8trackavenue.com

04/09/2026

Youtuber "VWestlife" did a great video a few months ago on 4 track tapes. Some great information on their history. He also did a review of the newly manufactured "Gidget" adapters that allow certain types of 4 track tapes to be played in an 8 track player. He ended up modifying some of his Muntz 4 track carts (by adding a notch in the side) so that he could use the Gidget to play them in his 8 track player. Always something interesting on his channel as it is dedicated to computers and electronics (alot of them are vintage).

Gidget was an adapter to let you play 4-track Muntz Stereo-Pak tape cartridges in an 8-track player. Now a new 3D-printed version of it is available from www...

03/17/2026

Finishing up an 800 8 track foam pad order. I'm slowly working my way down a foam pad waiting list. So you will notice them being mostly out of stock in the online store for a bit. I've also had to temporarily limit who can comment on my posts on here. So if you have any questions just message me or for a faster response you can also send me an email.

03/07/2026

I haven't received these yet, but I have placed an order for brand new, clear cassette tape shells. I will need to test them, etc once I get them before I put them up for sale. They will be available either with or without the reels/leader tape.

03/07/2026

The camera isn't quite capturing the true color of these. Kelly green is the latest foam color I'm offering in my store. This replaces the Forest green in the Groovy Repair Kits. All of the non-repair kit foam pads now have a static resistant laminate on top. As I finish using up older stock in the Groovy and Shades Of The 70's repair, they too will get the static resistant laminate. https://www.8trackavenue.com/product-page/anti-static-8-track-foam-pressure-pads-peel-stick

03/07/2026

I finally got some time to take some better pics of the new cassette felt colors I'm now carrying. Navy blue, cornflower blue, green grass, green, red, burnt orange and gold. Size wise, cassette manufacturers used several different width pads. Some were really wide and some were really narrow and some were in between. I go for the "in between" size when I make these. That way they will also work fine on the narrower and wider copper pressure spring designs. https://www.8trackavenue.com/product-page/replacement-cassette-tape-felt-pads-25-pack-precut

01/18/2026

February repair job slots are completely full now. But March is completely open. I'm hoping this new system of doing repair jobs that I'm trying out will result in quicker turn around times and more accurate time frame estimates. Repair jobs are definitely taking longer due to a lot of tapes needing a lot more work with age. I just finished a large repair job and about half of the tapes needed the pinch rollers replaced and quite a few needed the reels replaced.

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01/14/2026

New Year, new cassette felt colors are now available (the variety pack includes all of the colors pictured):

This new is the perfect mix of firm to keep its shape, with a smooth, soft surface. Bring those cassette tapes that are missing their felt pads back to life with my replacements. Unpeel the kraft paper backing and stick the replacement pad onto the copper strip that the old pad was attached too (mak...

01/02/2026

Welcome to 2026! December was definitely a busy month here. You may have noticed almost everything in the online store is "out of stock". I do have more supplies for pretty much everything on the way. While I'm waiting, I will be working on the repair jobs that came in in November and December.

I will be shifting gears here so to speak and focusing more on keeping the online store completely stocked (some new products will be added as well), getting large orders placed by resellers and others who do tape repairs out much more quickly, and on Apollon/Hipac cartridge refills. I will still be doing 8 track repairs, but will only be taking on a couple each month, and the 40 tape limit has been lifted. I should be able to provide faster service this way 🙂

I anticipate getting the store somewhat restocked by the middle of this month. Hopefully completely restocked by the end of it.

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12/19/2025

Barry was the best. He helped me get started in the 8 track tape repair business many years ago. He will be greatly missed.

With deep sadness I am sharing the news that Barry Fone of https://barrys8trackrepair.com/ passed away last week from natural causes.

Barry was a good friend of mine in this little industry, and an incomparable asset to us all. He was the world's foremost authority on repairing 8-track players, and had a special following among classic car restoration companies who often sent players from the cars they were restoring.

On top of that, Barry was a prolific writer in The 8-Track Tape Newsletter, often sending 2 or 3 articles in a week's time which shared his expertise with readers.

He will be dearly missed. I will have more to say about Barry in the next newsletter on January 1st.

Mary & Patrick

12/06/2025

11/29/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLlHk3OsTRA

Brief instructional video on how to peel off, attach and if needed to the center cut on my new one piece "peel & stick" 8 track foam pads. https://www.8track...