About the Company
Gradiente (officially IGB Eletrônica S.A.) is a well‑known Brazilian consumer electronics brand founded in São Paulo in 1964, but it was not primarily a reel‑to‑reel tape deck manufacturer in the classic analogue “open‑reel” sense like Sony, Akai, TEAC or Uher. Instead, its tape equipment history is tied to cassette decks and broader integrated audio products in hi‑fi systems, with limited presence in dedicated reel‑to‑reel fields.
Company Background
Gradiente was established in October 1964 by engineering students in São Paulo and quickly grew into one of Brazil’s most prominent consumer electronics firms, especially in audio systems, amplifiers, tuners, turntables and cassette tape equipment during the 1970s and 1980s. The company benefited from protectionist industrial policies that limited imports, fostering a strong domestic electronics industry.
Over time Gradiente expanded into modular hi‑fi components, “system” packages combining receivers, turntables and tape decks, and later into new product categories like CD players and even licensed products with international partners.
Gravadores de Fita e Tape Decks
Cassette Tape Deck Era (1970s–1980s)
While cassette tape decks were a significant part of Gradiente’s product lineup — examples include models like Gradiente S‑96, S‑125 and CD‑4000 (often cassette decks rather than open‑reel recorders) — these were designed to handle compact cassette tapes (standard tape cassettes), not large open reels. Enthusiast listings refer to Gradiente cassette deck models used widely in Brazilian hi‑fi systems of that era.
Gradiente produced stereo cassette tape decks and incorporated noise‑reduction systems (ANRS / similar to Dolby‑B) in some models.
Models like the Gradiente S‑125 are referenced by collectors as working cassette decks still in use.
These units appeared in modular components (“compo” line) and integrated stereo systems (“systems”) Gradiente sold in Brazil throughout the 1970s and 1980s — products that in practice fulfilled the consumer tape‑deck role in hi‑fi setups.
Open‑Reel Tape Decks — Limited or No Production
There is no substantial evidence that Gradiente ever developed or mass‑produced dedicated open‑reel (analogue reel‑to‑reel) tape recorders (the large tape transport machines with separate reels up to 7″ or more) as part of its core product history. Searches of collector directories and historical references do not list open‑reel models under the Gradiente brand in the classic reel‑to‑reel category (e.g., the way Garrard, Akai, Sony, Tandberg or Revox are documented). Additionally, the Wikipedia entries on Gradiente and its technology partnerships focus on cassette tape mechanisms sourced through partnerships (e.g., JVC components) rather than bespoke reel‑to‑reel mechanisms.
In other words:
Gradiente was active in tape decks but almost exclusively in the compact cassette domain — common for consumer hi‑fi gear in Brazil — rather than in open‑reel deck production.
Technology Partnerships and OEM Sourcing
Gradiente’s strategy frequently involved sourcing mechanisms and technologies from other manufacturers and adapting them under its own branding:
In the 1970s and early 1980s, many cassette tape decks and other components were based on or assembled from products by firms like JVC with minor design differences.
Some later cassette decks with Gradiente branding used mechanisms from other international partners (e.g., Alpine) when Italian/Japanese‐built subassemblies were integrated into Gradiente‑designed chassis.
This technical arrangement partly explains why collector and repair communities note strong resemblance between certain Gradiente decks and JVC designs from the same period.
Market Shift and End of Tradition
By the 1990s and 2000s, consumer interest had long shifted from open‑reel to cassette and later digital formats, and Gradiente’s tape equipment offerings aligned with that shift. Over time, the company diversified into other segments (e.g., TV, gaming, mobile phones) and eventually scaled back traditional audio production as global competition intensified and the domestic protectionist environment changed.
For audiences outside Brazil, Gradiente is better categorized as a significant Brazilian hi‑fi and consumer electronics brand with a notable presence in cassette tape deck and modular component markets, but not as a dedicated reel‑to‑reel tape deck manufacturer in the traditional sense seen with global industry names.