About the Company
Martel Electronics was an American electronics distributor and retailer founded in 1957 that became notable in the 1960s and 1970s for importing and marketing audio equipment — including reel-to-reel tape recorders — under the Martel and Telmar brand names. Martel was not itself a tape recorder factory, but instead sourced machines from overseas manufacturers and sold them in the U.S. market.
Based in Los Angeles and Chicago, Martel handled a broad portfolio of consumer electronics, including receivers, microphones, dictation gear, and tape recorders.
It was also known as a major distributor/importer of UHER tape recorders (made in West Germany) in the United States — UHER decks were sold through Martel and sometimes labelled with Martel/Telmar branding for the U.S. market.
Production & Distribution Timeline
1957 – Company Founding
1957: Martel Electronics was established and began importing electronic products into the U.S., including overseas-manufactured reel-to-reel tape recorders.
1960s – Importing / Rebranding Tape Recorders
During the 1960s, Martel’s audio business expanded to include reel-to-reel tape recorders marketed under the Martel and Telmar labels. These were primarily Japanese-made machines (often OEM units rebranded by Martel) rather than tape decks designed or built in the U.S. by Martel itself.
Example: Martel (Telmar) 301 — A portable reel-to-reel deck with solid-state electronics, supporting standard speeds (1¾, 3¾, 7½ ips) and half-track operation. It was made in Japan and sold under the Martel/Telmar brand for the American market.
Martel also imported and distributed German-made UHER decks, occasionally marketing them alongside their own Telmar products — e.g., UHER 765 sold through Martel’s U.S. channels.
Late 1960s – 1970s – UHER Distribution and Branding
By the late 1960s and 1970s, Martel was well established as a U.S. distributor for UHER tape recorders, which were renowned portable open-reel machines from Germany. These were sometimes referenced in ads and catalogs simply by Martel as the U.S. brand, though the underlying manufacturing was by UHER.
Martel’s marketing at the time talked about new portable battery/mains tape recorders (e.g., “4004 Report Stereo”) based on platforms like UHER recorders, sold through Martel’s dealer network.
These UHER/Martel decks — e.g., models up to the 765 variant — were solid, dependable portable/studio recorders often used for field, broadcast, and personal audio recording.
Typical Tape Recorder Characteristics
Martel/Telmar branded tape recorders generally had the following traits:
Solid-state electronics (transistor based) for reliability and lower power.
Portable designs: compact housings, battery or mains operation.
Standard tape speeds: 1 ⅞, 3 ¾, and 7 ½ ips typical for consumer/field decks.
Track format: half-track mono/stereo recorded on ¼″ tape.
Manufacture: Produced in Japan, then imported and branded by Martel/Telmar for U.S. sale.
Example:
The Martel (Telmar) 301 was a 3-head half-track recorder with permalloy heads, 5″ reel capacity, and typical speed options — a modest, portable deck for home audio use.
Market Role & Position
Martel did not design or build reel-to-reel mechanism or electronics in its own factories; its role was as:
Importer/distributor of branded tape recorder units from overseas (primarily Japanese manufacturers).
Marketing partner for German brands such as UHER, which were manufactured in Europe but sold in the U.S. under Martel distribution.
Retail supplier of a mix of tape recorders, playback decks, and audio electronics in consumer channels across major U.S. cities.
Martel also offered other audio products (receivers, turntables, microphones) under its Telmar sub-brand, broadening its presence in the U.S. hi-fi market.
Decline & Legacy
As consumer interest shifted from open-reel tape to compact cassette and other portable formats in the 1970s and 1980s, the market for Martel/Telmar reel-to-reel recorders waned. Martel continued as a broader audio dealer/importer, but its reel-to-reel activity faded along with the decline of tape decks in mainstream audio.
Today, vintage Martel/Telmar branded tape recorders are niche collectibles, interesting mainly to enthusiasts of early portable solid-state decks and those who remember the era of analogue tape.