of decks, ebay, and tracking into 2004...

OK, I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THE

decks- get a component deck, get a good one, and shoot for an AC
motored deck if you can. Track in style, why track slummin'- that is
passe'. Weltrons and Plungers were junk- regardless of what they sell
for- they cannot match high end component deck sound. The rumor that
8-tracks should sound ****ty, always did, and forever still have to,
has the arid stench of untruth to it. A high quality authorized studio
tape will rival or surpass any CD. Get a good 1970's vintage receiver
to play it through, with an separate EQ to clean up the sound. You
won't be disappointed !

ebay- is getting more hilarious than a comic book recently. The
sellers there see a Sony, Harmon Kardon, or Akai go for $150-$435
range. So they swamp the ebay market with cheapie AM/FM 8-track home
decks (non-component) expecting to reap big rewards $$. One seller
just listed (3) low quality recorders with home made tapes on top of
each one, that would make any flea mart or yard sale look upscale.
Wake up ebay sellers, we know better. Mis-spelled ads give a certain
mystique to the 8-track listings (LOL- is the deck the same quality
?). Most of these sellers don't even know how to take the cover off a
deck, to check it for a working motor and belt. About half of them
refuse to do so, or say they don't know how. (would you buy a rusted
out VW from an Iraqi refugee who lost the keys ??) Just remember,
multiplex sucks, portables suck, Panasonic sucks, Radio Shack sucks.
High end components rule, and they always did.

tracking into 2004- the outlook is getting better by the minute people
! hey look, 8-tracks don't need this overall stigma of sounding
****ty, and the "cheap is better" label, from weird people wearing
thrift store clothes. We don't need ****ty, obscure,
pseudo-collectible tapes. (use those for spare rollers, pads,
erase/tape over them, or spool the tape onto R2R- and throw away the
cart case !) We DO need Ted Nugent blasting through an Akai, while
smashing a cheapie multiplex with a sledgehammer, to get the spare
motor ! This format is looking hot for a new modern tape deck design,
and new tape releases. After thorough research it's obvious the record
labels just did not want to sit and wait 45 minutes to make each tape
anymore, time/labor/materials/overhead just got to be too expensive,
and the CD saved them. That may come full circle someday soon. If any
label or mfgr. latches on to it, and is willing to spend the time to
make new 8-track equipment and tapes, they will capitalize on it big
time. The market is certainly there to support it. Supply and demand
are up- imagine going in to Walmart and buying a modern equivalent of
an Akai for $200, that has auto tracking like a VHS player, and/or
external adjust azimuth/head height and tape speed/strobe. I say "hell
yeh". Sky's the limit !

farewell for now,
trippin' in component heaven...