About the Company
Webcor was the consumer electronics brand of the Webster‑Chicago Corporation, an American manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. Webster‑Chicago was founded in 1914 and originally made electronic and public address equipment; after World War II it became known for wire recorders and then moved into magnetic tape recorder production as the technology transitioned from wire to tape. In 1952 the company renamed itself Webcor, and soon thereafter began producing open‑reel tape recorders for the growing consumer market in the United States. The firm continued reel‑to‑reel production through the 1950s and into the late 1960s, but eventually faced strong competition from German and Japanese imports and saw its prominence decline. It was acquired by US Industries in 1967 and its audio equipment output faded from prominence in the following decade.
Webcor reel‑to‑reel tape recorders were manufactured in the United States primarily for home audio use rather than professional studios. Early models used tube (valve) electronics with half‑track mono formats and standard tape speeds for the period, typically 3¾ and 7½ inches per second. The company’s first Webcor open‑reel model appears in 1953 with the Webcor 210 (later designated 210 1B), which featured three heads, two speeds, and a 7‑inch reel capacity. This machine was built with balanced motors and a magic‑eye record level indicator, making it competitive with other mid‑century consumer recorders.
Throughout the mid‑1950s Webcor expanded its reel‑to‑reel lineup with models such as the Webcor 2611 “Royal”, sold from about 1955 to 1958, and the “Viscount” series from roughly 1956 to 1959. These decks preserved the typical mid‑century design language of American consumer reel‑to‑reel recorders, offering half‑track mono recording/playback, permalloy heads, and modest performance figures in terms of frequency response and wow‑and‑flutter relative to later hi‑fi decks.
As the market moved into the early 1960s, Webcor attempted to broaden its appeal with more ambitious models. One example is the Webcor 2150 “Regent Coronet”, marketed around 1961–1964, which the company advertised as a “stereophonic high‑fidelity tape deck,” incorporating features such as half‑track or quarter‑track stereo operation and upgraded transport controls. These improvements reflected the industry’s broader shift toward stereo and higher‑fidelity consumer equipment in that era.
Webcor continued producing reel‑to‑reel decks into the mid‑ to late 1960s, but its position weakened as foreign competition intensified and cassette formats began to gain popularity with consumers. According to collector archives, reel‑to‑reel output under the Webcor name continued until about 1967, with later machines incorporating solid‑state electronics as transistorized circuits replaced tubes elsewhere in consumer audio.
In summary, Webcor was an important early American reel‑to‑reel tape recorder brand rooted in the Webster‑Chicago Corporation. Its tape recorder production spanned roughly 1953–1967, beginning with tube‑based consumer decks such as the Webcor 210 and progressing into stereo‑ready designs in the early 1960s. The machines were manufactured in the United States for home audio markets and are now collectible examples of the mid‑20th‑century reel‑to‑reel era.