LA CROSSE, Wis. ---- It is the granddaddy of obsolete music machinery.

That's right, we're talking about the 8-track player. Even when it was new, it seemed old and clunky. And then there was that annoying break in the song when the player would switch tracks.

None of that bothers Al Doucet, who grew his passion for 8-tracks from a hobby to a side business.

He bills himself as That 8-Track Guy, and, yes, he has a lot of them.

But does he really listen to them, and how can he stand all those song breaks?

"That the song breaks in the middle, that's part of the experience," he says with a laugh.

"The best thing about an 8-track is it's continuous. It will keep playing and playing and playing, keep repeating, keep repeating without touching anything."

Though he bills himself as "That 8-Track Guy," he could also be called "That Jukebox Guy," or "That Old Radios Guy," or even "I Just Broke Up My Grandma's Console TV for Parts Guy."

That's right. The man who collects everything old-audio had his Grandma's old console TV set.

"I decided it wasn't good enough to save, so I parted it out."

This fixation with everything old and analog is not just about nostalgia. It's about the quality of the sound and the quality of how things were made 40 years ago and more, Doucet said.

And let's face it, vintage is fun.

Take, for instance, the 8-track player and radio cube in hard plastic that's a trip back to yesterday with just a push of a button. It dates to the mid-'70s, and it was a giveaway.

"Schneider Heating used to give these away with their furnaces," said Doucet as he pushed a button and let the 8-track play.

"Anything newer than 1980, I don't even want to mess with."

Though Doucet's main occupation is construction and cabinet making, a good half of his work space on French Island is devoted to the hobby that has escalated into a part-time business. He sells just enough on the Internet and with twice-yearly sales in his workshop to pretty much fund his hobby of collecting.

That way, he can cull the best stuff for himself and fix the rest for resale.

A walk through the shop is like a walk through a 1970s rumpus room or a mid-'70s lounge where The Beatles or Neil Diamond would be playing on the low-slung jukebox.

In the 1970s, Doucet couldn't afford any of this high-end equipment. But his buddies in the service were bringing back high-quality Japanese equipment they were getting for half-price at the PX.

"I loved it at that time, but I couldn't afford it."

It's guaranteed he's got more of it now than any of his buddies, and when he listens to Neil Diamond or the Beatles, he's hearing the music at its best.

"It's better than half the stuff people are buying now," he said. "I've turned on a lot of 20something kids to the old analog."

Because he's well-known for his love of the old, he's often the first person people call when they unearth a cache of 8-tracks from the attic. But he also stumbles upon them at rummage and estate sales. And he just bought a collection of 10,000 45s from a collector in Winona, Minn. After sifting through them for the ones he wants to keep, he'll mark the rest for resale. And yes, he'll go through every single one of the 10,000 records. That's the fun part.

He has a soft spot for old radios because they had great style and sound. So he added that to the list of things he will repair. He's also got a large collection of console stereos that include radio, turntable and TV.

"The TV would go bad, and they'd chuck the whole thing," he said.

But he can fix those old TVs, and it's worth the effort, he said, because the cabinetry is so beautiful.

"They're simple and well-made, so you can fix them."

All of this know-how was acquired through tinkering. It started when Al was a kid, with encouragement from his grandfather.

"Grandpa ---- they called him 'The Carpenter' at St. Francis Hospital," because it was his job to fix things. But when equipment was beyond repair, he'd bring it home to his grandson and let Al tear it apart and tinker with it.

All that tinkering has come in handy for That 8-Track Guy.

"I really enjoy getting this stuff out of people's basements and closets, and giving it life again."