About the Company
Concord — American Reel‑to‑Reel Tape Deck Brand
Brand: Concord
Company: Concord Electronics Corporation
Country: United States (Los Angeles, California)
Reel‑to‑Reel Production: 1961 – mid‑1970s
Market: Consumer and portable open‑reel tape recorders
Technology: Tube → solid‑state electronics; usually manufactured in Japan for Concord and imported to the U.S.
Origins
Concord was founded by Howard Philip Ladd, an American engineer and entrepreneur who pioneered the import, marketing, and branding of personal tape recorders in the U.S. in the early 1960s. Ladd’s company recognized the growing appeal of compact tape machines and built a business around sourcing Japanese‑made recorders and selling them under the Concord name.
The earliest tape recorders Ladd imported were originally made by Hosho — a Japanese maker (sometimes linked to Matsushita / Panasonic OEM manufacture) — and sold under both the Hosho and Concord names. Later the Concord name became the primary branding for these machines in the U.S. market.
Production History
Early 1960s — Beginnings (c. 1961)
1961: Concord introduced its first open‑reel consumer tape recorder, the Model 103, marking the start of Concord’s reel‑to‑reel offerings in the U.S.
During this period, many Concord machines were assembled in the U.S. from Japanese‑made components and still sometimes branded as Hosho on the original export units. These early models often featured tube electronics and were positioned as affordable hi‑fi or portable recorders.
Mid‑1960s — Expansion of the Line (c. 1963–1967)
As reel‑to‑reel grew in popularity, Concord’s lineup expanded significantly:
Concord 120 (c. 1963–1966): A budget‑oriented mono recorder with multiple speeds and 7″ max reel capacity.
Concord 220 (c. 1963–1966): Consumer model with hybrid solid‑state/tube design and user‑friendly controls.
Concord 440 (c. 1964–1967): Mid‑range stereo quarter‑track recorder with push‑button operation and hybrid electronics.
Concord 550 (c. 1964–1967): A slightly more advanced hybrid design with solid‑state preamps and tube stages, offering integrated speaker systems.
These machines were typically consumer‑grade open reel decks, with features like multiple tape speeds (1 7/8, 3 3/4, 7 1/2 ips), full or quarter‑track formats, and integrated amplifiers and speakers — designed for home recording and playback rather than studio use.
Late 1960s – Innovations and Portables (c. 1967–1974)
Concord broadened its lineup to include:
Concord 501D (c. 1967): A later‑60s tape deck model.
Concord 350 and 4444: Portable portable and mid‑tier consumer decks noted in museum collections.
Concord 776 (1970): A stereo automatic‑reverse model featuring bidirectional playback — a convenience feature not common at that price point in early decks.
Concord 330 (c. 1975): A transistor‑solid‑state tape recorder toward the end of open‑reel popularity.
Concord often sourced key mechanisms, heads, or partial assemblies from Japanese OEMs such as Matsushita (Panasonic/National), TEAC, or related factories — a common practice for U.S. consumer brands at the time.
Brand Evolution and Corporate Changes
In 1968, Howard Ladd sold Concord Electronics to Ehrenreich Photo‑Optical Industries, an exclusive U.S. importer of Nikon cameras.
After 1970 the Concord brand was owned by Benjamin Electronic Sound Corp., a subsidiary of Instrument Systems Corporation.
While Concord continued to be used on various consumer electronics — including cassette recorders and automotive audio in later decades — reel‑to‑reel production wound down by the mid‑1970s as tapes gave way to cassettes and other formats.
Technical and Market Position
Electronics and Features:
Early tube‑based designs transitioned to hybrid solid‑state/tube and then fully transistorized circuits over the 1960s.
Concord decks commonly supported 1 7/8, 3 3/4, and 7 1/2 ips speeds and 7″ reel capacity — typical for consumer and prosumer recorders.
Quality and fidelity were generally mid‑range (often rated around 5/10 by vintage collectors), with integrated amplifiers and speakers in many units.
Market:
Concord decks were aimed at the home consumer and portable audio market, making reel‑to‑reel recording accessible to those who didn’t need professional machines. They filled a niche between basic low‑cost units and more expensive hi‑fi decks from specialist brands.