Tape Thing
A Project From 2025
THERE IS A CONTINGENT of the lo-fi/experimental music crowd that’s into mangling tape playback. I did not invent this type of device, but Tape Thing is a small, circuit-bent tape player with speed and playback stability controls. I bought a similar item on Etey a few years ago and wanted to try my hand at making one myself.
Once I began the build, I decided to make a few more to possibly sell. I ended up assembling ten of them. As of the creation of this article, I still haven’t put the remainder up for sale. I’m afraid I am not much of an entrepreneur. But once I do, I’ll include a link to the Etsy listing here.
The enclosure is constructed from poplar with an aluminum top panel. If I were going into production big time — which I’m not — I’d have the aluminum panels drilled out and screen-printed professionally. For 10 of them, I made a drill guide and printed the labeling on transparent decal material. It got the job done and it’s not too shabby looking.
Tape Thing goes fast, goes slow and goes all wobbly
