About the Company
Ferranti was a British electrical engineering and equipment manufacturing company, founded in 1885 by Sebastian Ziani de Ferranti. It became prominent in areas like power systems, electronics, defense, and consumer products including radios, televisions, and audio equipment.
Regarding reel-to-reel tape decks/recorders, Ferranti produced consumer-oriented models briefly in the early 1960s. Production of these tape recorders occurred from approximately 1960 to 1963. They were targeted at the home/consumer market rather than professional or studio use.
Specific model details are scarce in general sources, but vintage directories and collector references confirm this short production window.
Ferranti's consumer electronics efforts (including radios from the 1930s onward and other audio gear) were part of their broader diversification, with manufacturing in the UK (e.g., facilities in places like Moston and Hollinwood, Greater Manchester area).
By the 1970s, the company had shifted more toward defense and electronics contracts, though some accounts mention stereo and tape recorder production continuing in some form earlier.
Ferranti as a whole faced challenges and was eventually broken up/acquired in the 1990s (e.g., parts sold to companies like GEC, later BAE Systems, etc.), but the reel-to-reel line was a minor, short-lived part of their history.
Note that Ferranti tape recorders are not as well-documented or collectible as brands like Ferrograph (UK professional), Revox, Akai, or Ampex. They appear occasionally in vintage forums or sales listings as rare British domestic models from that era.