The Wilcox-Gay Recordio: 1940 Home Recording

Recordio

75 years ago, it was possible to do audio recording at home, but it was a pricey proposition. Magnetic recording didn’t really become possible until after the war, and very few homes would have owned a tape recorder prior to 1970. But for someone who really wanted to immortalize their voice in 1940, it was possible to purchase the Recordio, shown in this advertisement from the Chicago Tribune, January 28, 1940.  Just in time for Valentine’s Day, the ad shows a well-dressed young woman recording a “home-made vocal Valentine,” presumably for the love-struck gentleman shown at the top of the ad.

The deluxe model into which the young woman is singing sold for $175, and included a radio covering standard broadcast and short wave. The ad noted that it was possible to make records off the air, and the unit also functioned as a player for purchased records. The same electronics in a more modest lowboy console was also available for $129.95, and a portable unit (apparently without radio) was available for $74.50.




That wasn’t the only expense involved, however. The blank records ranged in price from 75 cents for six 6-1/2 inch disks, up to $2.25 for the same number in the 10-inch size.

The final product, which could of course not be erased, meaning that only one take was available, was a standard 78 RPM record that could be played on any phonograph, such as that owned by the gentelman shown at the top of the ad.

The manufacturer, Wilcox-Gay Corp. of Charlotte, Michigan, had been in business since 1910, making radios and dictation machines. The Recordio came out in 1939, and reportedly sold 25,000 units the first year. The company continued to make similar machines in the 1950’s, but later models included a magnetic recorder in the same unit, which would allow recording a master before cutting the disk. If you search YouTube, you’ll find surviving examples of the disks, such as this one of some aspiring musicians offering their rendition of “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.”

Musicians such as Les Paul and Johnny Cash were known to have used Recordios at some point in their careers.

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13 thoughts on “The Wilcox-Gay Recordio: 1940 Home Recording

  1. Pingback: 1941 National QSL Disc | OneTubeRadio.com

  2. Rob Weiss

    I have an original Wilcox-Gay Recordio, Model # GA10 & Serial # 8668. We are interested to sell. Any interested buyers?

  3. Chuck

    I have a Wilcox Gay Recordio 6B45U and also a 6B42U. Please contact me if you have any information on these two models. Thank you!

  4. Cora scarbrough

    Hi
    I have 2 records that i found of my grandpas. He made tjem in 1946. I would like to play these and record it to something else. But i dont know what kind they are or what i need. Can you help pleaase!
    Cora

    1. clem.law@usa.net Post author

      They were designed to play on a standard record player, which at that time meant a 78 RPM record player.

      There are companies that will transfer a 78 to some modern format, and if you Google something like “how to copy 78 RPM record,” you will find them. However, if you send the record by mail, it is very fragile. So it would be best to find someone local who could do it.

      If you plan to transfer it to a computer file, one option is to use a USB turntable. It’s a turntable that plugs into your computer. It will NOT play 78 RPM, but you can speed it up after you’ve transferred it to your computer.

      If you have any antique radio enthusiasts in your area, they would probably be willing to help you out.

  5. Ted Kneebone

    I used a Recordio in high school to record the band and choir. I still have the records, and have transferred them to open reel tape, and later to CDs. Some have much surface noise — but others are in good condition.
    At some point the school bought a wire recorder. Used it to record a band concert. It was a disaster!
    Never used it again, but when the school bought a tape recorder, we used it a lot.
    These were all cut at 78 rpm.

  6. James

    Have 1940 Wilcox gay recordio good tube new need mahogany for sale beutiful piece9516670243.

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  9. Scott K.

    I lived in a tiny town called Dimondale, just a few minutes from Charlotte Michigan for almost my entire life. Now, at 57 years old, I’m hearing of Willcox-Gay Recordio for the first time ever! I’ve learned that they eventually moved to Chicago, shortly after magnetic media it came available. They only survived a few years in Chicago before filing bankruptcy (again), in 1963 (?)… never to return!

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