About the Company
Countess (a.k.a. Timbra) — UK/European Reel‑to‑Reel Tape Recorder Brand
Brand Names: Countess, Timbra
Country of Manufacture: United Kingdom (Countess) / Netherlands (original Timbra)
Production Period: 1959 – 1962
Market: Consumer / domestic reel‑to‑reel recorders
Technology: Hybrid valve/transistor electronics, unique mechanical transport
Form Factor: Compact open‑reel deck capable of handling 7″ spools
The Countess brand appears to be a short‑lived British consumer reel‑to‑reel recorder label from the late 1950s and early 1960s. It is closely associated with the Timbra recorder — a similar machine from the late 1950s — and is generally grouped together in vintage audio listings under “Countess (Timbra).”
Origins & Development (1959)
The earliest example linked to this family of machines is the Timbra recorder, introduced in late 1959. It was manufactured in the Netherlands and marketed in the UK and Europe.
The Timbra was distinctive for its stacked reel configuration, where the take‑up reel sat directly above the supply reel. This allowed the machine to use 7″ spools in a relatively compact cabinet (~11¼″ × 12½″ × 6½″).
The Timbra featured three hysteresis motors (two mounted concentrically for the flying reels plus the capstan), a three‑head layout (erase / record / playback), and hybrid electronics including valves, germanium diodes, and selenium rectifiers. It offered dual speeds (3¾ and 7½ ips) and respectable quoted frequency response figures for its class.
This machine was reviewed and advertised as a high‑spec recorder for its day, retailing around £93 9s when first released.
British Countess Variant (~1961)
By 1961 the same basic machine was being sold in Britain under the name Countess, reportedly at a lower discounted price (advertised around 30 guineas) and assembled with English manufacture/electronics and UK‑sourced components.
According to period listener letters and magazine reports, the Countess was built in the UK, not identical to the Dutch Timbra, and used English electronic parts (e.g., Plessey capacitors). It retained the unusual horizontal tape path and stacked reel design.
This suggests that Countess may not have been a distinct long‑running manufacturer, but rather a rebadged/locally assembled version of the Timbra design adapted for the British market — possibly with local electronics and a more affordable positioning.
Technical Highlights
These vintage recorders stood out in several ways:
Stacked reel arrangement: Take‑up reel above the supply reel, saving horizontal space yet accommodating large 7″ reels.
Three motors: Dedicated motors for capstan and reels, unusual for consumer decks of the time.
Three‑head design: Erase, record and playback heads allowed more flexible monitoring and editing than most low‑end machines.
Comfortable features for its era: Recording level metering, multi‑input mixing, external loudspeaker support, and “magic eye” level indicators.
Performance figures published in the era suggested reasonable frequency response and low wow and flutter for the price bracket — making these machines interesting value propositions at the time.
Brand & Distribution
The original Timbra unit appears to have been marketed via European distributors, with production in the Netherlands.
The Countess version seems to have been UK‑branded and possibly assembled or modified there, targeting British hi‑fi buyers — though specifics of the company behind the Countess brand are sparse.
There are references in 1961 UK magazine letters noting that the Countess was “made in the United Kingdom” and was materially different from the Dutch Timbra at least in assembly and parts.
Market Position & Legacy
Both Timbra and Countess units were consumer‑level long‑playing mono reel recorders with above‑average mechanical sophistication for their class, but they did not spawn a broad family of products.
They remain rare and quirky machines among collectors, notable for their unusual tape path and three‑head design in a period when many competitors used simpler layouts.
Because the Countess name appeared only for a short period and seems tied to a specific design lineage, it’s best understood as a short‑lived brand/variant rather than a significant standalone manufacturer.