About the Company
Utah Electronics was a very small and short‑lived reel‑to‑reel tape recorder maker operating in Canada in the 1950s, and its overall involvement in tape recorder production appears limited to a single known model. The company was based in Longueuil, near Montréal, Canada, and is recorded as possibly the only reel‑to‑reel tape recorder manufacturer in Canada during that early era of magnetic recording. Production seems to have taken place for a brief period, likely in the mid‑1950s, with no evidence of a broad catalog or long commercial run.
The Utah Electronics B‑60 Magictape is the best documented example of the brand’s products. This reel‑to‑reel recorder was built with tube‑based electronics, indicating it used vacuum tubes rather than transistors, which were still emerging in consumer audio gear during the 1950s. The B‑60 used a half‑track mono format at 7½ inches per second, supported 7‑inch reels, and incorporated a built‑in AM radio in the chassis, suggesting a design focused on general home entertainment rather than high‑fidelity performance. Its construction appears custom and not derivative of a larger manufacturer, which implies that Utah Electronics likely designed and built its machine in‑house rather than sourcing a chassis from another company. The sound quality and reliability of the unit are described in vintage references as modest, consistent with early consumer tape equipment rather than professional studio decks.
Because Utah Electronics recorded only this one model and there are no further company records, catalogs, or additional models documented, it seems that the brand’s presence in the reel‑to‑reel tape recorder market was very limited in both scope and duration. The lack of subsequent products or references suggests that Utah Electronics either discontinued tape recorder production fairly quickly or did not pursue it as a principal business, leaving only rare examples like the B‑60 Magictape as evidence of its activity.
In summary, Utah Electronics was a Canadian reel‑to‑reel tape recorder maker active in the 1950s, most known for the B‑60 Magictape, a tube‑based half‑track recorder with an integrated AM radio designed for basic consumer use. Its production history is brief and limited, and the brand did not evolve into a widely recognized manufacturer in the broader reel‑to‑reel landscape.