About the Company
Ekotape was not a standalone manufacturer but a reel‑to‑reel product line from Webster Electric (later Webcor) in the USA, produced in the very early years of home tape recording.
Ekotape was a line of early reel-to-reel tape recorders (also known as tape recorders/reproducers) produced by the Webster Electric Company of Racine, Wisconsin, USA. This places Ekotape firmly in the pioneering American consumer and semi-professional audio market of the late 1940s and 1950s, during the explosive growth of magnetic tape recording technology after World War II.
Webster Electric, founded in 1909, initially specialized in electrical components and sound equipment. They entered the magnetic recording field by introducing wire recorders in the mid-1940s before transitioning to tape with the Ekotape brand. Note that Ekotape (from Webster Electric in Racine) is distinct from the later Webster-Chicago/Webcor company (based in Chicago), which produced its own separate tape recorder lines under the Webcor name starting around 1951–1952.
Production History Overview
Active period for Ekotape line: Approximately 1948–1956 (with early ads from 1948 and production continuing into the mid-1950s; some sources pinpoint consumer-targeted models from 1949 onward).
Country of origin: United States (manufactured in Racine, Wisconsin, with later facilities mentioned in places like Lebanon, Kentucky, for expanded production).
Market focus: Primarily consumer and home-use reel-to-reel recorders, though some models had semi-professional or rack-mount features suitable for institutional or broadcast applications. Priced in the higher range for the era (e.g., $395 in 1948, equivalent to thousands today), they emphasized reliability and sound quality.
Output scale: Moderate for the time; Webster Electric was a respected player in the early U.S. tape recorder boom but not as dominant as Ampex (professional) or later consumer giants like Wollensak or Revere.
The Ekotape name appeared in vintage ads, directories (e.g., 1955–1956 tape recorder listings), and museum collections as one of the "grandfathers" of accessible reel-to-reel technology. Production wound down by the mid-to-late 1950s as the market shifted toward more affordable, transistor-based designs from other brands.
Key Models
Ekotape offered a range of models, often numbered in the 100–200 series:
Model 101 series (e.g., 101-4, 101-5, 101-8/9): Early professional-leaning designs, including rack-mount variants.
Model 205: A popular mid-1950s consumer model (circa 1953–1955), often in grey or portable cases, with full-track mono recording.
Model 220/222: Later 1950s variants with improved features like speed switching and oak finishes.
Model 250: A higher-end or later consumer unit.
Many featured dual speeds (e.g., 7½ and 3¾ ips), simple electronics (tube-based), and compatibility with standard 7" reels.
Today, surviving Ekotape machines are sought-after vintage collectibles, often appearing on auction sites like eBay in varying states of restoration. They represent an important chapter in American audio history, bridging the gap between wartime professional tape tech and the home hi-fi boom of the 1960s.