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O.D. Oz Perry, Thomas P. Walker, and Lewis W. Howard
Triad Transformers are currently produced by Triad Magnetics, a Southern California-based electronics company.[1] Headquartered in Perris, California, the company manufactures and distributes power magnetics and transformers.[2]
History
Triad Transformers Corp. was founded in 1943 in Venice, California, by O.D. Oz Perry, Thomas P. Walker, and Lewis W. Howard.[3] The combined operations of Triad Transformer Manufacturing Co. and Tetrad Co., Inc. were merged under the corporate name of Triad Transformer Corp.[4] Perry served as President, Walker as Vice President of Manufacturing, and Howard as Director of Engineering.[5]
Triad Transformers Corp. started out supplying to the Sound-on-film business, centered in Hollywood in the 1940s. Many audio electronics companies used Triad Corp.-including Westrex, Langevin, and later the busy HiFi industry of the 1950s.[6][failed verification]
In the 1950s, Triad Transformers were used by Leo Fender and surf guitarist Dick Dale to increase amplifier volume, an innovation that led to the beginnings of Rock & Roll. Triad Corp. partnered with Fender guitar to create the world's first 100W output transformers, an audio revolution for amplifiers at the time.[7][failed verification]
In October 1956, Triad Transformers Corp. opened a 16,000-square-foot plant in Venice, California, to house the jobber sales and inventory, machine shop, and shipping departments. This was the firm's third plant building.[8]
In the 1960s, Triad Corp. was a large supplier of electronic components to the TV industry. The company parts were used in all Zenith, Magnavox, Sears, and JC Penney televisions when color TVs entered the marketplace.[9] Triad Transformers also supported the Apollo mission to the moon and the first microwave ovens in the 1970s.[10]
Mergers and acquisitions
Triad was merged with Utah Transformer under Litton's stewardship creating Triad-Utrad. With the installation of electronic DC ballasts in the mass transit industry, Triad-Utrad was the first in the industry to introduce electronic ballast, continuing on with later introductions of ballasts for T12, T8, and compact fluorescent lamps.[11]
Litton sold its Magnetics Group by way of a leveraged buyout, and Magnetek was incorporated on June 1, 1984 to purchase the assets of the Magnetics Group, including Triad, in July of that year.[12]
In 2003, Triad was acquired by Axis Corporation of Taiwan, a publicly traded company in Taiwan. The company headquarters was moved to Southern California, and a staff of design engineers and sales reps began to grow the North American transformer business, using a network of global distributors and sales rep companies. The company name was changed to Triad Magnetics.[13]
Current ownership
In 2012, Triad purchased a commercial building in Perris CA, creating a new 40,000 sq ft warehouse and logistics facility.
In 2013, Axis Corporation moved its main manufacturing facility to the Philippines. The majority of Triad's product manufacturing also moved to the Philippines, with some global manufacturing also taking place in China.
In 2019, Triad acquired Electronetics, obtaining equipment and engineering resources that enabled Triad to begin small-volume U.S. manufacturing of custom and specialty products to supplement its overseas production in the Philippines and China.[14]
The Dual Showman Fender amplifier, which peaked at 180 watts and became a revered game-changer,[19]
Direct Input boxes such as the Wolfbox. These boxes used audio transformers with a turns ratio from approximately 8:1 to 12:1 to help with impedance bridging from the high output impedance of an instrument's pickup to the relatively lower input impedance of a typical mixing console's microphone preamp. The Triad A-11J used in the Wolfbox has a turns ratio of 10:1 and thus an impedance ratio of 100:1. Wolfbox now uses original A-11J and A-12J Triad transformers sourced from 1960s vintage gear, which can be found in places such as Nashville's Blackbird Studios, London's Abbey Road, and Blue Note Records President and bassist Don Was.[20]
