Duoton
The Duoton Tape Recorder
A few photos of a similar recorder, manufactured by Duoton. The setup is different but the parts are the same.
Text and pictures provided by Andreas: www.tonbandwelt.de. Many thanks.
Between end of the 40s and the early 50s Germany had a lot of now forgotten tape recorder manufactureres. A few were precursors und indispensable for future developments like Max Ihle. The expectation of rising profits produced many very interesting sets. You can see one here. This recorder is obviously fitted with "Max Ihle - Loewe Opta - Woelke" heads and was sold as a kit. The price was with about 1,000 DM relatively high.
or comparison: A VW beatle was sold for about 4,000 DM. There you had to safe money somehow. One offered kits because the occupation forces did not allow complete sets to be sold. Others, like Duoton, offered sets as componets for consoles and furniture. But this once clever idea and strategy did not help to survive in market. What remains is the set below, built into a fine self-made wooden box and huge 38cm. It still works but there is a lot of restoration work to do. The huge turning knob is really strange: It is corroded in a very unusual way, it´s material is unknown. The Duoton sets were sold as komplete set, without a case. But a transportable one was offered as well..
Here you can see Loewe heads - it is obvious that they have been used in the Duoton set as well.
This kit is from 1951 and called "Junior". Already fitted with a high-frequency-pre-magnetiseur, this set was built into a plywood box ( 7 layers, 15mm ). As you can see there are three heads: Erase - Record - Replay. Valves, according to schematics: AZ11/EL11 ( EL12)/EF12/EF12K and a EM71. The heavily corroded head in the center was presumably mady of zinc.
If you can provide mor info on this set and the shown amplifier
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