.
Richard.

good for you man, cars rule! Have fun with it, try and do some work to it yourself, it feels so good to get something fixed. My money pit is a 1983 Porsche 944. It's why I have no money, it got really expensive really quick, especially to get my A/C working. my dad painted it a few years ago, and it has gotten a couple dents since then, so we will most likely bondo them up and repaint it. Also I need floormats, hatch struts/shocks, and a few other items. I do most of the work myself or with my dad, which is the only reason I can afford it. It is also my daily driver. All engine problems have been taken care of, and it should be good for tens of thousands of miles before I need to do the timing belts again. Til' then, just oil changes, and Im afraid the alternater may be original, and could fail on me somewhere inconvenient. Be careful, these resto projects can get expensive, but I'm not sure how cheap or readily available 77 ford ranchero parts are, you may get lucky. GM used a lot of the same parts on different vehicles. Remember, the best kind of maitenence is preventative maitence. Focus on the engine and do some research on it. Some things can go bad and damage it permanently I'll bet. With the 944, if the timing belt eats it, the valves meet the pistons and unholy destruction ensues. Are you planning a complete restoration, or are you just gonna fix the rust and drive it? sounds cool man. WOW that was off topic. Well, I guess, lemme know if you find the 8 track deck, I'll look into that belt idea, I'm leaving sunday and won't be back to september. Check your pm. thanks again.

Richard is right you need a real belt.. Elastics might work for playback but, not for recording.. Sounds like a nice deck..

I finally got myself an 8-track recorder, I've been looking for one for a few years. Found an Akai CR-81D at a garage sale this afternoon, I've been playing 8-tracks on it for hours now and it works great. It looks like new inside, even the belt is good.