Ampex 350 (ca. 1953–1960s)

The Archive has little on the Ampex 350. Almost everything that survives comes from contemporary trade announcements and passing mentions in period audio publications. Here is what the record shows.

The Ampex 350 was introduced as a professional tape recorder for broadcast and recording studio use. Audio (June 1953, p.37) ran a full-page announcement calling it “a new model by the leader in tape recording,” and it followed the Model 200. Two months later, Audio (August 1953, p.17) pointed to the 350’s redesigned control layout. It promised “quick, positive action” that made cueing and editing faster and more precise, with remote control available as an option.

By 1955, the 350 had become a studio standard. Richard Parks, Assistant Chief Engineer at ABC San Francisco, was quoted in Audio (January 1955, p.2) saying his network could send the portable Ampex 600 out on remote assignments, confident that “the results that come back are as good as we could have recorded inside our studio on Ampex 350s.” That remark shows the 350 was understood as the benchmark for fixed-studio quality at the time.

Later classified ads in Audio (November 1969, p.93) list used Ampex 350 gear in several configurations: a ½-inch 4-track machine for $2,500, a 350-2 playback electronics unit for $100, mono electronics with meter panel for $75, and a 350-type sel-sync unit. That suggests the model was made in multiple track and electronics variants and was still in service in the late 1960s.

No detailed specifications, circuit descriptions or production run figures turned up in the materials reviewed.