About the Company
Tesla was the name of a major state‑owned electronics manufacturer in Czechoslovakia that operated from the late 1940s through the end of the 1980s, producing a very broad range of electronic equipment including radios, televisions, electronic components and magnetic tape recorders. The company name was originally Elektra when founded in 1921, and was renamed TESLA in 1946. The state‑controlled conglomerate had a near‑monopoly on consumer electronics production in Czechoslovakia, with factories at various locations including Pardubice and Přelouč. TESLA produced many electronic products domestically, and reel‑to‑reel tape recorders were part of its consumer audio lineup for about four decades. Production of these machines continued in various forms until about 1988, making Tesla one of the longer‑running reel‑to‑reel makers in Eastern Europe. These machines were generally marketed as consumer or high‑fidelity decks rather than professional broadcast recorders, with distribution focused mainly within the Eastern Bloc but also present in some export markets.
Tesla’s reel‑to‑reel product line began in the late 1950s with tube‑based portable and home recorders. An example from this early period is the Tesla Sonet, developed around 1958, which was a basic half‑track mono machine with a single speed of 3 3/4 inches per second and a robust mechanical transport typical of early European designs. Shortly thereafter, the Sonet Duo appeared (first developed 1959), adding a second slower tape speed and a digital tape counter, although early versions were limited in reel size. Around 1962 the Sonet B3 improved on the Duo with a larger reel capacity, better frequency response and other refinements. These early models illustrate Tesla’s entry into consumer tape recorders at a time when vacuum tubes were still common in audio gear.
During the mid to late 1960s and into the 1970s, Tesla expanded the reel‑to‑reel lineup with solid‑state consumer decks. The Tesla B41 and B42 series (produced approximately 1965–1968) were simpler mono recorders based on the more advanced B4 design. They used transistorized electronics and continued support for 3 3/4 inches per second on 7‑inch reels, making them affordable and widespread in local markets. Tesla also offered larger and more capable stereo models during this period, reflecting improvements in technology and consumer expectations for home hi‑fi equipment.
Into the 1980s, Tesla was still producing reel‑to‑reel machines, including stereo four‑track units designed for hi‑fi listening. The Tesla B101 was an early 1980s four‑track stereo recorder produced in Czechoslovakia that catered to home audio enthusiasts before cassette and other formats overtook open‑reel demand. The Tesla B115 was a two‑speed four‑track hi‑fi model from the early 1980s that met stricter local hi‑fi standards and was part of the later consumer‑grade lineup, showing how Tesla continued to refine its tape decks even as the format was declining globally. Later examples such as the Tesla CM 130 appeared in the late 1980s, though they incorporated technology that dated back to earlier designs. Production of reel‑to‑reel units by Tesla effectively wound down toward the end of the 1980s as compact cassettes and digital recording formats became dominant, and Czechoslovakia’s electronics industry transitioned with broader political and economic changes.
Overall, the Tesla reel‑to‑reel tape recorder line reflects the broader history of post‑war Czechoslovak consumer electronics. It began with tube‑based portable and home recorders, expanded into solid‑state consumer hi‑fi decks in the 1960s and 1970s, and continued with stereo and multitrack models into the 1980s. While not as globally prominent as Japanese or Western European brands, Tesla machines were widely used in Eastern Europe and remain collectible examples of Cold War‑era analog audio technology.