TEAC Corporation

Yoshiharu Abe is known as the father of personal multi-track recording in the audio engineering field.  He was one of the five founders of TEAC in 1957 and went on to become one of the company’s most important product designers.  Abe-san designed several landmark products over his long career including the 80-8 and the Portastudio series.  He later worked for Fostex and was a key player in the teams that created the B-13 and X-15.  Beginning in 1948 he also began writing extensively

Fred Allard has been passionate about music making since he began playing guitar in the 8th grade. As a teen he worked for Milano’s Music Center in Mesa, Arizona in the mid 1960s. Fred worked for the music store for over eight years working his way up from salesman on the floor to manager of one of the stores in the chain. After another stint in retail with Bill Fry’s Music Center, Fred was hired as western regional manager of Kustom Electronics. The relationships he built up over the years took him to TEAC, where he stayed for over 15 years. In 2002, Fred formed his own independe

Gary Beckerman was introduced to TEAC and TASCAM when he consulted on inventory control in the early 1970s. The company appreciated his ideas and dedication and soon asked him to join full time. Over the next thirty years, Gary’s position and responsibilities changed, and before retiring he was a Senior Vice President. Along the way he witnessed firsthand the creation and development of the innovative product line and worked with some of the legends of the company including its founders and former presidents such as Yoshiharu Abe and Hajime Yamaguchi. 

Arne Berg always thought of himself more as an inventor than an engineer, but nevertheless, his forward thinking and creative designs led to a number of successful products in the pro audio market for Concertone, Fostex and a company he helped establish called TASCAM.  Arne’s passion for music began as a small boy playing piano.  His passion for recording equipment also started at a young age and his successful career came when he was able to combine both of these skills and interests.

Joerg Hermsen began his passion for music playing classical guitar in grade school.  He later picked up the bass and realized he wanted to have a career in music.  While in college he started an internship in the manufacturing side of the music business and Joerg was hooked!  He later joined TEAC in Germany and was involved in the development of tape recordings.  During his seven years at TEAC the company launched its digital recording products, which was a game changer for the industry.  Joerg was right in the middle of the era that saw the transition between analog to digital re

Gerald Ishibashi is the musician, music retailer and concert producer who has taken part and witnessed some of the biggest changes and developments in our industry. With a love for music, Gerald began playing in the 8th grade and has performed in bands ever since. Flight 805 was one of his first, which played fairgrounds and venues over much of Southern California beginning in the 1970s. He later formed his most famous band called Stonebridge, which is a translation of his Japanese last name. A few years later he opened Stonebridge Music in Westminster, California, which was an im

Budd Johnson was a key member of the TEAC team that oversaw the development of the American branch of the company known as TASCAM. As a result Budd was there in the late 1960s through the early 70s to witness first hand, the remarkable and somewhat unexpected success of the home recording market. His product spec sheets and ads later proved to have been a key role in the popularity of TASCAM's reel and mixing units. He also played an early and important part in the success of Fostex and served as that pioneering company's president in the early years.  Within all of his fascinatin

Hajime Yamaguchi was born on September 26, 1944 in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 18 he traveled the country as a professional drummer and a year later landed a stellar job as drummer for a late night TV talk show in Japan. After a few years his girlfriend (and future wife) explained her parents concerns for her getting married to a musician. They wanted him to have a steady paying job. Knowing a friend who worked for TEAC, Hajime applied for a job and was hired.