Muntz 4 track cartridge player, rare 1960's tape format, Kingstereo 4 track cartridge
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- Опубліковано 28 сер 2009
- Muntz M30 4 track cartridge car player from the 1960's. Also sold in the UK under the Kingstereo brand who were based from 22 Bruton Place, London W1.
Features 'For Brandy' by Every Mothers Son.
Brings back memories. My dad owned a Muntz Stereo shop in the 70s-80s. I worked there as a kid, installing 8 track and cassette players in cars. Though 4 track was already obsolete, some old decks were brought in for repair.
Muntz was out of the stereo-Pak business by 1970.
When I was a freshman at OU in 1965, one of my friends older brother owned a car stereo store featuring Muntz in Oklahoma City. I could not resist, so I had a Muntz installed in my 1963 model VW bug. There were not many 4 track pre-recorded tapes available but they would record an LP for 2 dollars on a special machine that they had. I had Beatles albums, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, and a bunch of others recorded. My fraternity brothers called my car the juke box...man, it was really cool. What memories....
Wow, you're just a few years ahead of me - I got my 4/8 track combo Muntz car unit installed when I was in college in 1968. I could barely pay my rent but listening to music in my car totally won out!
Thanks for the video! Great demo. What a classic! I remember the 4-track decks from when I was a kid, but I’ve never seen one in the wild.
Used to have one of those when they first came out back in the mid-60's in my 55 Chevy sure wish I had both of those back.
I had a 4 track deck in my 62 impala SS, the first tape I bought was You didn't have to be so Nice by The Loving Spoonful!
My father had a four track player in his 1969 ford galaxie four door with glass packs and was one of the first car I had the opportunity to drive alone roarin' pass my high school and playing that four track was one of my best first life experience with cars and music, but just think, most kids know nothing about them alone with alot of adults.
My earlies memories of that sort of stuff was in my dad's Lincoln listening to 8-tracks.
Just discovered these. Class. Great video
These are very similar to broadcast cart machines. Cart machines used tones to stop the tape and send signal to start the next machine. The tapes themselves are exactly the same. The only difference is head ;layout and broadcast carts run at 7 1/2 ips. Nice to see these again. :) JC
Had one of these in my Shaguar to keep my mojo going :)
Seriously awesome audio history. Thanks for keeping it safe!
Thanks, I have been trying for years to remember the type of tape deck I had. I had a home unit for about a year around 1967. I recall the sound was pretty good.
I saw one of these at the antique radio last Friday. From 1964.
... enjoy this video very much indeed...
have a Muntz 4 - track player and approximately 40 4- track tapes cartridges.
I wish Muntz can get more attention history-wise about his design and inventor of the cartridge tape for car use. Most people just think about the 8-track and they invented it. Yeah, they made it better then Muntz, but it was Muntz who had the idea to make one for the car, and build his units first. Nice unit you've got. Great item to have in your collection. See ya -- Atco
Personally, I think he should have a special display in the Rock 'n Roll Hall of Fame.
4 track was better sounding and less problematic.
Frank Sinatra was one of the first to get such a device installed, back in 1962.
An unbelievable piece of electronics that has cost a fortune back then.
What a great machine ! Better than an 8track , better than an cassette ! Used in the radio industry even untill the advent of cd's. AMAZING !
I remember 4 Tracks very well. I remember seeing a display for the first generation Muntz players around 1962 or 63 9 I was only 8 years old or so).
I've owned a large number of tapes and many players over the years. Many were Muntz, and Craig player.
Your is a later than some of the ones I had. I had one of those massive Muntz player that could accommodate all three sizes of cartridge ( there were two larger sizes you could get, the largest usually used for background music systems).
My first tape player was a Muntz 4 track which was mounted on the hump of my car. There wern't many tapes available. I guess I had the player until the 8 tracks came out.
Thank you for the video Cris just to correct you the track configuration was 1an3 an 2 an 4 thank you again James Muntz
That Frijid Pink album is from 1970, or, very late 1969. Their rendition of "House of the Rising Sun" crept it's way onto the Billboard "Hot 100" charts in the Spring of 1970. Cheers!
Had a Muntz Blue Light 4 track in a 1962 Chevy Bel Air bubble top in the late 60's...that was styling back then. Wish I had the car now!!!
The cartridges and playback machines are very similar to the cart decks that I used when I started broadcasting back in the early 80s....
Yes I remember those carts for PSA’s as a student DJ at UCLA radio late 70’s!
Cool, loved my 4 track car stereo with mechanical reverb unit in the trunk.
my dad had one in his 67 mustang when i was 10.
Thank you for the demonstration. I've never seen a 4 track tape, let alone heard one play. Four tracks was probably a better idea than the more crowded 8 tracks on a tape often causing cross - track background sound. Of course, the possible selection of any of the 8 tracks (4 stereo songs) was considered an "improvement" over the more limited 4 track tape player. I wonder if the tape speed was the same on both the 4 and 8 track players? I loved hearing the Frijad Pink again; they did a pretty good version of the Animals hit song as I recall.
But, the winner for a while, before the popularity of cd, was audio cassette - which offered the same format, just in a smaller scale.
Here in California, I just found a Muntz player with three huge boxes of tapes at a junk store for $50. I just tested it out a couple minutes ago, and this thing works great!! I'm gonna have some fun with this... listening to Herb Alpert's SRO album right now.
I never knew these even existed. This is great! Thanks for making and posting this! I wonder if these is a way to make new tapes for these? Are there blanks in existence and perhaps a recorder?
That 4 track cartridge looks so familiar, the broadcast carts used at a radio station had a similar hole on the back for the capstan and also an endless tape. I remember seeing those machines in small racks for all the jingles and also songs in typical 45rpm single length.
Both formats used the same tape cartridge style.
I have a craig PIONEER 4 track deck for a automobile its nice. . ive never met anyone that have heard of them , the 8 track came out shortly afterwards. about 1965
cool I own a mafair 4 track cart player from the 1960's and the tape loads down its very interesting, youir tapes and player are very cool...the predecessor to the 8-track!
cool.
I had one in my 1967 ranbler
I had the same looking unit in '68. I put it in my '59 Hillman Husky. I had a family friend that was a DJ and he bootlegged 4 and 8 track tapes, so I had a great supply. I also had a great vinyl collection that another buddy transferred to tape for me as needed. I had the same Frijid Pink tape/album that's in the video. I bought the 4 track because the 8 track units were a bit too expensive for me, and I'm not a stereo freak. 8 tracks always seemed to have a break/channel change right in the middle of real good songs, and I didn't care for that.
For a time, there were combination players on the market that played both 4 and 8 track tapes. They simultaneously released music titles in both formats for a while, but 4-track eventually phased out (I believe) due to their use of double the tape, and 8 track's faster access to songs. The 4 track player's roller mechanisms also had the annoying habit of eating tapes. The first generation of 8 tracks though suffered channel cross-talk due to head misalignment. We still used the 4 track style cartridge in broadcasting for advertising and news production.
I had a Muntz 4 track tape player jest like that in 1965.
Thank god im still got AbbA 'the name of the game'
I just purchsed an interesting little 4 track, albeit heavy, at a swap meet/flea market for a fifty cents!. It's roughly 6x8x2 inches in dimension, chromed top loading area on an aluminum chassis. Front panel offers a Vol-Bal-Tone knobs. MIJ stamped on bottom, impressive components inside marked Sanyo. I had one like your Muntz in 1968 and only one tape to go with it; "Electric Ladyland" by Jimi Hendrix and yes, the audio quality was excellent.
The 8 track should have adopted the roller in the player design as well.
@BrentAudi No they run at the same speed as an eight track tape 3 3/4 inches per second as opposed to 1 7/8 inches per second on a compact cassette. The main difference between the two formats is one has four tracks and the other eight, and the external pinch roller on the four tracks. Many of the earlier eight track cartridges could be modified to play on a four track machine, they had a hole in the bottom for the external pinch roller.
I remember my dad driving me around Santa Barbara circa 1968 in his Sprite with a four tack mounted in it listening to Malaika and just about anything by Herb Alpert
Hello Steve,
Thats a lucky find! well done. You can get tapes from the USA Ebay
I think those were Muntz 12 Track units, they called em, because they could play either 4 or 8 tracks. Had one in my '66 Impala. Chrome cover. Worked real well.
Good stuff, I had an 8 track player in my 68 chevelle SS, I was always afraid of the tape braking. It actually did happen a few times, ugh.
Very Impressive!!!!!!!!!!!! I may just have to start a new collection hobby!!!!!!
Barney Kessel! Epiphone made a hollowbody electric with his name on it.
I had one of these when I was a kid but the only two tapes I had were Bill Cosby comedy.
Cool tapes. Recently I got a Janis Joplin 8-track tape that I later realized was actually an old 4-track that somebody had placed into an 8-track cartridge. It sounds ok, but you can tell it's not quite reproducing the audio precisely.
Many thanks for the info Chris, most interesting to hear from someone that worked for the company. Can you confirm the manufacture date of my machine? Best regards, George
i have a couple of 4-track tapes but no player. trying to find one so i can play them. lol
Wasn't Muntz based in Van Nuys Calif?
I have the exact same 4 Track player. It's a Muntz M30. How is it hooked up In the back? I can't find any info about it online
Did you ever figure it out? I have an M30 that I'd love to install in my '67 Cougar.
When recording 4 track cartridges, how did you know when to change the programs since there is no automatic program switching please.?
Does anybody remember the craig 4 and 8 track players?
I had a Craig 8 track with power play booster (24 watts?) in my VW. I have a NIB Muntz 4 track like this one.
hi got one as well fixing tip a big one the capstan roller goes hard i fixed my deck by using a new 8 track pinch roller i made a spacer
out of brass works better than it ever did i did have the recorder one i sold it on it not that good recording over old recording is a right pain
i use a demag unit 100% clean up the cart's i have a brass 1/4 tape like the 8 track tapes to stop the tapes where the joint is
u should master them by dubbing them on to CD. they are probably quite rare now anyway.
The one i have is enclosed top with a under dash mount for a automobile . i have not seen any of them for a car . have you ?
Do these run at 7.5ips or 3.75ips? Wiki says 7.5 and Museum of obsolete media says 3.75.
those tapes look kind of like broadcast carts used at a broadcast facility or radio station, i have seen a broadcast cart before, but have never used such a machine. i did use to use sonic cart when i ran a shout cast stream and sonic cart is a digital cart machine for windows. that's as close as i've come to messing with carts though,.
They both use the same cartridge type.
4 Track cartridges had an underside hole where the tape roller, which was part of the deck, would be engaged as the tape was inserted. 8-tracks had the roller built into the cartridge. The old machines were notorious for eating tapes. Most station ID's and commercials were on tape.. music was still on vinyl. Thank God for the convenience of digital audio. (This is where the analog vs. digital thread will begin... )
hi got 4 track cart's i got a back ground music player from germany put in new head pre amps for 4 channels put in new motor pulley
run at 3 3/4 sounds mind blowing better i have this model the heads are very poor low gain levels
can hear all the 4 channels at once the back ground players run at 1 7/8 players hard to find
hi have this model as well the bbc had some made for them and put in a new case and a new name sis cart S-100 - H
it;s the same as you have dut with wood side panel you can ad a record amp on to the back it's a mono deck someone
i know worked for the bbc this came out about 1968 about
Where do I get parts for this unit
Great stuff! I have not seen one of thse in action, and only seen a couple for sale on ebay. The oldest ones were very fancy chrome-covered deals and sell for quite a bit now.
The player itself was branded the "Autostereo" here in the US, Stereo-Pak was the name for the cartridges. Madman Muntz manufactured his own tapes in his own factory, the players were manufactured in Japan. Bill Lear's 8-track was a direct ripoff of the Muntz 4-track and produced worse sound quality.
Do you remember where you got the new rubber roller? I’m having quite the time.
Hi, I didnt get a new roller and wouldn't know where to try except seeing if one from an 8-track could do the job. You'd obviously need to have some engineering skills to make a good fit.
How did they ever get the licensing for reproduction?
Just stepped out of a time machine.
Was 4 track tapes popular in Britain, I know 8 tracks where popular for a time in the uk from around 1969 until around 1978-79 when they stop making them. Can't really find anything on 4 track tapes in the uk?
would you sell the ems cart?
Is the amplifier solid state or valve?
+The8TrackChap
It's all solid state and actually kick's out higher volume than most 8-track car players I've had.
I recently acquired a 4-Track player that has valves inside. It appears to be a mono unit, which confuses me. I'm not sure if it even has a track selector switch to go between the 2 programs on a 4-Track tape. It still has the mechanism for the pinch roller that swigs upward. I'm a little puzzled by how it's supposed to work with the seemingly mono operation.
Possibly a radio studio production machine not meant for multiple channel playback. Stations recorded commercials on the cartridges.
Frijid Pink.....1968
Basically only known for the House of the Rising Sun remake, so they made no money on songwriting royalties. Played Eastern Az campus almost 50 years ago. Great show... deserved a much bigger career.
So 4 tracks came before 8 tracks i assume ? If so it must have been pretty quick after.
Yes, but 4 tracks weren't long enough so they invented 8 tracks to fit a full album on the tape.
AwesomeRobot15 and the play tape 6 track would of been I between that before the 8 track lol
Inbetween lol
I had a copy of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida on cartridge. Had to be the longest non-classical release on tape.
Actually... if it was surround-sound technology, there could be.
I own the Muntz version NIB
Please stop placing your tapes next to speakers. And demagnitising your deck the head and all metal parts that come in contact with tape should be degaused ! Great deck it's the same one my dad had in our 1965 impala and his favorite tape was the ventures walk don't run.
seems to sound better than eight track. why?
Hi there, it sounds better because the audio 'tracks' are wider and less prone to co-track cross talk or bleed over due to head miss alignment issues.
atlantic1952 hi, thank u for kind answer, very informative. here in italy 4 tracks and players are quite impossible to find... i like them btw :)
i think also pinch roller and capstan is less friendly too operate but well engineered and more efficient doing its job than eight track movement....
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Muntz