8 Track Player Install?

Tabaz

Anyone install an 8 Track/cassette player in their T@B?  Looking forward to reliving my misspent youth.

AirBoss

I've been looking for a place to unload my collection of Herman's Hermits and Tommy Roe 8track tapes.

Interested? 😉😆

pthomas745

Wow!  8 Track AND Cassette!  Living large!

Let us know how it effects gas mileage!

webers3

I've got a VHS tape player while you are at it

Tabaz

AirBoss - Any Paul Revere & the Raiders or The Partridge Family?
Webers3 - I've been looking for a replacement for my Blu-ray player.  May take you up on that.

AnOldUR

Saw another discussion on blu-ray that attracted the same sarcastic replies. We just added blu-ray. For us, it’s fun to shop 2nd hand stores and other places for oldies but goodies to watch at night while camping.

Tabaz

AnOldUR - my original post was tongue-and-cheek with the only goal of levity and humor.  Looks like the responses were of like mind.  Sad to see you saw sarcastic replies to Blu-ray.  I can only watch Blu-ray movies because of my poor hearing.

AirBoss

Nothing says fun like sipping Strawberry Hill while listening to The Carpenters on the 8 track or watching Beach Blanket Bingo on VHS.

Ahhh, yes...

AnOldUR

@Tabaz … You totally misinterpreted my reply. I apologize for not making myself clearer. I meant no offense to you or anyone else.

Tabaz

No offense taken! Thought it inappropriate others would criticize Blu-Ray players for whatever reason.

WilliamA

Tabaz said:

AnOldUR - my original post was tongue-and-cheek with the only goal of levity and humor.  Looks like the responses were of like mind.  Sad to see you saw sarcastic replies to Blu-ray.  I can only watch Blu-ray movies because of my poor hearing.

Tabaz,

What? Huh? Speak up. I can barely read you....
WilliamA

Michigan_Mike

Gotta have Paul Revere and the Raiders on 8-track and Three Dog Night. 

We use to drive 15-20 miles out of our way to a small country store back in the day to pick up Boone’s Farm Grape 🍇 wine.  Only place around that had it.  😂👍🏻

I’ve seen my share of rolls of 8-track tape material along the highways years back too.  It was tough salvaging things when the player got hungry and started eating the tape!  🤣

dragonsdofly

@Michigan_Mike, if your player is eating the tape, you aren't feeding it often enough. This thread brought to mind our old true 4 channel, quadrifonic sound system. DH and me were just reminiscing about it. Had it (still worked) until the nieces started fighting over it (oh, so retro) a couple of years ago. Flipped coins until the winning niece took it home along with 2 30 gal garbage bags full of 8 track 4 channel tapes. Now THAT would have been an awesome mod to the t@b! However, the roofline might have become awkward with the 4 5' tall individual channel speakers mounted there. I'm sure the base and subwoofers could have been built in under the couch, and total t@b weight would have only increased about 400 lbs. Happy t@bbing!

CharlieRN

No comment on Blu-ray @Tabaz but an interesting 8-track story.

It was circa 1974 and while the 8-track was still king, cassette tapes were, to my way of thinking anyway, clearly and audibly superior. I determined that a cassette player was an absolute necessity for my Spitfire Mk 3, and once installed, would surely result in an exponential increase in my romantic potential.

I stopped into the local car stereo shop and inquired about buying one. "Yeah, we got 'em" said the nattily attired sales guy, "but, what you really want is one a these" he said, pointing to the display featuring a top-of-the-line Ampex 8-track. "Cassettes are just a fad" he continued, "in a couple a years you won't find any of 'em around."

AirBoss

Ah! Hey, why not a Beta machine or Laser Disc..."DiscoVision"? 

Spitfire Mk3, huh? 

Tabaz

My first new car came with an 8 track player.  Salesman said because of all the glass, the acoustics were phenomenal:

Really wanted the "new" (1975) Triumph TR7, but for some reason my elders frowned upon (1) any British car, and (2) a brand new model of any British car.

Tabaz

Romance was actually not a problem with the Pacer.  However, it took forever to steam up all that glass.

AirBoss

OK...funniest thing I've read all day!  🤣

Tabaz

CharlieRN - great story, but you left us hanging. Did you buy the 8 track or cassette???

CharlieRN

Tabaz said:

CharlieRN - great story, but you left us hanging. Did you buy the 8 track or cassette???

I had (and still have) a very large (and growing) LP collection. Once I found out that I could easily record my Aretha, Hendrix, Cream, Who, Al Green, Tower of Power, Procol Harum, Temptations, Jr Walker, etc LP's with a home cassette deck, then bring the tapes on the road, the choice was clear. I think the sales guy went on to a lucrative career hawking time-shares in Florida when 8-track sales collapsed in 1978.

I actually still have a home cassette deck but it's in storage, having lost out first to CDs and now to more advanced digital. None of those technologies come close to the sound quality of LP's however, and I'm glad to see the recent resurgence of that ancient technology. In fact, I just got the "50 Years of Genuine Houserockin' Music" LP from Alligator Records. What a collection! It starts with Hound Dog Taylor's "Give Me Back My Wig" and just gets better from there. The LP will soon be on my phone . . . but I could dig out the cassette deck and make you a tape if you'd like.

I do kind of regret not going with the 8-track though. If NFT's can sell for millions, surely an antique 8-track in good shape could fetch a pretty penny.

ChrisFix

Tabaz said:

My first new car came with an 8 track player.  Salesman said because of all the glass, the acoustics were phenomenal:

Really wanted the "new" (1975) Triumph TR7, but for some reason my elders frowned upon (1) any British car, and (2) a brand new model of any British car.

What a great car...wish we could all hear it blaring an 8-track!
And I always loved the TR-7...

ChrisK

I'm still trying to create my misspent adulthood.