About the Company
Rola was an Australian company that produced reel‑to‑reel tape recorders from the mid‑1950s to the mid‑1960s, making machines for studio, broadcast, and consumer use. Its decks were notable in Australia for their rugged build and were widely employed in radio stations and television before stereo broadcasting became widespread.
Brand / Manufacturer: Rola Company (Aust.) Pty. Ltd.
Country of Manufacture: Australia
Reel‑to‑Reel Production Era: ~1956–1965
Market: Studio / semi‑pro / consumer
Technology: Valve (tube) electronics on most machines
Applications: Studio recording, broadcast relay, education, professional handling, and consumer playback/recording
Rola also became involved in professional console and high‑speed dubbing recorders in institutional contexts.
Historical Context
Origins & Early Production
Rola began by making a range of audio equipment in Australia and, by 1956, was producing its own reel‑to‑reel tape recorders.
Early machines emerged from what had been the Byer Industries recorder line; Rola acquired or absorbed this product line in the late 1950s and continued development under its own name.
Broadcast Adoption
Machines such as the Rola 66 and later the 77 series quickly became workhorses in Australian radio and television stations thanks to their reliability and robust tube‑based construction.
International Influence & Transition
By the 1960s, Rola decks were widely recognized within Australia and occasionally exported or rebadged under other company names (e.g., Byer or later Plessey) for other markets.
The brand also extended into very high‑fidelity and high‑speed duplicator units for studio use.
Production tapered off around the mid‑1960s as consumer reel‑to‑reel gave way to newer formats and increasing competition from international brands.
Notable Rola Reel‑to‑Reel Models
Rola Type 66 (c. 1958–1961)
Era: Late 1950s to early 1960s
Electronics: Valve (tube)
Tracks: ½‑track stereo
Max Reel Size: 7″
Motors: Three‑motor transport
Use: Semi‑pro and broadcast applications, education and institutions.
The Type 66 was one of Rola’s earliest dedicated designs, evolving from the previous Byer‑branded units with improved mechanics.
Rola Professional 77 Series (c. 1957–1965)
77 Mk II: A development from Byer models into a proper professional recorder compliant with international standards.
77 Mk III: Improved transport and metering, continued into the early 1970s in broadcast service.
Use: Broadcast studios, radio stations, and professional recording environments.
The 77 series became a noted standard in Australian broadcast facilities before being superseded by stereo and transistor designs.
Rola 33B (c. 1956–1960)
A large‑format full‑track recorder with 10½″ reel capability and geared for high‑fidelity and studio applications.
This dialed into needs beyond the typical 7″ consumer format, oriented more toward serious recording tasks.
Rola High Speed Copier Units
High‑speed and multi‑head duplicator tape recorders were also part of the Rola professional lineup, used for tape duplication and production scenarios.
These machines typically supported higher tape speeds (15–30 ips) and multiple heads for efficient copying, often in studio environments.