radiomuseum.org
Please click your language flag. Bitte Sprachflagge klicken.

History of the manufacturer  

Craig Panorama Inc.; Los Angeles, CA

As a member you can upload pictures (but not single models please) and add text.
Both will display your name after an officer has activated your content, and will be displayed under «Further details ...» plus the text also in the forum.
Name: Craig Panorama Inc.; Los Angeles, CA    (USA)  
Brand:
Vista
Abbreviation: craig
Products: Model types
Summary:

Craig Panorama Inc.
2302 East 15th St., Los Angeles, CA  (1971)
5290 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA  (1963)


Craig is a brand of tape recorders and transistor consumer electronics manufactured in Japan and other Far East locations.  They also distributed the Vista and Fleetwood brands.

Japan Codes associated with Craig include 704 (Sanyo) and 501.

History:

Craig Corporation.
Located in Los Angeles, California and originally founded in the 1930's as Craig - Panorama by Robert Craig to distribute photographic products.
In 1952 his son, the economist T. Robert Craig Jr., took over as chairman of the company and quickly transformed the business into an importer and distributor of Brown Goods, although in the late fifties and 1960's the company did some of their own design, quality control and final assembly but this was mainly to get around the very stringent USA import tax regulations at the time and by 1972 the company had ceased all local assembly.
In 1963 the company changed from a California registered company into the Delaware registered Craig Corp although they retained the Los Angeles address.
Although the company traded in all kinds of CE products ranging from alarm clocks through calculators (very high tech at the time) the company's became best know in the 1960's for their tape recorder products that they sourced from Sanyo, Pioneer and others. Initially these were mostly Reel to Reel but the company expanded into the 8 Track Cartridge market in the latter half of the decade and met with success in the then emerging car audio market, the end result being that in last two decades of the company's life it was mostly known as a provider of car audio products and novelty high tech electronics.
The company had for a time very close ties to Pioneer and when Pioneer USA was set up in 1972 a number of top Craig employees left to work for that company.
The company's assets including the brandname were sold to Bercor in 1985. 

Ref: The above history was obtained all or in part from the Museum of Magnetic Sound Recording, Austin, TX.

This manufacturer was suggested by Wolfgang Scheida.


Some models:
Country Year Name 1st Tube Notes
USA  73–78 Pioneer 3108   8-Spur-Kassettenrecorder für den Einbau in Kraftfahrzeuge.8 Track Cartridge Player for car... 
USA  65 2106   Reel to reel tape recorder. 
USA  65 2107   Reel to reel tape recorder. 
USA  70 2408   Three speed, four track stereo open reel tape recorder, two VU meters, three digit tape co... 
USA  60 Vista 890    
USA  63 Vista AM-200 12BE6  The Craig Model Vista AM-200 is an AC Operated 5 Tube AM Superheterodyne Receiver. 
USA  64 Vista 500 6AQ8  Useable as stereo receiver with optional 500SC type amplifier in similar cabinet. 
USA  64 Vista 500SC   MPX decoder and amplifier for use with in similar cabinet housed radio receiver type 500. 
USA  60 Vista Panoramic Sound 640 6AQ8  SW 6 - 18 MHz, stereo MPX out, phono in. 
USA  67 Tape Recorder 212 Japan 704 2SB303  Craig Tape Recorder 212; Open-reel tape recorder, 2 speeds 3¾ and 1⅞ ips, half track, ree... 
USA  75 J101   Craig J101, Cassette Recorder; Mic - remote, earphone & AUX jack, tape counter, 10 watts ... 
USA  65 Pockette TR-404 2SB186  Craig TR-404, Pockette Tape Recorder Transistorized; Reel to reel tape recorder, double tr... 

[rmxhdet-en]

Further details for this manufacturer by the members (rmfiorg):

tbn_usa_craig_ad1973.jpg

  

Data Compliance More Information