This
is a list of information we have gathered from a variety of sources on some of the major analog reel to reel tape recorder and related equipment manufacturers. While we have strived to provide the best information available to us, there will be corrections and additions. We include personal stories about the companies when they are provided to us. We always invite input on corrections and updates. Thank you!
View calendar which lists company creation dates associated with world and recording history
Craig Recorders
Talton R. Craig (1899 - 1952) founded a company called Craig Movie Supply Company and a company called Craig - Panorama. Talton Craig became a distributor for Califone, Robert G. Metzner's company founded in 1947. Talton's son Robert Craig was a co-founder of Roberts Recorders. After Rheem bought out Roberts Recorders, Robert Craig concentrated on developing Craig tape recorders and automotive tape players.
Robert G. Metzner and Robert Craig founded Roberts Electronics, Inc. Robert Craig's farther Talton Craig was Robert G. Metzner's Califone distributer. Talton Craig enabled Robert Metzner to acquire a wide distribution network for Califone & Roberts. VIDEO When Robert G. Metzner and Robert Craig began building Roberts Recorders, their first logo was double "Rs" and British solicitors/attorneys contacted them due to the similarity to the Rolls Royce logo. (1958 Roberts Electronics ad - right) VIDEO
T. Robert Craig (1923 to 2002) was a pioneer in marketing the hand-held calculator and developing the eight-track auto stereo system.
Born in Los Angeles, Craig graduated from Stanford University and served as an Army Air Forces pilot during World War II. He later joined Craig Corp., which his father had founded in Los Angeles to distribute photographic materials.
During his more than three decades as chairman and chief executive from 1952 to 1985, Craig transformed the company into a well-known importer and marketer of consumer electronics products, including Japanese-produced calculators and other items.
Craig became an early member of the Young Presidents Organization and in 1968 was elected its international president. He also served on the boards of directors of Claremont Men’s College and Orthopedic Hospital in Los Angeles, and was an international goodwill ambassador for a nationally sponsored People to People golf program.
Located in Los Angeles, California and originally founded in the 30's as Craig - Panorama by Robert Craig to distribute photographic products.
In 1952 his son, the economist T. Robert Craig Jr., took over as chairman of the company and quickly transformed the business into an importer and distributor of Brown Goods, although in the late fifties and 60's the company did some of their own design, quality control and final assembly but this was mainly to get around the very stringent USA import tax regulations at the time and by 1972 the company had ceased all local assembly.
Craig Electronics was founded in 1963 as a manufacturer of home and car stereos. In 1963 the company changed from a California registered company into the Delaware registered Craig Corp. Similar to Roberts Recorders,T Craig had many celebrity sponsorships for stereo systems, which included The Beach Boys, Ray Charles, Ringo Starr, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer.
Although the company traded in all kinds of CE products ranging from alarm clocks through calculators (very high tech at the time) the company's became best know in the 60's for their tape recorder products that they sourced from Sanyo, Pioneer and others, initially these were mostly Reel to Reel but the company expanded into the 8 Track Cartridge market in the latter half of the decade and met with spectacular success in the ten emerging car audio market, the end result being that in last 2 decades of the company's life it was mostly known as a provider of car audio products and novelty high tech electronics.
The company had for a time very close ties to Pioneer and when Pioneer USA was set up in 1972 a number of top Craig employees left to work for that company. The company's assets including the brand name were sold to Bercor in 1985.
Craig, Corp Ads
Alan Fishel - Concertone - Sony Superscope - Teac - Lear - Craig(worked for Craig for 10 years)
On September 9, 2021, Alan Fishel, who worked for Concertone and other significant audio recorder equipment manufacturers beginning in 1962, shared stories with MOMSR about his work history.
"Here is a little information from my memory that I hope you will be able to use. Feel free to ask for any additional information I may be able to help you with." Alan Fishel
Alan went on to work with Teac, Sony Superscope, Lear Jet and Craig Electronics.
On September 21, 2021 Alan agreed to a telephone interview with MOMSR's Martin Theophilus. Photos have been added to the audio recording providing some perspective to Alan's narrative. Here is a link to the full interview.
992 Craig Residence "Peppergate Ranch" - Built in 1939 and located in West Hills, this one-story single-family residence was designed by master architect Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980) in the Ranch Style. One of the foremost architects of Los Angeles in the mid-twentieth century, Williams was the first certified African-American architect west of the Mississippi River, the first African-American member of the American Institute of Architects, and also served on the first Los Angeles Planning Commission. The residence was built for Talton R. Craig, founder of the Craig Movie Supply Company. The home was built as the primary residence of Craig’s 29-acre ―Peppergate Ranch,‖ later subdivided in the 1960s as Woodlake Estates and Pinelake Estates. (Description from: City of Los Angeles - Office of Historic Resources)
The Craig Electronic Notebook
photos posted with permission
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992 Craig Residence "Peppergate Ranch" - Built in 1939 and located in West Hills, this one-story single-family residence was designed by master architect Paul Revere Williams (1894-1980) in the Ranch Style. One of the foremost architects of Los Angeles in the mid-twentieth century, Williams was the first certified African-American architect west of the Mississippi River, the first African-American member of the American Institute of Architects, and also served on the first Los Angeles Planning Commission. The residence was built for Talton R. Craig, founder of the Craig Movie Supply Company. The home was built as the primary residence of Craig’s 29-acre ―Peppergate Ranch,‖ later subdivided in the 1960s as Woodlake Estates and Pinelake Estates. (Description from: City of Los Angeles - Office of Historic Resources)
