WOW GM 8 Tract $1300

[70cst]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Original-GM-...tXveqM&vxp=mtr

I didn't realize these were going for this kind of money

[leddzepp]

That's is a boardmember's. He had it for sale here a while back if I recall.

[Coley]

Well...you can ask anything you want for something.
What you can actually sell something for is an entirely different matter....and that is what dictates the market...the sell price.

all good
Coley

[70cst]

It looks like the hard to find options are indeed getting more expensive but - supply and demand rules

[El Dorado Jim]

Originally Posted by Coley

Well...you can ask anything you want for something.
What you can actually sell something for is an entirely different matter....and that is what dictates the market...the sell price.

all good
Coley

x2

[jocko]

I've always felt like I was born a little late... Ha. Folks were giving stuff like that away when the new thing (cassettes) came out... And then they were giving cassettes away. Hey, maybe I should go stock up on cassette players!

[westong]

I sold that to him....he cleaned it up pretty good....i got 850 if remember correctly

[special-K]

No demand here. I never owned an 8-track because I felt cassettes were better. They were available back then but most everyone went for the 8-track. I never got that. Cassettes are easier to store in a car, you could record your own music on better quality tapes in real time (much clearer), stop, start, forward, or reverse, and you didn't need to wedge a matchbook. There was so much good music back then that was never sld on tapes and that was what I listened to. So, I had a huge collection of tapes I recorded...90 minute tapes would fit two albums, so better and way way cheaper.

I agree, hasn't gotten $1,300 yet so can't say that's what they are worth till some sucker comes along, and then that's just one sucker. Just because one person pays too much for something doesn't mean the item is worth that much

[Mollzyie]

I'd spend 1300 for a vintage high end home reciever but for my truck and esp 8 track is rather leave an empty hole in my dash

[palallin]

Everybody went for 8-tracks because they had been around longer than the cassette tapes.

[1968vetL-71]

I love it!! Probably needs to throw in a book of matches so you can prop up that tape when it starts to run slow.

Indeed accessories are climbing up in price from trucks to any gm muscle car.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by palallin

Everybody went for 8-tracks because they had been around longer than the cassette tapes.

That's what I'm saying, that is not true. Phillips put out the first cassette deck in '64 and the first 8-track was put out in '65 by Motorola (joint effort with Ford). The 8-track probably took off because they were the first player to be put in a car from factory so, as things go, The other car makers followed suit, completely overlooking the better performance of the cassette. Ford didn't always have the "better idea".

I liked all my music so didn't need to skip songs. I listened back to 45 minutes of uninterrupted music before touching the deck. Worked out great for music on the job

[kcsa75]

Originally Posted by hamjet

I remember back in 1970 my cousin got a cassette player in his car and I had 8- tape. he was showing it to me and I asked how does he find the beginning of the next song, because there were no channels like the 8-track. I stuck with my 8-track for many years after that. funny thing is, in very cold mornings the 8-track slooowly drifted to the next channel from the grease being cold..

Originally Posted by 1968vetL-71

I love it!! Probably needs to throw in a book of matches so you can prop up that tape when it starts to run slow.

Indeed accessories are climbing up in price from trucks to any gm muscle car.

If this is what trips your trigger, knock yourself out. But IMO 8-tracks should be left on history's trash heap. They were junk when they were new. I can only imagine what a 40-year old 8-track would sound like.

[geunther]

Originally Posted by kcsa75

They were junk when they were new.

They were indeed. I remember having to wedge a matchbook between the tape and the player to align the heads correctly against the tape. But I was 16, had wheels, had tunes. Chicks were next

[El Dorado Jim]

Originally Posted by geunther

They were indeed. I remember having to wedge a matchbook between the tape and the player to align the heads correctly against the tape. But I was 16, had wheels, had tunes. Chicks were next

I made a small wooden wedge i used in mine, the only way it would play right, if not, would hear more than one song trying to play, but it was great to have anything besides just an am radio back in the 70's!!!!

[1968vetL-71]

Originally Posted by kcsa75

If this is what trips your trigger, knock yourself out. But IMO 8-tracks should be left on history's trash heap. They were junk when they were new. I can only imagine what a 40-year old 8-track would sound like.

Probably sounds better than most artists on todays radio!!

Thats what makes the collector car hobby what it is. If we all had the same opinions about colors, styles, options etc... It would be a pretty boring place!

[palallin]

Originally Posted by special-K

That's what I'm saying, that is not true. Phillips put out the first cassette deck in '64 and the first 8-track was put out in '65 by Motorola (joint effort with Ford). The 8-track probably took off because they were the first player to be put in a car from factory so, as things go, The other car makers followed suit, completely overlooking the better performance of the cassette. Ford didn't always have the "better idea".

I liked all my music so didn't need to skip songs. I listened back to 45 minutes of uninterrupted music before touching the deck. Worked out great for music on the job

Not quite: the 8-track was developed on the 4-track platform which goes back another decade using pretty much the same cartridge 9one less roller). There were 4-track players in cars before the '60s; it is natural that the 8-track would dominate.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by palallin

Not quite: the 8-track was developed on the 4-track platform which goes back another decade using pretty much the same cartridge 9one less roller). There were 4-track players in cars before the '60s; it is natural that the 8-track would dominate.

I'm talking automotive 8-track decks. I know 4-tracks were before. I think the 8-track dominated because of Ford introducing them in '65 for the '66 models. What I never understood is why 8-tracks dominated when cassettes were available, no matter which came first. Both were certainly available during 67-72, the era we are dealing with here and the period I started driving and listening to cassettes

[el_fantasma]

It's like Betamax and VHS, right. Betamax was a superior technology but VHS dominated because their marketing and or distribution were better?

[James the III]

Originally Posted by special-K

That's what I'm saying, that is not true. Phillips put out the first cassette deck in '64 and the first 8-track was put out in '65 by Motorola (joint effort with Ford). The 8-track probably took off because they were the first player to be put in a car from factory so, as things go, The other car makers followed suit, completely overlooking the better performance of the cassette. Ford didn't always have the "better idea".

I liked all my music so didn't need to skip songs. I listened back to 45 minutes of uninterrupted music before touching the deck. Worked out great for music on the job

Because 8 tracks sound better, than the cassette tapes back then..
it was not till the type II tape that the cassette sound got close to the 8track..
cassettes won out for one reason, easier to carry.. same reason the c/d killed vinyl.. not that they sound better..

[72freak]

Lots of dreamers out there! Look at what folks are asking for their trucks on the "for sale" side of the board.

[special-K]

Originally Posted by James the III

Because 8 tracks sound better, than the cassette tapes back then..
it was not till the type II tape that the cassette sound got close to the 8track..
cassettes won out for one reason, easier to carry.. same reason the c/d killed vinyl.. not that they sound better..

I'll bow out after this. But, boy, with me being quoted followed by inaccurate statements it's hard not to set it straight. You'll never convince me 8-tracks ever sounded better than cassettes and the same would be true if you could ask all my friends who had 8-tracks that rode in my car. Maybe it's that I stayed away from Kraco and other junk. My deck was made by Ampex and my speakers were Eutaws, both professional grade.

Cassettes won out for other reasons as well, as shown by other members throughout this thread. 8-track lost out because it was junk from the get-go. Cassette is still good 45 years later. Store bought tapes are recorded at high speed, sacrificing fidelity. You record your own tapes you choose the quality of tape from the start and record at 33 1/3 rpm, same speed music was intended to be listened at.

So CDs replaced LPs (for most) because they were easier to carry? I can count on one hand in the times I ever carried my albums anywhere but from the store to home or from the shelf to the turntable. LPs require deeper shelving, so take up more living space. But that was never an issue till the next new thing came out. And that is what was about. The general public is out there waiting for the next best thing to leap on in hopes of fulfilling their lives. New is not always better, but you can't convince the majority of that.

I bought a turntable from the classifieds from a person who didn't need it anymore, since they got rid of all their albums when CDs came out. I thought that was the dumbest thing, but thanks for the top notch turntable for super cheap. I still enjoy listening to my 300+ albums on it, much of it never put on CD. When I was buying my Bose 801s in the '80s I mentioned to the salesman that I might be buying a turntable soon. He said I better get one now while they are still around. Now top audiofiles scrounge for good turntables and listening to albums is considered a higher level experience. That's why I make my own way and don't follow trends. I like what suits me and that has worked out better than following the herd

[GR8-68]

I have not bought a cd, cassette, or any type of audio equipment in years. Sirius and spotify have replaced me having to purchase any of it.
I do still have my stereo system though in my man cave including the turn table

[James the III]

Originally Posted by special-K

I'll bow out after this. But, boy, with me being quoted followed by inaccurate statements it's hard not to set it straight. You'll never convince me 8-tracks ever sounded better than cassettes and the same would be true if you could ask all my friends who had 8-tracks that rode in my car. Maybe it's that I stayed away from Kraco and other junk. My deck was made by Ampex and my speakers were Eutaws, both professional grade.

Cassettes won out for other reasons as well, as shown by other members throughout this thread. 8-track lost out because it was junk from the get-go. Cassette is still good 45 years later. Store bought tapes are recorded at high speed, sacrificing fidelity. You record your own tapes you choose the quality of tape from the start and record at 33 1/3 rpm, same speed music was intended to be listened at.

So CDs replaced LPs (for most) because they were easier to carry? I can count on one hand in the times I ever carried my albums anywhere but from the store to home or from the shelf to the turntable. LPs require deeper shelving, so take up more living space. But that was never an issue till the next new thing came out. And that is what was about. The general public is out there waiting for the next best thing to leap on in hopes of fulfilling their lives. New is not always better, but you can't convince the majority of that.

I bought a turntable from the classifieds from a person who didn't need it anymore, since they got rid of all their albums when CDs came out. I thought that was the dumbest thing, but thanks for the top notch turntable for super cheap. I still enjoy listening to my 300+ albums on it, much of it never put on CD. When I was buying my Bose 801s in the '80s I mentioned to the salesman that I might be buying a turntable soon. He said I better get one now while they are still around. Now top audiofiles scrounge for good turntables and listening to albums is considered a higher level experience. That's why I make my own way and don't follow trends. I like what suits me and that has worked out better than following the herd

Sorry if my quoting you offended you.. but facts are facts..
The headroom, channel separation , the low and highs db drop off.. all better.. want better you needed a reel to reel..
Even in the high point of the Cassette and 1000.oo decks they only where a "little" better than the outdated not improved in ten years 8 track

Problem with c/d's is the lack of dynamic range.. db rise.. As that takes data space and they rather jam 60 minutes of music on a disc than 40 minutes of music and have the dynamic punch of a live band..
The format can do it. but The industry made the choice to put more filler songs on one disc that better sound.. And can't blame them as most buyers bought cd players with junk d/a converters..
If file sharing didn't kill the industry.. I love to see what could've been with double sided DVD disc that has more than enough room to make a recording with huge dynamic punch, and not have the noise problems/limits of tape and vinyl..

[1968aj]

what I remember which is not much; 8tracks came out for cars and then cassettes later. that's when everybody ripped out their 8 track to upgrade to cassettes.then you got a reel to reel for the house with a quadrophonic receiver