braxus
05-21-2008, 08:08 PM
I know 8 tracks are not reel to reel tapes, but there is no other forum that fits- so here goes. As mentioned I played my first 8 track tape not long ago. Last time was in 1989 when I had a deck in my old car. Anyway I managed to get two good 8 track decks off the 'Bay. I first picked up a Pioneer H-R99, and later got the Akai CR-81D deck. I found out the Akai had better heads, so I used it today to try out some old 8 tracks. I plugged in a mix tape I made in the late 80s recorded onto Premium Rad Shack tapes. It played very well with no warble, and it sounded at best like good AM radio. I recorded that tape on an old Panasonic deck which was not at its best. There was not much high end on the recording. Not much lows either, but it was warm sounding. I will eventually re-record those songs back onto that tape with the Akai. The Akai is claimed to go to 16khz on premium tapes with its glass head. So I had to try some pre-recorded tapes I got and then the issues started. It seemed almost every used tape I played got stuck at one point. I pulled the tape out and noticed around the roller the emulsion was being worn off by repeated movements. I tried moving the tapes and they all seem to be stuck solid. When they did play the high end was quite good for this format. I was losing hope. I put in an old car dealer tape and found out someone re-recorded onto it from an old record. I paid about $20 for that tape which didn't impress me. Too late to talk to the guy off Ebay about it. I don't even remember the sellers name. So I plugged in the other tape I made up in 1987 and it played fine, however muted. It seems those old pre-recorded 8 tracks are wound up so tight, they all got stuck. Anyway I do have some questions. Does the Akai 81D use a belt and suspect it may be the problem playing these tapes? Secondly when I will use this deck to record onto blank 8 tracks, do I have to push both record and play to do this, or will just pushing record work? I won't be able to monitor the tape to see if its actually going onto the tape, so it would be good to know beforehand. Also I suspect the other head on the left of the main head is the erase head? I seem to remember many 8 track decks didn't have an erase head (or they didn't work). I love the little VU meters on this deck. Its been a while since I've used a deck with these. Here's a pick of the Akai. I decided Im going to have new side panels made up in a light wood color to replace the old worn veneer ones. I don't think anyone would care to keep an 8 track stock anyway. If it helps the looks, the better. So I got the wood panels back from the shop and I'd thought I'd show some pictures of the Akai. The inset holes had to be redone about 3 times to get them wide enough and deep enough for the old screws to go in. I was not able to locate some new screws with the same thread pitch. Anyway they did a good job on the panels (I chose maple natural finish), but in redoing the inset holes they burned the wood in a couple holes. I could sand this off later. I wasn't going to complain since redoing the holes didn't cost me anything. Screwed them into the deck. I never noticed at the time, but the top vent on the deck is a yellowy white which almost matches the color of the wood. I was debating to put bigger feet on the deck like they do on late 80s, early 90s decks. I'll worry about that later. So here are some pics of the deck now. Also I took a couple interior shots and am showing one here. Very big belt in this thing. It was quite dusty inside, so I cleaned it out a bit.