Hi, one good thing(and important) to do with any tape deck is to demagnetize the head. If it was never done or done very little there can be magnetic buildup from the tapes played in it. This in turn would begin to erase the high frequencies and make the tape sound muffled on the highs, which is permanent damage. Anyway, I wanted to share this and I enjoy the restoration videos of these units. I miss the 70's!

THANK-YOU Sky720! I bought one that wouldn't change tracks and your discussion of having to hit the pin with a hammer to free it up was really helpful. I appreciate it.

Thanks for the video. Great job fixing your player. I would not have known how to fix the one I found in my grandfather's basement if I didn't watch this video.

When I was a kid I had those like that but they had a built in turntable on top.

I still have my 8 track recorder deck and I have had it since I was 12 years old when I got my first stereo . and it is still going strong and for jeff you may think the way you do but vintage audio gear is so much better then the current crap that is around today .vintage turntables reel to reel decks and pre -amps and amplifiers are so much better and all the companies way back then made stuff to last and cared about the quality not like the junk made today by companies that only want to make a buck on the crap and junk they make . I have a dual cassette deck and dual cd player and that is as modern as my audio is . everything else is vintage and top quality . crosley and all these other companies that try to make vintage stuff should all be closed down. all of them are junk with a few exceptions . great video thank you for posting this

This was a piece of 'budget' stereo kit in its day; it likely came with a pair of inexpensive bookshelf speakers so it could be 'up and running' very quickly once you brought it home. Many department stores sold similar stuff under their own name, as well as branded GE, Sylvania, Gran Prix, Emerson, etc. In its day, I think the whole setup, sans record changer, was about $100. About 2-4 watts per channel, but with a set of better speakers that's more than enough for most folks. The phono input is for the then-common autochangers, which used ceramic cartridges. You can use them with modern, magnetic-cart turntables like the LP60 if the unit has a built-in preamplifier (some don't, but you can buy a separate preamp if need be). The phono input can also be used for other l ine-level sources like a Bluetooth receiver, if you want to modernize a bit. I wish they still built stuff like this. Obviously the 8-track would be out of place today, but a USB port and reader for MP3s? Or maybe a cheap CD? No, don't tell me about those all-in-one things they sell on Amazon and at Best Buy. I'm aware, and they are inferior to even THIS budget item.

solid state means that there are no vacuum tubes in the unit.

Its crying for a new belt!!

@Lee.Higginbotham

4 жыл бұрын

Wow!! Can't he hear that it's dragging!! 🙉🙉🙉

Sounds like it still needs a new belt. Listen to the wow in that playback.

@atariandre5014

2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely. That plus it not starting indicates the belt is gone.

I just repaired a soundesign 8track cam gear was stuck that changed the tracks. They made great looking audio in the day.glad you got it going. Only issue you have is a frozen spot on the motor.cause you have to give it a push like a old car lol.You got a Nice Player there

Great video. I learned a lot. Thanks!!

I found a vintage Ross that will need a rebuild of the pre amp which will take place on my day off. I have a Beach Boy tape endless summer I will be using :)

Thank you so much I have been trying to fix my soundesign 5409 that I bought years ago, and it uses the same 8track system did it exactly and now is playing . It's hard to find info in fixing stuff . 😊

Excellent!!

your video is very helpful I have a solid state 8-track tape player in my record player console it doesn't work it does turn on. track changing does work but 8-track tape doesn't I assume all the 8-tracks are same. your video will help me when I have a chance to take it apart

Solid state means the electronics do not use tubes and all transistor and other such components. You can probably get that stalling startup like you said by cleaning the motor, you may have to completely and carefully disassemble it and clean all of the bearings, you may also have to remove the capstan, it's the shaft that runs through the player and is permanently fixed to the large wheel, this may be more likely the issue since it is much more likely to pickup debris

just got a very similar model with the same track issue, only difference on ours is the power and track buttons are round like the knobs

So all of these units, regardless of the brand on the face, were made by Panasonic. Including the 8 track tape player. These units were available with a number of configurations with names like Fisher, Zenith, Symphonic, Electrophonic and on and on. Some came with record changers and cassette decks and were known as component stereos. Their sound of OK but not as good as the console stereos they replaced.

I wanna know how to tune and fix speed variation. Please disclose that also on how u repaired those lights .

We have a Magnavox solid state vintage stereo cabinet console the record player needs a needle the radio works but the 8 track don't do anything any suggestions on what to do?

I picked this same player out of someone's free pile out at the curb, it plays tape well, except left speaker jack is all clicking and static cant hear any music, right side I can hear music, can any tell me is this something that needs a little sodering

"Solid State', for those not familiar, means the amplifier and electronics are semiconductor (aka transistor) based rather than tube-based. At the time this was produced, the vast majority of home electronics were transistor-based, so the term is essentially meaningless here. It's just effectively a 'nonsense' word tacked on to make it sound impressive, like 'high fidelity'. Marketing departments love stuff like that.

Why would you want a 8 Track player? People that had them did not want them... Cassette was so much better, easy to use, fast forward and reverse, easy to record on, etc... CD was a major leap forward and was very happy when I got my first CD player, now days I just use my iPhone with Bluetooth to my radio and I can make my own play lists, edit it, add remove with no problems at all, and sounds so much better, of course I walk around looking like a Borg from Star Trek Voyager, but that is ok, jam out with my Oakley sunglasses or my Jabra headphones, home stereo for hours and hours, I have enough music on my phone it will play for months and never repeat a single song. But funny how you have that player, I had one just like it, so this video does bring back memories of easy care free times when I did not have to worry about bills, just playing and school. 8 Tracks were already being replaced by cassettes when I was a child, but the old 75 Chev pickup had one and we had a stack of 8 tracks to play, even in the house we had of course this model. When it was replaced it still worked, but fine, just replaced with Cassette and CD, EQ, the works.

@summer20105707

5 жыл бұрын

Sometimes its just about the fun involved in fixing something.

Hello, I have a similar device, a radio and it only connects the speakers and the phono, can it be adapted to an amplifier? thank you!!

How did you get yours open? I have a similar one with the same problem but I can't figure out how to get it out to work on it

@fakevideos6002

7 жыл бұрын

loosen screws underneath player

Do you happen to still have this player?

Can I assume all 8-track players are the same no matter the model mine is in a 1973 sears a roebuck record player AM/FM radio console, 8 track doesn't play one thing I do need that its missing is a belt. Any clue where I can find one? Thanks awesome video!

@xaenon

7 жыл бұрын

+Taylor Guild Can you assume that all 8-Track players are the same? No, there are numerous variations on them.. However, many problems with them are common - dirty contacts, deteriorated or broken belts, dried grease, head misalignment, and so on. The electronics in them are usually fairly robust, however. Incidentally, these issues are actually common across all types of tape decks - cassette, open reel, and 8-Track. As for finding belts, you're probably going to have to measure your broken belt or get a good idea of how long your replacement belt should be. There are numerous sites you can try to find a replacement belt; my go-to is: www.turntableneedles.com/8-Track_Cassette_Deck_Reel_to_Reel_Rubber_Drive_Belts They'll give you some guidelines on how to measure for a replacement. The vast majority of 8-Track players I've seen use a 'flat' belt.

@AshAndCamilleMiller

5 жыл бұрын

There are a handful of different designs, the repairs are basically the same but part placement and track changer designs are different, and the screws are located in various locations, that was kind of an odd design with track changes. I would not sand anything besides the capstan and the would need very very light sanding with much higher grit and nothing near the 250. The rest on that model are due to dried grease like a turntable sanding is a bad last resort, complete grease gunk removal and relubed with new grease would be the best option.

Que tal tengo una sears con tape de 8 track como se puede gravar otra music al tape de 8 tacks

its a bit draggy.. Check the felt replace with 3/8.. less pressure on the head.. longer life.. save the captstain a lot of hard work. Remove and Clean capstain with Lighter fluid,., that should should do it,, a little 220 fine sandpaper as well..

IT NEEDS NEW BELTS!!!

figured out why it wasn't working the belt is gone I'm like lol well that could be a problem lol will have to order a new belt

the motor really should be taken apart and all the bearings need to be lubricated and lined up then you will not have to spin the flywheel ever again.

I have one that works. Do anyone won't to buy it?

@xaenon

7 жыл бұрын

+Daniel Stevenson There's always a market for old audio gear. Try eBay or Craigslist. But I'll warn you - 8-Track rarely brings 'big money' unless there's something unusual about it - new old stock still in a box for 45 years, for example, or something with some rare feature, like a cartridge changer.

@danielstevenson4829

7 жыл бұрын

xaenon Thanks.

sounds like wow and flutter really bad