About the Company
Bourdereau was a French maker of professional reel-to-reel tape recorders, active in the early-to-mid-1950s, primarily producing tube-based magnetic tape machines for broadcast use rather than consumer hi-fi decks. These machines were used by French radio organizations such as RTF (Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française) before being replaced by newer equipment later in the decade.
Brand & Company Background
Bourdereau (sometimes seen simply under that name on vintage equipment) was associated with French professional audio equipment in the post-war era. Its reel-to-reel machines were artisan or small-series builds, often outfitted for institutional audio (e.g., radio broadcasting) rather than mass-market consumer use.
The brand is now rare in documentation and collector references; however, surviving machines like the MG P-38 and others appear in vintage archives as tube-based professional recorders with features typical of early broadcast machines.
Production History & Timeline
Early–Mid 1950s — Professional Tape Recorders
Bourdereau machines were built in the early to mid-1950s, a period when magnetic tape recording was gaining ground in European radio and broadcast studios following its widespread adoption after World War II.
Many models were mono reel-to-reel professional devices with vacuum-tube electronics.
Units were used by organizations like RTF (the French national radio service) before being supplanted by newer brands such as L.I.E Belin later in the decade.
Notable Machines & Features
Bourdereau MG P-38 (c. 1954–1955)
Purpose: Professional broadcast tape recorder (mono).
Electronics: Vacuum tubes (valve-based).
Heads & Motors: Three heads with 3 motors, providing erase, record, and playback functions.
Tape Speeds: 19 cm/s and 38 cm/s — higher speeds for better fidelity suitable for broadcast recording (≈7½ and 15 ips).
Reel Size: About 20 cm (≈8″) reels on aluminium hubs.
Transport: Direct-drive capstan; removable head block.
Outputs & Controls: Professional interconnects and needle-type VU meters typical of studio gear.
Other known variants (e.g., SN-464-B1) share similar tube transport designs and are identified from mid-1950s French archive equipment lists; these generally align with mono broadcast recorder roles.
Technology & Context
Electronics & Drive
Bourdereau decks used vacuum-tube amplification and control circuits, typical of higher-end machines before the transistor era.
Multi-motor and multi-head designs gave better control of tape motion and allowed separate erase, record, and playback functions — important for professional quality.
Application
These were broadcast-grade machines — heavy, robust, and designed for continuous use in studios like RTF’s rather than for home-hi-fi audiences.
Tape speeds up to 38 cm/s indicate intention for higher fidelity, suitable for program recording rather than mere dictation or casual use.
Market Position
Bourdereau appears to have been one of the smaller independent French makers or custom providers in the early tape era.
By the late 1950s, brands like L.I.E Belin began replacing Bourdereau gear in institutions like the French public broadcaster.
End of Production & Legacy
As transistor technology and larger manufacturers’ products became dominant in the late 1950s and 1960s, Bourdereau machines were largely phased out of mainstream professional use.
Surviving units today are collector pieces and historical examples of early European broadcast tape recorder engineering.