£6,900.00
1 in stock
This extremely rare and very early Magnetophon FT3 (‘ferngesteuerte truhe’ or ‘remote-control cabinet’) reel to reel player was made by AEG in c1937 and is one of the very first reel to reel tape recorders to hit the market. Produced merely 2 years after the first public demonstration of Magnetic tape (at the Berlin International Radio Exhibition of 1935) the oak cased FT3 was created as an office based Dictaphone machine. Although interest in magnetic tape had been high when showcased, the ultimate price of the machines made them only really attainable for wealthy businesses and government departments. As such total sales of the F2-F3 range (including the FT3) equalled less than 100 units and probably only a dozen or two of the FT3. Today I’m only aware of two or three other FT3 machines still left in the world.
As an office-based device the FT3 usually has an internal speaker, but interestingly this example has been modified at the time of manufacture to be more remote by hooking up to an external speaker, and the space where the speaker grill was has been replaced with dials. Since these devices were also used for public and radio broadcasts the modification might suggest this purpose.
Because of its rarity and originality this machine is being offered entirely as found, unrestored and untested by me. You are welcome to restore it back to working condition of course, but as an iconic and extremely early piece of tape equipment it would also be a great addition to any public display just as it is. I’ve had someone tidy a few veneer chips and add metal corner braces to the inside because the extreme weight of this piece had loosened the joints and there was no way to disassemble to cabinet without completely stripping out the components. Structurally it was never a very strong design to begin with to be fair. The lid no longer locks and but the two side and front panels do. The rear is locked closed and does not appear to be opening with the key. I also noticed one spool centre is post war. Internally this looks pretty untouched but I can’t guarantee that nothing has ever been changed/replaced.
Because this item is untested I don’t even know what is on the current reel which came with it (which I presume is the early Fe3O4 type as used between 1936-39). There might be a long lost gem or something far more mundane!
Dimensions: 66cm wide x 54cm deep x 85 cm high
Due to the size and weight international shipping is not automatically included in the price of this item. Please get in touch for a quote.
