About the Company
Concertone — American Reel‑to‑Reel Tape Deck Manufacturer
Brand: Concertone
Primary Manufacturer: Originally Berlant Associates (later American Concertone under American Astro‑Systems)
Country: United States
Active in Tape Decks: Late 1940s / 1950s – mid‑ to late 1960s
Market: Consumer, pro‑sumer / semi‑professional open‑reel recorders
Technology: Tube (early) → Solid‑state later
Concertone was associated with engineer Emmanuel “Bert” Berlant, widely credited as an early innovator in magnetic tape recorder design in the U.S. The Concertone name ultimately became the consumer and audiophile‑oriented brand for open‑reel recorders produced from the 1950s into the 1960s.
Founding and Early Development
1946–1949: Emmanuel “Bert” Berlant founded Berlant Associates Inc. in California after WWII and began producing hi‑fi and professional audio gear, including early reel‑to‑reel machines and magnetic transducer heads. His early designs were regarded as innovative and high quality relative to contemporaries.
Late 1940s / early 1950s: Berlant machines were introduced, initially targeting recording studios and broadcasters before consumer hi‑fi; brand names included both Berlant and Concertone in these early years.
1950s — Tube Era and Early Models
Concertone’s first major tape decks were vacuum‑tube‑based, robust, and aimed at high‑fidelity consumer and semi‑professional use:
Concertone 1501 (c. 1954–1957)
Tube electronics with three permalloy heads and full‑track mono configurations.
Dual speeds (7½ and 15 ips) and 10½″ reel capability.
Sturdy build with impressive transport and rewind performance.
20/20 Series (mid‑1950s)
Named to evoke 20 Hz–20 kHz frequency response, the 20/20 was aimed at broadcast studios and serious audiophiles.
High‑fidelity professional design with advanced motors and balanced inputs compared to many contemporaries.
These early tube Concertone machines competed with hobbyist and professional brands, earning a reputation for solid engineering in an era dominated by Ampex and European designs.
1960s — Consumer Rise and Solid‑State Transition
Concertone 505 (1961–1964)
One of the brand’s most popular mid‑range models.
Tube electronics, stereo quarter‑track format, and larger 10.5″ reel capacity.
Independent motors and four‑head design allowed improved performance and direction playback flexibility.
Concertone 508 (1961–1963)
A solid‑state stereo recorder with three motors, stereo playback, and rugged transport.
Balanced consumer positioning in the early transistor era — later TEAC versions shared the platform.
Concertone 800 Series (1964–1967)
A solid‑state machine with six heads and automatic reverse — innovative for the time, allowing bi‑directional recording and playback without rewinding.
Three‑motor configuration and improved wow/flutter performance.
This decade saw Concertone transition from tube to transistor designs and incorporate features aimed at prosumer and advanced consumer markets.
Corporate Evolution and Link With TEAC
1962–1963: The Concertone line and rights were sold to American Astro‑Systems, an aerospace‑oriented firm in Southern California. Management and engineering talent continued work on advanced tape‑drive technologies, including automatic reverse mechanisms.
Around this period, manufacture began to involve Japanese components and assemblies — often TEAC‑made transports or partial decks — with final US assembly and quality control.
Concertone licensed production to TEAC (Tokyo Electro‑Acoustic Co.) in the early 1960s, and some models were sold under both names or shared platforms (e.g., TEAC 507/508 corresponding to Concertone models).
Decline and End of Production
By late 1960s, the popularity of home reel‑to‑reel decks was waning, and Concertone ceased production of new consumer tape recorders around 1966–1967.
The brand name was sold to Monarch Electronics International Inc. in 1968; subsequent tape products under related labels (e.g., Cal‑Best) appeared but not under the classic Concertone branding.
After this period, Concertone no longer appeared on mainstream reel decks, and production of consumer tape recorders under the name effectively ended.
Concertone was a historically significant American reel‑to‑reel tape deck brand born from Berlant Associates’ early work in magnetic recording. It produced a range of tube and solid‑state consumer and prosumer machines from the 1950s through the mid‑1960s, with innovations like four‑head and automatic reverse designs. After a corporate transition involving American Astro‑Systems and manufacturing partnerships with TEAC, the brand’s tape deck production wound down by the late 1960s, with its legacy preserved mainly through vintage collectors and the early history of U.S. tape recording technology.