Fujiya Corder Model EX311

I’ve (Todd) had this Japanese Fujiya Corder Model EX-311 all tube 1/4″ home recorder lying around the studio for a few years…  Not a ton of info online about this mini reel-to-reel model except for service manuals (thank god for radiomuseum.org)! It was made in the late 50’s early 60’s and is the rarer of the two models that Fujiya made because of the two seamlessly variable tape speeds: 3.75ips and 7.5ips. For the tube-a-philes playing along at home there are 4 tubes in total 12AV6 12BA6 30A5 35W4. It’s a super cool retro piece that has that “Je Ne C’est Quoi.” I wonder sometimes what it would have been like to be back in that time period when the idea of an affordable portable tape recorder was new, fresh, and inspiring to the masses.  As you can see from the photo it has the stock Crystal Mic that terminates in an 1/8th mono jack which goes straight into the unit.  It looks like a tiny little CB radio mic, and sounds great through its built in speaker! This is the stock tape that it had when I bought it and it has some priceless organ or pump organ pieces on it. Truly this is a small piece of mobile recording/archiving history that has brought us to where we are in today’s modern recording technology.  So from all of us down here at Acadia Recording Co. we say thank you Fujiya! Take a listen below: