GRAMDECK UK

reel to reel

tape recorder on turntable

 

 

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PLEASE NOTE: None of the Vintage Museum items are for sale.
 

Our MOMSR collection is available in a 7 hour video production divided by manufacturer and downloadable for $9.95 at this link

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Gramdeck donated by Bill Beaumont

"The Gramdeck was invented by a Mr Tutchings for the Royal Radar Establishment (a firm who produced electronic components for UK defence contracts used in Warships and Planes).

To use the reel to reel the metal plate slips over the turntable and spindle of your record player. As your deck turns it rotates a rubber belt connected to the take-up spool of the Gramdeck. Along with the plate, the set also included a plastic table microphone and a tiny amplifier that ran off a 12v battery. The mini amp was supposed to be able to run for 600 hours off that one battery. The mechanism really was as paired back as possible, and although you could play and record on it, your Gramdeck would neither rewind nor fast forward meaning you had only one shot while recording." Description by the The Snellings Museum of Sound and Vision

The Gramdeck in the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording was generously donated by Bill Beaumont. The donation included the Gramdeck, it's preamplifier, the microphone, an empty reel, a reel of Scotch tape, an ad for the Gramdeck, an instruction manual and a wonderful brochure about the Gramdeck company.

The Gramdeck was released in the UK in the 1950's and was a creative option for folks who wanted to transition from vinyl records to magnetic tape. Currently we have the Gramdeck set up on our Wilcox Gay turntable which also was a transition from vinyl to tape offering. The Gramdeck is held in place by a post attached to a turntable deck. Rewinding a tape had to be done by hand with an included plastic tool. The tape speed would be determined by the speed set on the turntable.

Year
Model
Ad
Unit in Museum collection
Specifications

 

1959

 

Gramdeck

Utilizes a turntable to drive the tape.

 

 

Ad in MOMSR Unique Listings

"If you are interested as a museum piece of UK early "hi-fi" history, I would love to see it go to good home where others could see this small bit of music history." Bill Beaumont

GRAMDECK donated by Bill Beaumont

 

"The reason I purchased it was that as a kid, I could not afford a stand-alone tape recorder like the Spectone, plus I already had a Dansette record player. It is the same era as the Spectones."

Bill Beaumont

"I opened the pre-amp unit up so you can see the issues with it. The coil was mounted in the center and the plastic aged and broke, and the weight separated the wires from where they were soldered in. An electrical person could quite easily repair and re-solder the wires, then it should work. It takes a battery inside the unit for power, and the connectors are all fine." Bill

 

 

  • Freq Response -
  • Signal to Noise -
  • Speed   33 or 78 turntable speed
  • Motors 0
  • Reels 5"
  • Timing accuracy -
  • Weight lbs
  • Price £13.12 UK 1950's
  • £26.in 2024 = $35.00
  • date of manufacture 1959

A reminder that the prices listed are what the item originally sold for in the year it was released.

Microphone

 

 

Click on the brochure cover photo to view full pdf of the documents

   

                                     

More about the Gramdeck in this brochure

Additional photos

    

 

 

1951

 

Wilcox Gay Tape phono

 

 

  • Freq Response 
  • Signal to Noise 
  • Speed   3.75 & 7.5 ips
  • Motors 1
  • Reels 5"
  • Timing accuracy  .%
  • Weight lbs
  • Price $98.45

 
 

Go to the company's history

Please select a reel tape recorder company from the list below

   
   

 

Tour our collection! 

We offer seven hours of 50 video segments via download about our reel to reel tape recorder and microphone collection and the history of magnetic recording available at this link.

ORDER THE VIDEO FILES ON LINE - was 14.95  NOW only $9.95

There are 50 QuickTime H264 854 X 480 files in this download.  Play on MAC OS or Windows Media Player

While most content deals with the history and manufacturers of the reel to reel tape recorder, or tape deck, we cover many aspects of magnetic recording.

We provide 48 hours during which to download the files. After that the file access will expire.  Once the files are downloaded they are yours to keep.

© 2018 Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording  •  Webmaster • All pictures and content on this web site are the property of the Theophilus family,the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording and reel2reeltexas.com • Photos of items in our collection are available for sale. We do NOT provide copies of ads, nor photos from other sources! All photo work is billed at studio rates and a deposit is required.