The AMPEX 200A model was the first commercially available tape recorder by the AMPEX company, which in 1948 revolutionized the field of radio broadcasting. For the American Broadcasting Company, the AMPEX 200A replaced the previous disc lathe technology, was easier to operate, and allowed the use of rewritable magnetic tapes. It required 14-inch reels, ¼-inch tape, running at a speed of 30 inches per second.
The AMPEX at the Athens Conservatoire, kept in the Historic Concert Hall of the Conservatoire at 35 Piraeus Street, bears the serial number "29" and is one of only 112 AMPEX 200A units ever produced. Its rarity also lies in the fact that one year after its release, in 1949, the company upgraded the product with minor changes by replacing the head cover and adding tape filters. The tape recorder found at the Conservatoire does not have these changes and additions that essentially upgraded the original AMPEX 200A to the AMPEX 201. Moreover, unlike the few similar units identified worldwide, this particular tape recorder bears a gold label inscribed with "The Department of State," raising even more questions about its origin, especially given the time it was released on the market.
The AMPEX 200A model was the first commercially available tape recorder by the AMPEX company, which in 1948 revolutionized the field of radio broadcasting. For the American Broadcasting Company, the AMPEX 200A replaced the previous disc lathe technology, was easier to operate, and allowed the use of rewritable magnetic tapes. It required 14-inch reels, ¼-inch tape, running at a speed of 30 inches per second.
The AMPEX at the Athens Conservatoire, kept in the Historic Concert Hall of the Conservatoire at 35 Piraeus Street, bears the serial number "29" and is one of only 112 AMPEX 200A units ever produced. Its rarity also lies in the fact that one year after its release, in 1949, the company upgraded the product with minor changes by replacing the head cover and adding tape filters. The tape recorder found at the Conservatoire does not have these changes and additions that essentially upgraded the original AMPEX 200A to the AMPEX 201. Moreover, unlike the few similar units identified worldwide, this particular tape recorder bears a gold label inscribed with "The Department of State," raising even more questions about its origin, especially given the time it was released on the market.