My father in-law bought a box of junk at an auction yesterday. In the box was a MUNTZ M-70 stereo with a few tapes . It says Wards Riverside Stereo on the front and Muntz model M-70 on the back with a serial number. It has 5 tapes with it that I think are 4 track tapes. Can anyone give me info about this set up or a link to some info. I was thinking about putting in my 58 Apache pick up.<O</O Thanks Steve <O></O> <O></O>
did you hook it up ? does it work?? I have lots of 8 track tapes, i've never had a chance to buy 4 tracks. what are the tapes? just saying you could put it in but will you have a source of tapes?
Yes, it's a four track player. Tapes pretty hard to find these days, four track died out pretty quickly when the eight track came on the scene. The main things that can happen is the drive belts tend to go bad (they either stretch or break) and the heads can get out of alignment.
If the tapes are four track they will have a large hole in the bottom of the tape for the drive wheel to go into.It should have a lever on the player that raises the drive wheel into the tape.I had a Munta four track player but i gave it to a friend of mine to put in his Muntz Jet.I bhave an NOS four track player now but i am not sure what to put it in.I have bought many tapes on ebay.You have to watch for the deals thogh.I believe i have some NOS tapes even but i would have to look.I might put mine in my 34 Plymouth someday.
I figured it would be a pain to keep working if it even works in the first place. I have not put power to it yet. I have 5 tapes with it ....Hank Williams,2 Trini lopez tapes,The best of Herman's Hermits and one with no label. If it has no value I might sell the tapes on ebay and gut the player and put a more modern unit inside it. I was wondering if it would be the correct vintage for my 58 or not also. The truck is kind of a shop / work truck type build with some newer upgrades which I hope to have blend into it that most will not notice.
Cool old tape deck. Had one long time ago (might still have it), converted it to an echo chamber, circa 1969. Back to the topic at hand. If you could find some blank cartridges you could record music onto them, at least 2 of the 4 tracks, using a reel to reel 4 track tape deck, then splice the ends together. A little bit of work, but it can be done. Another really good idea is to mount an IPOD in a cartridge and make a magnetic transducer that would mount where the tape deck head is (in the cartridge), and take the headphone audio of the IPOD and input into the transducer. Now plug the cartridge into the deck and listen to the MP3's. It can be done!
I have a Muntz Jet, TV, radio, stereos, etcetera. 1958 would be too early for a tape player like that, if that's the year you want to keep it. The units play fine, but as stated, they need belt replacement occasionally. The heads are super-easy to adjust. Tapes can still be found at yard sales, sometimes ten for a dollar
A little history lesson....the Muntz name turned into a verb, you know. from Wikipedia: Muntzing is the practice and technique of reducing the components inside an electronic appliance to the minimum required for it to function. The term is named after the man who invented it, Earl "Madman" Muntz, a car and electronics salesman who was also a self-taught electrical engineer. In the 1940s and 1950s, televisions were very complex pieces of equipment, often containing upwards of 30 vacuum tubes, as well as transformers, rheostats, and other heavy electronics. The consequent high price limited their potential for high volume sales. Muntz determined, through trial and error, that he could remove a significant number of parts and still end up with a monochrome TV that worked very well in urban areas, close to transmission towers. He literally carried a pair of wire clippers around and when he felt that one of his builders was overengineering a circuit, he would begin snipping components out. When the TV stopped functioning, they would reinsert the last part and leave the TV as-is. As a result of removing tubes and greatly simplifying circuits originally designed to boost function in fringe areas (far from transmission towers), Muntz's sets generated less heat; overheating was one of the most common reasons for failure in early sets. The reduced circuitry also reduced the power requirements; as a result, smaller power supplies could be used, so the sets weighed significantly less. Additionally, as the power supplies contained expensive copper this further reduced cost.
i had a 4 track player back in 76' in my new 76' ford van that i found at a garage sale,listened to lots of PINK FLOYD and....well you know the rest!
I don't think a 1960s stereo would be to out of place in my 1958 shop truck so I think I am going to keep it ans try to figure a way out to make it work. Its big enough to hide a modern head unit inside controled by a remote.
Do they still have Montgomery Ward stores? I know they still exst in some form online. They were a big department store chain- competitor to Sears in my neck of the woods; Riverside was their house brand. I had a Wards Riverside bike or two as a kid.
Yeah I started my after market stereo buys with a 4 track. Even when they were state of the art. Tapes were very limited. I doubt very much that they ever made a Beatles tape in 4 track. I remember my favotite 4 track tape being Ferrante and Teicher if that gives you a clue as to 4 track tape availability.It's a cool piece of history but I wouldn't waste a lot of time trying to restore it. I had an ass load of 8 tracks years later. I bought a reel to reel tape recorder with a built in 8 track in Viet Nam in 68 or 69 still have it. 1964 sounds about right for a 4 track system.
I still remember the crazy commercials that " Mad Man Muntz " made years ago. He was really a character in every sense of the word. Long live the 8 tracks. Jimbo
The Beatles were absolutely available on 4-track, and the catalog of available music was massive. The licensing fees for the Beatles were prohibitive, but necessary. "MadMan" Muntz has been inducted into the Consumer Electronics Hall of Fame as the "creator of car stereo". The 8-track came about after Bill Lear went for a ride with Earl, heard his 4-track, bought one and tinkered with it. The 4-track was actually a much cleaner sound because the 8-tracks suffered from overlap. In fact, recording studios continued to utilize the 4-track system in studios for years after the advent of the 8. When the big three automakers started to put stereos in their vehicles, a choice had to be made. The convenience of the 8-track overshadowed the sound of the 4-track, so it was chosen, and made the 4-track basically obsolete.
I have lots of 8 tracks. When I was young my dad worked at a local radio station and a recording studio. We had 4/8 tracks in all of our cars which had a switch to listen to either one. We also had a super long play 4/8 track that took a standard size cartridge and a 6" and 10 " 4/8 track cartridge. I have a factory 8 track in my 1968 Firebird and a Muntz 8 track in my other Firebird. Cool old deck you have there.
I still have mine that I originally installed in my 65 LeMans. There was a place in San Antonio that would take your 33 1/3 rpm albums and put them on a four track tape. I had Ray Charles "Modern Sounds of Country Music" and Willie Nelsons "Then I Wrote" album recorded to 4 track for my Muntz player, they also made a 4/8 track player later. I spent many happy hours driving that car and listening to the tapes.
I remember driving down highways in the 60s / 70s, the guardrails had 8 track ribbons of tape blowing in the wind. May have added a few myself. Anyone else remember that ?
Madman Muntz had a 4/8 track deck that was very good for early 1970's. I had one, the thing was chrome plated and worked quite well. Fit in the map shelf of my 71 SS Camaro quite well. 30 watts of power, blew out my old Craig speakers mounted at the package shelf.
Hey , I still have a 4 track tape. Four Tops ! use to play it in my 59 chevy Impala, when I use to cruise Delano ca. around 1966.
That's a way early model...I had a C-100 "blue light" which came out in 1966. I bought one in early 1967. At that point 8-tracks weren't around or at least that I knew of. There was the big Muntz dealership in Alhambra, CA at Garfield and Valley. It was a converted car dealership next to the original "Hat" for you pastrami guys. The one you have is a model that I've never seen. Your's is a real oldie... By the way, "Special Ed" knows everything there is to know about anything to do with Muntz. He da man....
Yup...4-tracks, 8-tracks and then cassettes....you'd get so pissed at them wobbling the music or just shredding all over your floor that the only "proper" burial was a rolled down window and a 60 MPH heave-ho...
had a Wards 4/8 track in my '51 F1 sold that truck and bought a '48 F1 had to have another Wards Riverside 4/8 track
Bought a Panasonic 8 track car deck and house player/recorder at the Navy exchange in Subic Bay in '69, seems to me the 4 track gear was done by then.
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