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Vintage 8 track reciever to aux

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griffinyouth

New Member
Hey! Been lurking for a while and I'm finally creating an account.

I came across a Craig 3303 at a goodwill for 5 bucks and I couldn't resist, I love 8 track players. And I have a few questions I haven't been able to sort out myself. This is all before my time and I am semi-new to vintage stereo equipment so sorry if I am missing some common knowledge.

The front has a Stereo Phone input 1/4. That is for recording, correct?

The back has EXT, Line out, Phono, and Mic (all pairs)

Typically what would these all be used for? If theres a mic in the back is the front Stereo Phone not for a mic? EXT is speakers, line out would then be for what? Phono is input for record player.

And finally, would there be any way to connect an aux? I am assuming not cause the only input is Phono which is (correct me if im wrong) 2.1mV compared to 3.5mm jack of 1V?

Any knowledge is appreciated, thank yoU!
 
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The jack on the front is likely a headphone jack. Line out would be for sending a signal to a preamp. The phono and mic jacks are inputs.
 
This isn't so much an 8-track player per se, as much as it is an all-in-one receiver that happens to have an 8-track built in. The "line out" is a little odd since there's no associated "line in" to bring a tape deck back in. I guess you could use it as a stand alone 8-track into another amp or receiver, but that would be odd too.
 
70's Rockfan said:
here's some pics I found of it.
View attachment 1652923 View attachment 1652924 View attachment 1652925
Click to expand...

Cool, circa early 70s Japanese Craig dedicated "console style" 8-track player. W/ the right tapes you'll be able to have that "cruisin' the backroads in the ol' car" experience @ home. I don't still have many -- N=25-30? -- 8-tracks left in my possession, but if I had a player like that i might light up a few. But now you must slap together a decent inventory of 8-tracks to get some use outta that piece.
 
griffinyouth said:
The front has a Stereo Phone input 1/4. That is for recording, correct?
Click to expand...

This is not an input. It is for headphones. "Stereo Phones" means stereo headphones.

griffinyouth said:
The back has EXT, Line out, Phono, and Mic (all pairs)
Click to expand...

Reason for the pairs is because it is stereo......or to the laymen, left and right channels.

Phono and Mics are inputs. Phono input is usually a crystal or ceramic type of input and not the typical magnetic cartridge inputs used with higher end equipment.

EXT Speakers: Out to a pair of speakers.
LINE OUT: Possibly the same as REC out or TAPE out for recording purposes.

If you want to try something like a cd player or phone etc, use the phono inputs as AUX inputs.
 
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Artie said:
This isn't so much an 8-track player per se, as much as it is an all-in-one receiver that happens to have an 8-track built in. The "line out" is a little odd since there's no associated "line in" to bring a tape deck back in. I guess you could use it as a stand alone 8-track into another amp or receiver, but that would be odd too.
Click to expand...


This is what I would do as well. Use this unit as only a player, and feed the signal into an upgraded receiver that can handle decent speakers and the power required to do so.

Q
 
Be very cautious if you attempt cleaning those slide controls. Contact cleaner a la DeOxit can make them seize or become stiff very easily.

Take the case off and check how the mechanism functions before inserting a tape. If/when satisfied it's operating properly, I would strongly urge reconditioning any cartridge before attempting to play it. The splice will let go on the first pass 50% of the time and it should be replaced ASAP as a matter of course.

Same with the foam pad which most cartridges will have.

My experience refurbishing 8 track tapes is extensive (I have no life) and things can be wrong with the tape pack that won't be seen unless the cartridge is opened up.

A few weeks ago I found a mint cartridge, one of very few where the foam pad was still good. Normally I split the cartridge halves then by hand, using the point of a geometry compass, wind the tape for as long as it takes to expose the foil splice. That takes a few minutes but I chose that instance to be lazy.

Most of my players have an auto stop/eject feature so the tape stops as soon as the foil splice is detected. I chose to let the player do the work and this happened.

Despite how it looks, I salvaged it and it plays perfectly fine. But that job took a lot longer than it would have taken to locate the splice manually. Such an incident can be caused by a variety of reasons.

I find this format a lot of fun but it can have it's moments of frustration.

IMG_4183.JPG
 
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62vauxhall said:
Be very cautious if you attempt cleaning those slide controls. Contact cleaner a la DeOxit can make them seize or become stiff very easily.

Take the case off and check how the mechanism functions before inserting a tape. If/when satisfied it's operating properly, I would strongly urge reconditioning any cartridge before attempting to play it. The splice will let go on the first pass 50% of the time and it should be replaced ASAP as a matter of course.

Same with the foam pad which most cartridges will have.

My experience refurbishing 8 track tapes is extensive (I have no life) and things can be wrong with the tape pack that won't be seen unless the cartridge is opened up.

A few weeks ago I found a mint cartridge, one of very few where the foam pad was still good. Normally I split the cartridge halves then by hand, using the point of a geometry compass, wind the tape for as long as it takes to expose the foil splice. That takes a few minutes but I chose that instance to be lazy.

Most of my players have an auto stop/eject feature so the tape stops as soon as the foil splice is detected. I chose to let the player do the work and this happened.

Despite how it looks, I salvaged it and it plays perfectly fine. But that job took a lot longer than it would have taken to locate the splice manually. Such an incident can be caused by a variety of reasons.

I find this format a lot of fun but it can have it's moments of frustration.

View attachment 1652974
Click to expand...

I've mentioned this before, but hey someone might be new to 8 tracks.
Back in the day when 8 tracks were plentiful, it was not uncommon to see an 8 track tape with the tape hanging out alongside most any road. Probably couldn't drive 20 or 30 miles without seeing at least one dead 8 track tape AND a muffler.
Evidently mufflers have gotten better since then and very few people are using 8 tracks in cars anymore.
 
goodolpg said:
Evidently mufflers have gotten better since then and very few people are using 8 tracks in cars anymore.
Click to expand...
Mufflers are now made from stainless steel and *KER-CHUNK!* recorded music in the car is made from files on *KER-CHUNK!* a USB stick or a CD. 8-track is a cursed format; resurrecting *KER-CHUNK!* it is a path to suffering for dedicated masochists. I guess it *KER-CHUNK!* gives them something to listen to whilst putting on the *KER-CHUNK!* hair-shirt and restraints.
 
I couldn't ker-chunk agree more.:)
I knew where every ker-chunk was in the tapes I played a lot.
Hearing the same song on the radio it just didn't seem right without the ker-chunk.
 
At least the sound verbalization is close.

Best put me down as a masochist then. This photo is at least two years old and depicts most of the cartridges I decided to keep. There have been additions since. And no duplicates. Those I have in a different area.

IMG_3816.JPG
 
62vauxhall said:
At least the sound verbalization is close.

Best put me down as a masochist then. This photo is at least two years old and depicts most of the cartridges I decided to keep. There have been additions since. And no duplicates. Those I have in a different area.

View attachment 1653149
Click to expand...

That's cool. I haven't seen a collection like that in a long time.
I still have around 50 tapes and a excellent Sanyo under dash
player that I bought in the mid 70s.
 
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