Who's Brave Enough to Admit they still play 8 Tracks?

[braxus]

Post speaks for itself. Ive read there is a resurgence in 8 track use in recent years. Lots of blanks being sold on Ebay. People buying up old tapes. Even car decks are selling. I've also read that 8 track tapes are not very good at longevity, as they break down over time. They stick a lot. Their fidelity is questionable, but some people like them for their "thick" analog tape sound. One could easily get that sound with cassettes by upping the bias closer to 4 or 5 oclock and use normal tapes and recording with even higher levels then normal. Dolby B would be good as well. And turn off HX-Pro.

So admit it- who here still plays 8 tracks? Last time I did back when was when I bought a 79 Mustang in 1989 that had a stock player in it. I made up an 8 track on a friends parents home unit, dubbed from cassette, and played it in my Mustang on the drive home when I just bought the car. I'll admit though the deck didn't stay in for long, as cassette replaced it pretty quick. I bet that car would be worth more then normal these days with that deck in it today, but last I heard the car was written off, and I don't remember what I did with the deck. Probably was thrown out. Hind site today I probably could have sold it for a bit now. I still have that 8 track packed away in a box somewhere. I wonder if my grandfather still has his tapes. I dubbed them over to cassette in the 80s. Hard to say if he even has those now.

I was quite young when my grandmother and I would go shopping and we'd buy my grandfather these 8 tracks of music. I never really got into the format myself, as by the time I started using tapes was when cassettes took over. This would be around 1981. But I always used cassettes even when I was young in the 70s. Loved buying those old Radio Shack portable players.

I currently now have two 8 track decks. One is a Pioneer H-R99 and the other is the Akai CR-81D. I've been told I have two of the best decks out there for 8 tracks. I have yet to use the Pioneer, but have used the Akai and its a decent deck- though its aged.

[ddino77]

8 track was sort of a passing fad when I reached adolescence back in the early 70's. Leaving the cartidges in a hot car guaranteed binding or jamming promblems. If memory serves me, they came as options in the 74 Olds Cutlass Supreme and 69 Toyota Corona etc. Most serious audiophiles stayed away preffering the improved sonics of R2R. Craig, Realistic, York, Pilot, Akai, Julliette, Panasonic, Marantz, Soundesign among others. I notice today that they are fetching a tidy profit on the net, from collectors who want to relive the hippie movement or more radical times during Vietnam era. Cassettes were just around the corner and also stole the limelight, with cheaper blanks and easier setup protocols. Recording function and bias adjustment had been simplified to the point where any house wife could drop in a tape hit a few buttons and obtain acceptable results. I also vividly remember that AM/FM radio stations invested in these huge cart machines which loaded dozens of 8 track versions in circular bins and could play a days worth of music without much effort from the engineer. I have heard a few blogs mention that due to the head design high frequencies are curtailed at, (14K ) which promises to make the listening experience unsatisfying. So many formats....

[vinyldavid]

I still do...on occasion....mainly transfers only now....

[Web Police]

If I ran across a deck and some tapes, I'd give it a try. The last time I owned an 8-Track player recorder was in 1992. :)

[user510]

Not I. I never owned an 8-track machine. But I was there and hearing them back in the day. Let's say it is 1967 all over again. The most common place to hear an 8-track was in your car. Typically, an under-dash installation. Muntz was a common brand.

Btw, the 8-track cartridge format was preceded by similar 4-track appliances. 8-track became dominant for a short period. At one point it was optional equipment for various detroit machinery. I recall a 1968 Pontiac GTO with an in-dash 8-track. Speakers in the doors and in the rear deck. Factory installed.

Sound was ok for the time.

I recall small businesses that sprang up to offer 8-track tapes for sale to the public. One such place also specialized in 'boots' of the major brand albums. Legal or illegal, they sold these bootleg 8-track cartridges over-the-counter for quite some time. Sound quality was acceptable for many customers.

I got onto the Cassette bandwagon early on instead. I had one of the early Sony cassette decks. A TC127, iirc. The compact cassette seemed to have a better run at the US consumer with its more compact size, reliability and reasonably good sound quality.

But that's another story and off-topic.

-Steve

[Fast Forward]

If anybody collects 8-track ,,I ocassionally run into them at the thrifts as I,m sure a few of us do,, post a want list and lets see what pops up:)

[clhboa]

As soon as my Allied deck gets back from being serviced I plan on giving them a listen.I've been having a blast collecting them on ebay. Most of them are still sealed and I don't intend on opening most of them. A guy at work just gave me a case full of 24 tapes. All good late 70's, early 80's rock titles. Included was the flame cover "Street Survivors" tape. I plan on recording some cd's of newer music onto some blanks I have and blowing peoples minds. Half the fun of them is telling my friends that I'm buying them and seeing the look on their faces! About 15 years ago I went to a concert by Blues singer/pianist Marcia Ball and had her sign the back her first solo album, "Circuit Queen". She was blown away that I had it on 8-Track and that it was in such nice shape.

[audiobag]

My name is Al and I admit to collecting 8 and 4 tracks to listen to - if anyone has any Coltrane or other jazz like Sam Rivers etc..., folk titles like Roy Harper, Richie Havens, Townes Van Zandt, blues titles like Albert King ...., rock - Hendrix, Free, Paul Kossoff, psych stuff ... let me know - al

[Scorpion8]

I would if I had a decent deck, or any deck for that matter. I pick up 8-tracks that I used to have when I was a teen, hoping some day (not a real urgent "hope", but a passing one) that I'll find a decent 8-track deck yard-saleing or such. Then I'll play those.

[braxus]

I've got a spare 8 track recorder deck here that I don't use, but haven't even tested if it works yet. I mainly use the Akai deck I have here.

[Doug_Olitsky]

the one and only 8trk deck was the OEM in my '76 Caddie Sedan de Ville. Then only tape I had was Pink Floyd "Animals", I got at a thrift shop.


It played once or twice, got stuck/broke in the deck and there it stayed until the Caddie rolled off to the Great Gig In The Sky.

[Superfly]

Brave?
I love the 8track and is my primary source for music.
I play 8tracks at home and in the car.

They sound better than pre-released cassette, it's analog, continuous loop, you can dance around and lot worry about a tone arm skipping like with LPs, you don't have to flip over either.
It was the first portable audio format and I found that some 8tracks have amazing sound quality.
The best were the RCA releases. The carts are very durable and often mastered very well.
That is why Ford/Mercury/Lincoln used RCA carts for their complementary quadraphonic 8tracks.

I have a 1977 Lincoln Town Car with factory quadraphonic 8track player.
It sounds wonderful.

[Larry N]

When I signed up on this I didn't realize it had a 8 track section and yes I am addicted to those old square carts that I used to throw out the window. I fix each and every cart I can and have bought a number of in dash, under dash and home units. The home units some have only 8 track, some have am / fm cassettes / 8 tracks, some have turntables on them. Some are really cool portables. Its so bad I have to sneak them into the house under the cover of darkness. I have picked players up for $5.00 to $.75 and boxes of carts for as little as 200 carts for $5.00. I love the deep sounds that come out of the speakers. Yes I will stand up and be counted as a 8 track nut. There is another group that is devoted to the 8 track called www.8trackheaven.com that is a great question and answer site.

Larry N.

[Superfly]

Larry N.
I know some of the people that run that website.
Russ Forester who was one of the founders of 8track Mind magazine, then 8trackheaven.com is not involved with it too much at this point.

You should order a copy of the movie 'So Wrong, They're Right' part 1 and part 2.
I am actually in part 2.

[KeithCartridge]

I look as 8 tracks as comfort food, when I was a kid AM radio was king and I got my fix of music on a small portable with a 2 inch speakers and have no problem today hearing a one hit wonder 70’s band on a cheap Sanyo player and I would wager that Billy Don’t Be A Hero by Bo Donaldson And The Heywoods will not improve in quality on the best Bose sound system.

[clhboa]

Keith Cartridge. That is the greatest username I've ever seen!

[Teresa]

8 Track Cartridge was my first format and I do not intend to revisit it.

In 1971 I paid $99.95 for a Realistic 8 Track Stereo system (8 Track player/amp and 2 bookshelf speakers) and I was very pleased with the sound quality. My demands have gotten higher as I have grown older but I loved great sounding music just as much back then.

And there are a few recordings that I remember sounding the best on 8 Track tape:

1) JETHRO TULL: AQUALUNG - I don't think even the MFSL LP equals it, and you can forget the regular LPs as they have NO bass. The Aqualung 8 Track had killer bass.

2) THE BAND: MUSIC FROM BIG PINK

3) PAUL McCARTNEY: RAM - I've tried the domestic LP and it is lame compared to the 8 track especially on Uncle Albert, when it "rains" on the 8 track it really sounds like rain! And Paul McCartney's voice never sounded better.

My Pros and Cons of the 8 Track Format.

PRO: Endless loop was a very nice feature for the car. Many 8 Track tapes offered very good sound quality.



CON: Higher than normal wow and flutter. With endless loop the tape wound upon it self, causing in time the lubricant to shed and the tape to break. Rewind is impossible and Fast Forward on the few decks that offered it went at only twice the playing speed. This meant that all four tracks that to be approximately the same length so songs or movements were often split in two. So what one heard was fading down at the end of one track, a click as the track changed and fading up at the beginning of the next. Very disruptive to the flow of music.


So as you can summarize 8 Track will not be in my future because of the splitting of songs and even worse movements of symphonies in half. Fade down for track change, then load click and then fade up again. I really hated that and that is what killed 8 track for me.

In 1974 I purchased a used Teac Reel to Reel deck and bought 7 1/2 IPS Reel to Reel tapes from the very same store I bought most of my 8 Tracks: Muntz Stereo Tapes. Muntz Stereo Tapes sold 4 Track, 8 Track and Reel to Reel. Their pre-recorded Reel to Reel selection was small and I soon discovered Barclay-Crocker and started mail ordering pre-recorded Reel to Reels mostly Ampex and Stereotape. But I also purchased a few expensive audiophile real time recorded ones from Ambisonic and Sonar. And I joined the Reel to Reel division of Columbia House.

Will I ever find an Aqualung, Music from Big Pink or Ram as good as the 8 Track versions? I'm not holding my breath! I can understand the lure of 8 track as some of the tapes were great. One of the reviewers at 8 Track heaven prefers 8 Track through SET's and has compared many 8 Tracks to CDs and the 8 Tracks always sound better. Given the choice of 8 Track or CD I would choose 8 Track. But I prefer cassettes as played on my Nakamichi deck, Reel to Reels, and SACDs over just about anything else.

8 Track will just remain a love / hate memory for me.

[Marc Hugo]

Wow, I enjoyed reading that Teresa. Great to hear from you again after a little haitaus (or perhaps I haven't been paying attention).

The first time I head 8-track was in the seneties sometime. It was a Pioneer unit and it was the best, most impressive sound I had heard ever before in a car. Shortly later I heard another car-based 8-track unit installed in my woodwork teachers Studebaker Hawk. Again - quite a wow factor. The car made a pretty good sound too!!

But I knew very little then and not much more now. Thanks for your journey's story with them.

Best - Marc

[BroonsBane]

If I actually had an 8-track player I'd play the 3 tapes I picked up a few weeks ago from the Sally. Black Sabbath, BTO and Jimi Hendrix, now how could I resist! I'll find a player one of these days...

[MacGyver]

well, my grandma played one for me once ten years back, and she also gave me a cartridge i found under the seat of her car way back in portland in the late-'80s when i was a wee lad. i remember streaming the tape out, winding it around my swing set. WHAT A MESS. i also once considered picking up one of two home playback component decks at a local thrift a few years back. sorry to all the fans here, but i tend to view 8-track as a pathetically ill-designed dead-end in the history of acoustic recording technology, and i guess i felt the same way back when i was a kid...:p

[patrick4u]

I'm actually re-entering the realm of 8 track with my recent ebay purchase of a Wollensak player/recorder. I had one of these way back - probably late 70s early 80s. My first 8 track was a home unit and I don't recall the brand. I do remember inviting the girl across the street in to see it - and kissing her a few times in the process!

I put an 8 track unit in my moms car before I even started driving. As a senior in HS (1971) someone broke into it and stole all of my 8 track tapes (James Taylor, Carole King, Steppenwolf, Guess Who, Glen Campbell and Bobbi Gentry) and broke the player when they could not get it out.

My next 8 track was bought for my first car (1971 Plymouth Satellite Sebring). It was a Lear Jet with FM. Most of you probably know that Lear Jet invented the 8 track so this was top of the line. Yes, it is the same company that makes the jet. I moved this machine to my wife's 1971 Camaro when we married in '74. It was a perfect fit into a pocked in the console - made it look custom. When we sold that car due to a growing family, I pulled it out and it's been in a box since...yep, still have it.

That was probably the end of the 8 track for me - until now. I still have another 8 track that was in my wifes car before we married...don't recall the brand.

My cousin had an old 4 track that made a brief appearence. It was very similar to the "carts" that were used by radio stations for many years.

Ok, now I'm sure you are convinced that my re-entry into the 8 track world is an attempt at reviving my youth. I guess time will tell. I'll enjoy sharing the experience with those of you who still love the 8 track. We will discover together if that journey will be long or short.

BTW, for those of you who may wonder about me, I also have a Sony TC850 2 track reel to reel machine. As a musician, I can hear it in my head and appreciate recordings of any quality. :)

Take care,
Patrick

[Skywavebe]

I'm playing an 8 track right now but it is on 1/2" tape TSR-8.
I did have those things around back in High school 1970's but did finally
let them go. I did a lot of recording on them too. I had a HP calculator with a program written to figure out how to fit all the songs on a cart without it
changing tracks in a song. I would adjust the cartridge time to the amount I needed and they went great. The largest mistake they made with 8 tracks was that they relied on a cheap and plastic Pinch Roller. Later on Broadcast Carts looked pretty much the same but that they had a hole where the Pinch
Roller came up from the bottom. Otherwise, the rest was pretty much the same. I worked on a lot of those too.
I think I still have some around- no doubt, they will need re-splicing.

[hakka26]

I have several player including a Muntz unit that plays both four and eight track. Got a mint Marantz quad for free because, "No one listens to eight track anymore." :)

[vinyldavid]

I am bringing my Realistic TR-803 recorder into school today, for my music appreciation class.

Mainly because we discussed vintage media formats, and they didn't quite 'get' the 8track..

I am bringing:
Ozzy-Blizzard of Ozz (yes, I have that on 8t)
Hit Action
Richard Harris-The Tramp Shining.


powering it up to test it was the first time I have used it in about a year...*reelspin*

[clhboa]

I am bringing my Realistic TR-803 recorder into school today, for my music appreciation class.

Mainly because we discussed vintage media formats, and they didn't quite 'get' the 8track..

I am bringing:
Ozzy-Blizzard of Ozz (yes, I have that on 8t)
Hit Action
Richard Harris-The Tramp Shining.


powering it up to test it was the first time I have used it in about a year...*reelspin*

So how did the 8-Track demo go?

[hakka26]

I have this tucked away somewhere. *Spin*

[Superfly]

I have several player including a Muntz unit that plays both four and eight track. Got a mint Marantz quad for free because, "No one listens to eight track anymore." :)


hakka26, my new best friend! :)
You don't really want that deck, do you? ;)
I'd be happy to take that off your hands. :)

That is a highly sought after 8track deck.
I have one but the motor is weak.

[ALLAUDIO]

I have only 2 8 Track Tapes Barbra Streisand Guilty & James Taylor Dad Loves His Work brand new was sealed when I got it. Just recently I walked in to the thrift store originally looking for a cassette deck & spotted a York 8 Track Player for $3.00. The 8-track Player works great I got all hooked up 4 days ago & played James Taylor.

[akaihead]

Picked up a nice wood case with a lexan cover for 24 8 tracks, w/24 tapes. 5.00 at the saly: Greg Allman -laid back, Bad Co.- straight shooter, Bad Co. -Bad co, Frampton- frampton- I'm in u, Doobies- the captian and me, Bread- baby I'm a want u, Traffic- heavy traffic, Traffic- low flying sparks, Miller- fly like an eagle, reo speedwagon-cant tuna fish, Ritchie Blackmore -rainbow, and,,, and... and...you ready... THE VILLAGE PEOPLE, yea friends you got it...*fit**check*YMCA!!!

Gosh, my parents grew up in the depression, I didn't have a transistor radio until I went in the service. Bought my first 8 track portable player right after 'Nam. If I ever get too good for an 8 track heck with me. I see it as a technology that got us here. Those who forget the past... what was I saying...

Anybody have a wollensak parts machine? I need a switch...

[Web Police]

and,,, and... and...you ready... THE VILLAGE PEOPLE, yea friends you got it...*fit**check*YMCA!!!



Shhhhhhh not so loud stuwee will hear you. *devil*

[BlazeES]

The last time I played an 8-track was in 1978, in my sisters Ford Pinto.

Good thing we didn't in a rear-end collision at the time.

I've counted my blessings ever since...