About the Company
Amplicor / Amplicorp — Quick Brand Summary
Brand: Amplicor (more fully Amplifier Corp. of America or Amplicorp)
Type: Reel‑to‑reel tape recorders
Era of Production: Early to mid‑1950s (approximately 1953–1956/58)
Focus: Portable tube‑based tape recorders
Market: Consumer / portable / general recording (not high‑end professional)
Country: United States (production context but mechanisms of the era were typically manufactured in the U.S. or assembled with imported parts)
Production History & Timeline
Early 1950s — Brand Emerges
Amplicor began producing reel‑to‑reel tape recorders around 1953. These units appeared in the early days of consumer magnetic recording, when open‑reel machines were transitioning from professional and broadcast use into portable/home applications.
1953–1956/58 — Core Production Period
The company’s production window is generally placed in the mid‑1950s, roughly 1953 to 1956, though some sources extend the availability of certain models out toward 1958.
During this period, Amplicor’s machines used vacuum‑tube electronics, a standard design approach of the era before widespread transistor adoption.
Post‑1958 — Brand Decline
After the late 1950s, the Amplicor name disappears from reel‑to‑reel catalogs and vintage recorder directories. It did not evolve into the large‑scale hi‑fi or professional tape deck maker that some Japanese and European firms became in the 1960s and ’70s.
Known Models
• Amplicor Magnemite 610 (c. 1953–1956)
This is the best‑documented Amplicor reel‑to‑reel machine:
Type: Portable magnetic tape recorder
Electronics: Tube‑based (vacuum tubes)
Tape Format: ½ track (full‑track mono) on ¼″ tape
Reel Size: Up to ~5″ reels
Heads: 3‑head (erasure, record, playback separation)
Drive: Spring‑powered transport — a self‑powered mechanism that required periodic winding, typical of portable reel units of that era.
Notable features & era context:
The Magnemite 610 was marketed as lightweight and relatively portable for its day, at roughly 19 lb — significantly smaller than early pro machines.
The spring‑motor drive gave about three minutes of playtime per winding, and a warning light indicated when rewinding was needed — an innovative approach at the time for a machine without mains power for the transport.
Technical & Market Position
Tube Era / Consumer Niche
Amplicor’s recorders were part of the early open‑reel era, before transistors revolutionized consumer audio gear. Their tube‑based design was typical of pre‑late‑1950s domestic recorders.
Portable Focus
The Magnemite model specifically emphasized portability, a niche alongside other early home recorders that offered portability at a time when most professional gear was bulky and mains‑powered.
Not Professional Studio Equipment
Unlike Ampex, Studer, or other major manufacturers, Amplicor was not a professional or broadcast standard recorder maker. Its products were aimed at home users or general recording applications, and today they are of interest mainly to vintage collectors rather than audiophiles or studios.
Why the Brand Vanished
After the mid‑1950s, competition increased from Japanese firms (like Sony, TEAC) and European makers, especially as transistorization lowered costs and improved reliability in the 1960s.
Amplicor did not transition into transistor‑based models or expand its lineup significantly. Once consumer interest shifted toward solid‑state hi‑fi recorders and later cassette formats, the brand faded from the tape recorder market.