A Cassette Addendum: Let's Fix Those Warbled And Wonky Tunes

So you've delved into the wonderful world of audio cassettes but were welcomed with warbled and wonky tunes? Don't fret. There might be an easy fix. Before you blame your antiquated tape deck, check your cassette tape for the absence of the felt pressure pad. This pressure pad helps hold the tape securely against the tape head in your player. Without proper contact pressure your playback might be distorted and a bit on the crappy side. It should be noted, however, that some higher-end players bypass the pressure pad and can function without them. Cheaper players like boom boxes and Walkmans seem more susceptible to pressure pad related distortion. But if your felt pad is missing, good news, it's an easy fix!

This little felt dude should be chillin' right about here.

If not, you'll have a naked bit of copper like this.

What I normally use for this repair is a T-pin, some glue (craft glue, Elmer's White, or even wood glue will work), a paper match stick, and felt pressure pads sourced new online or robbed from a donor cassette.

Carefully extract a length of tape from the cassette to gain access to the copper strip to which the felt pad is normally attached. I use a T-pin to get behind the tape and pull a good loop out. This might not be the best method, but in true Idiotic Anecdotes fashion, it gets the job done so I continue to repeat the stupidity.

To apply the glue to the felt pads, I use a paper matchstick. An old car painter taught me that trick. Paper match sticks work great for paint touch-up, glue application, and all kinds of detail work.

Handling the tiny felt pads can be pretty tricky if you have stupid cumbersome fingers like mine. I find that sticking the bugger with a pin works well for getting it properly placed. Tweezers would probably be a good solution as well. Either way, plop the gluey pad into place, apply a bit of pressure to ensure good adhesion, and let the glue dry. Once the glue sets, you are once again ready to enjoy the mediocre sounds of cassette tapes! 

Two happy tapes, repaired and ready to play.

And that's it! You now have the knowledge to do minor repairs on your cassettes. If they are still playing like junk after the repair it may be time to start looking at your player as a suspect. Giving the tape head a good rub down with some high grade isopropyl alcohol on a cotton swab might help. Beyond that, you'll have to find a blogger with more smarts than me to confer with. An easy feat no doubt. Holla atcha boy!