Vintage Berlant Concertone 20/20 Tape Recorder

Vintage Berlant Concertone 20/20 Mono Tape Recorder from the 1950s. The system includes a TW1 Pre Amp (mic and line gain), and a tape transport. Additionally, both lids are present and all latches are fully functional also Included are 2 sizes of tape mounting hubs.This Berlant Concertone 20/20 has been in our family for 70 years, It’s built like a tank!(Heavy) Tape transport and TW1 vacuum tube amp are functional. VU Meter seems to be sticking, needs to be recalibrated and needs to be fully resorted.The Berlant Concertone 20/20 was a professional reel-to-reel tape recorder introduced around 1955. It was built in the U.S. and aimed at broadcast studios, universities, and recording engineers—much higher quality than consumer machines of the time.Origins of Berlant ConcertoneBerlant Associates was founded by Eli Berlant in the late 1940s in California.The company became known for producing Concertone tape recorders, which were among the first U.S.-made high-fidelity reel-to-reel decks.At the time, the best machines were German (Magnetophon, Telefunken, etc.), and Berlant set out to build American machines with professional-grade performance.The Concertone 20/20 (c. 1953–1956)The 20/20 series was marketed as a "high fidelity professional tape recorder" with the name referencing its 20–20,000 Hz frequency response, which was an audiophile benchmark in the 1950s.The electronics used vacuum tubes and were housed in separate plug-in modules for easy servicing.The tape transport was robust, built for 10.5" reels and professional use in studios, broadcasters, and institutions.Key FeaturesThree-motor transport: separate capstan and reel motors for stable tape handling.Dual speed operation (7.5 and 15 IPS).Wide frequency response (up to 20 kHz at 15 IPS, quite advanced for the time).Connections: balanced line outputs & inputs (no XLR inputs)Tube electronics: typically 6J7, 6SN7, 6V6, and similar tubes in the amplifier stages.Place in HistoryThe 20/20 was one of the few American machines that could compete with the Ampex 400/600 series, which dominated U.S. broadcasting and recording in the 1950s.Concertone machines were sometimes used in smaller studios, universities, and by serious audiophiles.By the late 1950s, Ampex and later Revox/Studer began to overshadow Concertone in professional settings.Later YearsBerlant Concertone continued making tape machines through the 1960s but never achieved the same dominance as Ampex.By the 1970s, the brand faded, while the reel-to-reel market shifted toward consumer hi-fi (Teac, Akai, Sony) and high-end professional (Studer, Ampex).Today, the Concertone 20/20 is a collectible—valued not just for its rarity, but also for its role in early U.S. hi-fi history.