Shure Unidyne 75th Anniversary
By Gary Avey, The Microphone Man
The date passed me by! It was 2014 for the 75th anniversary of the iconic Shure model 55 Unidyne microphone. Yes, the year was 1939…the year I was born…that the Shure Company brought out the model 55.
To celebrate Shure produced a limited edition version…the model 5575LE… blending the original design specs of the original 55 with a modern Shure internal pickup element. I’m so glad Shure decided to honor their technological advance…the very first uni-directional, single element, dynamic microphone!
The 5575LE is a beautiful unit made just like the original with a brushed chrome plating on the “bird cage” style grill enclosure and the original red color silk screen. In addition to the modern internals…Shure included an XLR connector to make it compatible with modern cables. They also throw in a new version of their table stand from that era—the S36B, vintage user guide, certificate of authenticity and photographic prints.
Apparently Shure still has a few of these limited edition units for sale…priced at $399.00. Check it out on the Shure classic mike web page:
The Modesto Radio Museum site is proud to give a belated salute Shure for this milestone anniversary! Modesto’s very first commercial radio station, KTRB, used the broadcast version of the model 55 mikes during the Bill Bates ownership era as documented on our site.
