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Vintage Tape (Audio), Cassette, Wire and Magnetic Disc Recorders and Players Open-reel tape recorders, cassette recorders, 8-track players etc.

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Old 6th Feb 2014, 9:17 pm   #1
Mike Brett
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Default Cassette Recorders

Hi all
Recently I have become very interested in vintage cassette recorders, mostly the piano type portable recorders without radio. I have been looking on the net for information on makes and types available but while reel to reel machines are well documented I have been unable to find much on these machines. Does anybody know of a virtual museum or perhaps list of models made.
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Old 6th Feb 2014, 11:20 pm   #2
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Nope, as a cassette collector myself, it's a case of continous Googling.
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Old 7th Feb 2014, 12:02 am   #3
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Presumably you refer to the 'shoebox' type units that often came with a dynamic mic and leather case. Like the radio-cassette units, they were so ubiquitous and so many brands made them, and since they're far from hi fi I don't think anyone has taken on the job of an archive!

The nearest you may get are videos by a guy on YouTube in the US with the name CassetteMaster. He has dozens of these and makes vids about each one.

I also have quite a number, from the Philips EL3302 on. Most of mine are Philips but I also have Sony, ITT, Tandberg, Sanyo, Panasonic, and a number of cheapo budget ones. Maybe I'll have to start a site!
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Old 7th Feb 2014, 7:34 am   #4
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Pity not a dedicated site but guarantee it will happen as time goes by. When I look back to my first cassette recorder an ITT KB SL 55 had no clue that decades later there would be an interest and same with record players. If you can get a hold of a WHICH MAGAZINE from 1970 (january? think) it reviewed many piano key cassette recorders of the time, including the Philips EL3302.
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Old 7th Feb 2014, 10:50 am   #5
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Thanks for the replies, its nice to know others find these machines worth keeping.I agree they are a long way from hi fi ,but mine sound just as good as my vintage wireless collection. One of the reasons I started collecting is there small size, its much easier to sneak one of these in past the missus than to stagger in with another wooden cased giant of a radio. Plus the prices are generally lower at present,although I did buy one recently for nearly £40 , but it was in mint condition.Also got a working ITT studio 65 for £2 at the local boot sale, bargain.
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Old 7th Feb 2014, 5:58 pm   #6
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Hello guys
I too have a fondness for early mono cassette recorders, being the age I am I grew up with them in the early 1970s, my first was a Duette with a leatherette case and mic that would be about 1971.
I like the underdog so to speak aswell as the top ranges, so the basic portable cassette is a joy in some ways, as has already been said other than the main companies we were deluged with brands/names that came as fast as they went, but a continual search on a certain auction site brings pleasant suprises but I do have too many and at times just have to pretend I haven't seen it..........
I get them get them working relive the joy of it and carefully put them away waiting for the next box of joy to appear.
So yes a website of some sorts would be brilliant, there are a few for ghettoblasters which I enjoy to some extent but they can be hard work with some of the members not knowing much about what they are talking.............
Anyway
That's my tuppence worth
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 11:21 am   #7
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

My collection of portable cassette recorders (& players only) is based upon the development of the transport mechanism, following on from the original Philips EL3300 (1963).

I have every EL33XX model that Philips (or foreign licensed versions) ever made.

The next step in the 'improvement' of these machines was the 4 piano key machines, not by Philips but mainly made by a miriad of lesser known manufacturers around that time, such as Binatone, Buccaneer, Bigston etc, although some better known companies such as G.E., Ferguson, Marconiphone etc. made better quality ones.

The 4 key ones still used the basic transport mech that the Philips EL33XX series used but, instead of the Philips' 'joy stick' Play-RW-FF-Stop mech, the 4 key system replaced that, untilising a separate piano key for each function - although the separate 'record' button, as per the Philips models was kept and, in some cases, the Record/Battery Level too.

Below are a few examples.

Tony
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 1:23 pm   #8
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Tony
That's an interesting collection you have there, I confess I have never seen any of these four key jobs on my travels. I also wanted to base my collection on a theme to but did not want to restrict myself to one make. So I have stipulated that any model I collect must have a tone control, this does narrow the field quite a bit, not sure how long I will stick to it though.
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 1:57 pm   #9
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Having a 'narrow' objective is not a limitation, it's a good starting place and I'm sure along your way - like me, there'll be a good reason to 'break' that rule just because you'll see a machine that takes your fancy for a whole raft of different reasons.

My objective is still to study the evolution of the cassette machine, using the Philips EL33XX series as my bench mark but I've wandered off course many a time LOL!

What has become obvious with the introduction of the piano key versions is that it took some time to standardise, not only what key is used for what but also the position of them. Take a look my previous pic #3, the Sencor which is a 4 Key unit, notice the right hand RED key.....the record key?.....NOPE!....it's the Stop key !

Then there's the RW & FF keys, some machines made them both momentory keys (had to be held down continuously), whilst others made them both lock down types, so you didn't have to keep your finger on them and then the other versions had the RW key lockable but the FF key momentary and some were even vice-versa !....Good Game, Good Game !

Obviously, the 5 key version followed later, where there was a dedicated piano key for Record, instead of a separate push down button & most manufacturers made that the Red button, or in the case of some Sony units, Red or Grey !

Somewhere between and, even after the 5 key version was introduced, there came the Rotary function knob version, still based on the same simple 4 function principle but these tended to be poor mechanisms that failed easily. (As per pics)

Just to add Sony was probably the worst manufacturer to take a long time to standardise the layout of their piano keys, not only position, functionality but also colours and even size.
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 2:43 pm   #10
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

It's funny how we gravitate towards certain features as a guide for collecting! In my case the presence of cue/review is pretty fundamental, as I often find myself going through piles of unknown tapes and this speeds up the process. Also for language lesson use, you need to locate sections quickly, and faffing about with ff-stop-play-stop-rew, etc. is a nightmare.

The second most prized feature is manual rec level and/or AC erase and bias.

I'd say also that there are some I collect for practical use, and others fall into the more 'just to have' category!
Among my favourites are the Philips D6410 and Marantz PMD221, which have most or all the above criteria!
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 4:00 pm   #11
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

I agree Ben and you having mentioned the all important cue/review functions, I have 26 shoebox machines with these functions but "here's a thing" (as Leonard of The Big Bang Theory would say).

Most of these last 6 key design machines achieve 9 functions from those 6 keys !

Record, Play, Rewind (also Review), Fast Forward (also Cue), Stop (also Open/Eject), Pause ! Ta-Dah
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 5:31 pm   #12
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Interesting that in post no.7, the GE machine in photo 4 is labelled as a cartridge recorder, not cassette. I thought only 8-tracks were known as cartridges. The format was certainly "compact cassette".

Mark.
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 5:40 pm   #13
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Yes it is interesting. Philips used the term cartridge in their early instructions.
Mike (OP) you'll have a PM from me in a sec. Sorry to try and break your rule (guideline, surely) so soon!
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 5:51 pm   #14
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Before the "Compact Cassette" became the name Philips adopted, it was called a "Cartridge" & when the first Philips EL3300 machine was launched in 1964 it was referred to as the cartridge in both the Operating Instructions & The Service Manual.

Here's the loading instruction from page 7 of the 1964 Operating Instructions
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 6:04 pm   #15
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

And on the original box for the EL3300 (Yes I have one & it's worth more than an original EL3300 Cassette Recorder !) it's called a "Tape Recorder".

Please note the box is made in Austria but the machine is made in Holland !

No wonder, what with all these inconsistencies, I'm still struggling with finishing my definitive history on the Philips EL33XX series.........
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 8:33 pm   #16
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Hello
I wonder if I can throw a bit more into the cassette keys Tony mentioned, what about the ITT transports that used a version of the Philips transport, the REW locks but the FF doesn't (or is that the other way round), I also have a Silver radio cassette (mid 70s and that uses the ITT/Philips transport but all the keys are latching.

I have to say that out of the Philips machines Tony has posted the Panasonic looks the best to me, just very cute and solid, the Philips machines always seduce me, the EL3302 (with transparent door cover) is the one I remember the most and the N2204? same thing but in an all metal case with a tone control and larger speaker, when I were a lad these were top gear to have especially if you had a Philips extension speaker plugged into it.
And also I have deep fascination for the rotary controlled machines (no autostop), I remember seeing a Panasonic one that really tempted me to but it, but I had to be strong, but the two he has posted are brilliant I also remember the versions with a MW radio built in
I have seen a Sony that looks very much like it was licensed from Philips but not sure, and Sony always called there early recording machines Tapecorders it always baffled me that one. so if anyone knows why I would be more than pleased to hear why

Thanks for your time gents
Gary
This is turning into an interesting thread on a very good subject
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 8:38 pm   #17
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

As far as I am aware, the "tapecorder" name came about because Sony figured that "re-" means "again", so imposing a signal on a tape for the first time must be "cording". But that could be an Urban Legend.

I just wish I'd saved my old Philips EL3302 from my childhood .....
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 10:08 pm   #18
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Sony's reel-to-reel machines were also known as "Tapecorders" and their open-reel videos were known as "Videocorders". By the introduction of the Beta format, they had dropped the term and it was left to Sanyo to use the term "Betacord". A strange system of naming.

I wonder if Philips changed the name from cartridge to cassette in order to differentiate from 8-tracks?
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Old 8th Feb 2014, 11:38 pm   #19
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

Cassette recorders of the 1970s are a passion of mine. It seems not so many years ago I could pick up two or three from a car boot sale. Now they're as rare as ant teeth. Perhaps all the attics have been cleared out?

Part of the attraction is undoubtedly memories of attempting to record the Sunday top thirty with one as a child. As someone has already mentioned, they were not hifi!

I actually hacked one of mine - increased the time constant of the AGC to stop that horrible pumping effect. But it was still pretty awful when played back.
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Old 9th Feb 2014, 1:07 pm   #20
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Default Re: Cassette Recorders

As to Sony's cassettecorders, there is a website which has incorrectly attributed the Sony TC-100 (pic #1) as being Sony's first cassette recorder and unfortunately this error is now repeated as fact.

The first was in fact the Sony TC-12 (pic #2) which, as you will see is based on the Philips EL33XX model, with the joy stick control. separate red button for record control, although the vol control is on the top panel,

This design was one of many "License Free" models that Philips issued to major Japanese manufacturers.

How anyone would think a piano key model (the TC-100) would preceed the joy stick model (the TC-12), let alone that a model desinated "12" would come after a model desinated "100".

By the way, the TC-12 is also the Aiwa TP736 and looking at the construction, Aiwa may have manufactured it for Sony !

Then, as is the way with Jap/Taiwan manufacturers, some years later, up pops a lesser known brand that looks very similar to the earlier machines, example the Buccaneer TR100 (pic #3)
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