Craig's Dungeon - 8 Track Tape Repair and Discussion

[@78recordrepair]

Aah, 8 tracks. ... I remember repairing those. Once I had one start unraveling under the tapes own weight and I couldn't stop it in time. I ended up rewinding the whole thing from scratch. After about three hours, I had it all done, and when I tried it it played backwards!! So after cooling off for about a week, I unwound it again and flipped the tape over and did it again. That time it worked. So take note: not only do those things have an inside and outside, they have an upside and a downside.

[@robertlove1334]

Most informative video on 8 track tape repair and how the player functions. Thank You

[@canadianbrewer]

Wow Craig!! Now I know. I had it all back in the day, 45's, LP's, 8 tracks and cassettes. I still have my cassettes in a box somwhere... I owned a 1967 Dodge Monaco Convertible with an 8 track with 4 speakers. What a time we had!!! Thanks for this. Chris

[@davidcollins1853]

I repaired so many of those tapes, when I was a kid.

[@mysteryjesus]

I've been playing 8 tracks again recently. I think they sound really nice on the right vintage system. They have a very warm sound.

[@retrodad1973]

I'm going to share this on my FB Group - VHS Rewind! We love older and dead formats - funny thing is, I came here to learn about Beer Brewing since I was gifted a ton of supplies!

[@sbhinze]

Awesome video! I’m dabbling in 8-track tapes/repair. Great info.

[@vwestlife]

The better 8-track recorders had Dolby B noise reduction, but very few commercially pre-recorded 8-track tapes were ever Dolby encoded, and also there were never any chrome or metal tape formulations available.

[@olebjrklund8648]

Very nice video Craig ...Thx a lot... and keep those videos coming... :D

[@OptomodMix]

Awesome Craig, I think I just fell in love with cassettes again, if only I had a player for all my tapes

[@Stian1342]

OoOoOohhh! 10 hours workday today, a cold homebrew in my hand, and guess what a new Craigs Dungeon video. Your are my freaking hero Craig, THANK YOU!

[@The411]

Thanks Craig, great info. I use the foil tape for sealing ducts for the sensor tape, just cut it into strips a little less wide than the media.

[@eternalrhythmflow]

I'm digging the dungeon! Thanks for all this great info, Craig!

[@hanneman4509]

I helped a friend break one of his 8 tracks very recently. Hoping I can help him repair it with tips from this video. Didn't know Shawn Michaels was an 8 track guy!

[@apenutz987]

awesome video. I was born after 8 tracks were popular and was not exposed to them very much so I may not have ever learned about them in the detail you provided. thank you. can't wait to see what you do next.

[@MrSmeggypaws]

Love it! And the 8-Track was a Throwback Tuesday to the days I worked in radio. We loved/hated carts. Not only 'cause they broke at the splice, but they'd skip the stop tone and continue playing again. Then there was tape stretch, and a litany of other issues. I digress. Keep up the great work!

[@Tekno5_Official]

0:20 I have that album too!

[@AVDH-zn9mv]

This takes me back Craig. My parents had a Realistic stereo component with a radio and the 8 track was on the one end. I remember playing Glenn Campbell's Greatest hits over and over. Those cassettes/carts were pretty durable. To see the innards of the cassette and how the player worked is fascinating. Cheers, Dripstick

[@BobbyLeeCarroll]

Always enjoy your sharing and instruction. I'm also subscribed to your Vinyl channel; good stuff over there. You taught me how to setup my Audio-Technica AT-LP120. I just bought a 8 track/Cassette Combo Soundesign TX-0868 from eBay at a fair price. I had been counseled against getting a combo unit, but, hey what the heck. We will see how it goes. Peace!

[@conanpickett9423]

Man bro I have been doing this since i was 10 years old. My dad is legally blind with 10 percent vision so audio is big still in my family I am 40 now and vhs and cassettes are a walk in the park lol great video sir

[@victorbitter583]

Very informative Craig. I always assumed an 8track was just like a cassette in different packaging. I never used one so had no clue about those differences. The only one i ever saw was in my neighbour's RX4. cheers.

[@justanothercanuckian]

Cool vid Craig! I've got a whole box of 8 track tapes collecting dust because a bunch of them broke off at the splice... I just might have to try a Craig-fix on 'em. Cheers buddy!

[@sting64az]

Thanks for sharing and your expertise on these repairs... You sure make it look so easy and the tip of using scotch tape to hold the tape in place during repairs is what I should of done.. I often get more twists on the tape then the ocean has waves and that is a struggle to get it to all straighten out like yours is... I have some open cell foam coming soon maybe tomorrow as the tracking says from Amazon to repair all the ruined foam on my 8 track collection...

[@amarillohomebrewing4602]

Craig, I have learned from you on your music, electronics and of course your brewing, This is a very good learning video and gain more insight on tapes in this short video. Thank you and look forward to the next one. 17 !

[@drstevenrstanek]

That was a nice "stroll down memory lane" as they say. In the '70s I used to record all my vinyl albums onto TDK chromium dioxide cassettes and listen to them in order to keep my vinyl as "masters."

[@Ghis1964s]

I use to repair those way back when I was about 15yrs old in 1979-1980. I would splice em 3/4" longer when the switcher-tape-foil was gone. I would put the scotch-tape on the back leaving enough space to patch a piece of "cigarette-pack" paper taking its white-paper off though (the kind one could finds in a Export'A because those were not dimpled and soft enough to roll along the 8-track roll-out coil)

[@FredGirouard1]

You the man ...love your stuff

[@Hernandezvideofilmaudio]

Thanks Craig. Great video. Very informative. I've repaired 8 track tapes in the past successfully but my current project is giving me fits. It plays but starts slowing down and sounds garbled. If it didn't sound garbled, I can probably correct the speed with audio editing software but no software can remove the garbled sound. When I try my test tape, it plays fine so I know it's not the machine. I've tried all the solutions I can possibly try. Besides splicing the tape, the pressure pad was gone so I first created a makeshift pad which I've done in the past successfully but no-go this time. I've actually purchased new pressure pads which can be found on ebay, purchased another 8 track commercial tape that plays fine and transferred the spool to this new cassette. The last thing I'm going to try is transfer the tape to a new spool and make sure it's not wound too tight because I'm suspecting it may be too tight on the current spool and this is way you come in. Do you have a video that shows that procedure properly?

[@johndicker1892]

Great job Craig. Do you have any videos on fixing a selector switch that changes the track display number? I took that component apart to fix the head cradle. anyway, when i took the small switch board off a metal contact sitting on a spring popped off and I am not sure how to position it. TY, John

[@RandyWBrown]

Could've swore I was listening to Alex Lifeson repairing an 8 track.

[@deanwolfechannel]

I thought so too😅

[@valcioelcov740]

Hi, excellent video very informative and educational. I own 2 8 track players.I have few cartridges as well.I did repair few of them already but they don’t wanna play.I can wind the tape by hand but when inserted into player the capstan and pinch roller does not pull the tape and no sound is heart. Please advice!

[@jamessavir7579]

Hey Craig! I really like your vids, really cool stuff! Cheers man!

[@claudiosalerno573]

This is something very difficult to achieve, repair or at least leave something old working with not much more than passion, this was not intended to be repaired. I respect you and your work.

[@brianeastman3547]

Awesome, Totally Awesome, Keep up the good work man.

[@rcole1958]

Very informative. And, took me back to 1976!

[@MichelJosephCardin]

That chrome duct tape (although may be too thick) would be ideal for the splice piece; as it sticks like crazy. And I found that the best way for me; was to open it and replace the covers back together; while having both ends out at the same area. Then I'd repaired it and not needing to worry about the cartridge's problematics of accidental happenings. Thus I could move freely; for the repair. Packaging tape worked great for other areas of repair. And the way I'd cut the tape was having it oversize; trim the two edges with scissors. This way; I didn't touch the sticky part of the tape with my fingers. Taping down both ends along a strait line and cutting both of them as they are overlapped and at an angle that cover's aprox. If the packaging tape is thin enough; I would had taped both faces of the repair but the front face was best of the two and with a slight gap between the two ends.

[@30YearHex]

This was so helpful! Thanks man!

[@andyalberti8476]

Very good information!!! Thank you!!!

[@IKS-Exploration]

wow very interesting Craig!

[@moran1053]

Thanks Craig had an 8 track in another life HE~HE always wondered now they worked. so most the time they com apart at the splice ? YEs

[@jaylenepeterson-nyren7331]

Great tutorial,Craig! I used to repair cassettes all the time, if I could get them open.. I still have over a hundred! No player tho.~~

[@tzougas8061]

Very nice video. I live in Greece and I am collecting 8 tracks and of course repairing them too! I also have the Helen Reddy 8 track, very good album. I own some 8 tracks that were recorded with Dolby NR although my player does not support that so when I play them I have to turn down the treble a little.

[@Matrix803]

8-track tapes are amazing! I have a 1970's Zenith Allegro all-in-one 8-track recorder, with record player and stereo system. I bought it 12-ish years ago and fixed it up, and it still plays perfectly to this day. My friend and I love using it while we play pool. It records like a champ, too! I'm curious how good 8-track tapes could have sounded if they made metal variants, improved the tapes, improved the players and playback heads, etc. Would've been great to see what that would be like. > u

[@lordjoshuarobindumbleton275]

If that's your music you played; I would be very interested in buying a copy if it! Sounded fab.

[@CraigTube]

www.craigfarraway.com/mymusic

[@lordjoshuarobindumbleton275]

CraigTube awesome. Now I have an excuse to record to cassette!

[@phillipbroussard9762]

Great vid,learned alot,i just recently bought a akai 80dss 4 channel an using dbx224 the sound awesome.

[@braddevillier9253]

Very informative video, really like CraigTube!

[@mariamsmusic5143]

How do you know what can be taped over and how much tape can overlap?

[@MrZdvy]

I just spend about an hour pulling and turning trying to get the tape back in, but about a foot of tape remains outside the cartridge, no matter if I use high or low tension on the tape. Any tips?

[@brunomateus7311]

Hi. I bought a used (and beat up...) 8 track player. It's an Ocean music center (cassettes, radio and 8 track player). My question is, when i run the cartridge, i can ear what i think are two tracks playng simultaneously??? i haven't try to adjust the height of the head but, could that the the issue? Thank you. Regards from Portugal.

[@showstopperrob1097]

Hello Craig, back in the 70's I allso did have an eight track recorder (Denon) It was a really great machine. But I had an external Dolby noise reduction, which made the sound more cleaner. There were chrome tapes aswell. But the problem with most machines in those day's dind't have had a selector for Chrome. Luckely the Denon had one. As I see now this video, I really regret I don't have an eight track anymore. But who know's in the future I score one at eBay.

[@deanwolfechannel]

O wow, chrome 8 tracks , I'll keep an eye out on Ebay for them....

[@ruthlesscutthroat4030]

I have an 8 track tape echo machine for effects, I understand that 8 track is stereo which is why the machine has dual inputs. However 8 track cartridges are old. The machine makes a lot of white noise. I'm gonna guess its the cartridge and next perhaps the heads need cleaning. My question: Can I spool in regular cassette tape in to 8 track cartridge they're relatively the same width?

[@easyone21]

Greetings: I have a car 8 track model Craig 3134 with a broken belt. I have checked Ebay for a new belt. I see many many models of Craig but none for a 3134. Are there other belt models that will work correctly on my Craig 3134? Thanks Jim

[@hugocavero8082]

Hello Craig, I have recently got enthusiast in collecting quad 8-track cartridges (yes, I collect quadraphonic formats). I have the AKAI CR-80-SS and overall works well but has two main problems. - The contacts (the sensor to change program) do not work when playing a tape, but they do when I gently pass a piece of aluminum foil onto them, strange… I have also tested with a mint new cassette (it was even with its envelope from the 70s) and did not work neither, that means it is not because of old aluminum tape on other cassettes. What could it be? - The head is not aligned, I think the equipment do not have a pitch control to align while listening to. Any suggestions? Thank you very much and keep uploading great videos Cheers!

[@dennisspeaks]

I just picked up a 8 track Craig home stereo and unfortunately it won't change tracks.

[@EricLDC]

Head mount cracked? Usually causes that I heard. Just use some kinda epoxy I've been told

[@vinylcity1599]

I just got through watching a video, where a guy had an 8-track tape player with "Dolby system"!

[@daphnemcfarland201]

My 8 track player has lost its colour. Any ideas how to fix it.

[@brianshull2000]

Any ideas of what causes an 8 track tape to lag or slow down during playing? I thought it was my player, but the tape slows down or lags on 3 different 8 track players.

[@petepictures]

Have you tried to replace the tape with a new one from a bigger reel?

[@semperfi-1918]

Thanks for the information I have 3 that broke so now I have hope.

[@JP-uu2rw]

You can get sensing foil on a roll that already has adhesive and is the proper width so that no trimming is necessary and so there is no need for scotch tape either

[@Dweesil]

Interesting video!

[@gerryroberts662]

I lenjoy re-spliceing tapes.. Nice video..Audio cassette shell and I smooth them out with my nails.. oh an i use scissors.

[@EricLDC]

Just got a 8 track record player cassette combo. All worked but cassette needs belt go figure lol Surprising the 8 track head wasn't cracked. I can't for the life of me figure how the belt goes on the cassette player Any tips? It's a jc penny

[@ignitore]

why not recycling old foil? it was quite good. regluing or usin a little of thin bihadesive tape works in my experience.

[@wizzwamf]

is it common for 8 tracks to sound warped

[@welllsaiddddd]

why didnt you re glue the original foil back on

[@tonyperek7292]

I wonder why the Sony elcaset format didn’t make it please.

[@TheGrandMasterKage]

hello craig,i just watched this video as i was repairing a tape for my brother and it was wonderful.I did just as you did and went to try it and it worked very well.My question is,could you maybe make a video on how to open the RCA type tapes without the riveted center?I ask bc i have a 1976 cher "I'd rather believe in you",(that has been having sound issues with it)and i haven't seen anyone do a video on how to open this type.I've been having quite the time trying to get it opened but have stopped bc i dont wish to break it.Thank you dear friend.☺

[@kingforaday8725]

I too never owned an 8 track tape deck "back in the day"!! I was an audio cassette guy. Hey, it was a lot easier to customize a cassette with your favorite songs than an 8 track. Actually I didnt know anyone that had an 8 track recorder! Never even heard of them.

[@maraudersr1043]

Wow! Great Video. I was looking for a video to demo tape repair and not only did you give a lot of useful info, I have the SAME EXACT TAPE that needs repair as you demoed. Damn it another lottery chance wasted.

[@horseshoe_nc]

Another great video. I knew about splicing them. However, I didn't know why didn't sound all that great. On a side note: What happened with your Vinyl TV channel? Looking forward to more content there.

[@Sakham9]

sounds like an underground lab at the beginning of the video😀

[@deanwolfechannel]

There are 8 track decks with Dolby actually.

[@ElmuO9]

Love this

[@Schnuz]

Cheers Craig, never had an 8 track for the all of the reasons that you pointed out. Standard cassettes had their own problems but in the era they were better. Would I go back from solid state for portable? not on your Nelly 😂. Cheers. Schnuz.

[@merlinvnv2701]

very interesting!!!

[@kimberlymark2823]

The Pioneer H-R100 can do Dolby recordings

[@cklinejr]

a bit of a hack job on the splice repair, but decent info for the novice who just has one of 2 tapes to fix. 8-Track players did come with Dolby Noise reduction available, though I've never found dolby noise reduction to do much good.

[@jameschavez6400]

You Can Call The Splice The Trigger ing Mechanism & The Pressure Pad Turns Back Into Its Petrolium Goo& Won’t Put Contact To TheTape Head

[@MrWinstonABailey]

LOL. I enjoyed the video and thank you for making it. I gotta tell ya though man, I laughed pretty hard at about 8 minutes when suddenly you were like "oh wait - oh no... oh well....that completely oh (angry expletives scream within brain) that's... that's ok! here we go!

[@kingforaday8725]

Whenever I find an 8 track tape that is in good condition from a music genre I dont listen to I buy it simply for the parts. Usually spending ten to 50 cents. At garage sales I often find a carrying case with 25 to 30 tapes for $1 !!!!

[@Productions-rf5he]

I've always had bad luck with 8 tracks. No matter what machine i was using, my tapes would be eaten, digested, and promptly shat out. I wanted to listen to my dads Cheech and Chong albums he had on 8 track, but thankfully after pulling what was left of a Conway Twitty tape out of a well serviced machine, I gave up.

[@EmilioGarcia-fr5po]

Cool video, what would you say is the best sounding blank cassette to buy in today's insane digital age? Analog kid

[@TechFigure]

wow

[@josephfrye7342]

you know the con for 8-track is they break easily bit its not that bad to fix it i am just saying that's all no harm done.

[@josephfrye7342]

i know 8-track is popular but another con is they don't sound good as reel to reel tapes or cassette tapes.

[@chasevanhoever6630]

They did make pre-recorded eight track tapes that had to be on them you just have to look I got a couple from 1975 and have Doobie on them Statler brothers holy Bible

[@mattmccarthy6686]

8-track song on original eight track you can play in a track player music of day track copyrights strike against you but you play a blank copy of the original songs of other artists on a track you don't get copyrights strike why

[@craigfisher7033]

h Craig , why is it so hard to find a portable 8 track player with a ear phone jack?

[@emmaandrews5691]

I'm best friends with u r son Jacob

[@CraigTube]

Right on! He's a great kid!

[@hal9k2k6]

scotch tape? no no no.

[@EatingGoodWithRickandJerre]

17

[@EatingGoodWithRickandJerre]

Hey Craig I was just gonna say . Why not just buy aluminum tape from a hardware store and tape it where the existing splice was.

[@CraigTube]

I could do that but for one tape? and in the middle of the night the stores are closed. But ya, that would be the easier way if the store is handy.

[@mattmccarthy6686]

I see you try to take play the music copyright play the music on your channel on KZbin copy rights to make coffee to sell other people is copyrights cover at me if not to play this money music on the internet is not copyrights also TV on TV on TV please because you could hurt yourself like that and on this tape I've got all my some of my own music recorded as I mentioned that is copyright record something didn't say not to record their music is copyright

[@TheGrandMasterKage]

hello craig,i just watched this video as i was repairing a tape for my brother and it was wonderful.I did just as you did and went to try it and it worked very well.My question is,could you maybe make a video on how to open the RCA type tapes without the riveted center?I ask bc i have a 1976 cher "I'd rather believe in you",(that has been having sound issues with it)and i haven't seen anyone do a video on how to open this type.I've been having quite the time trying to get it opened but have stopped bc i dont wish to break it.Thank you dear friend.☺