Shure 55SW

cassanova · #1 12-04-2011, 11:48 PM

A friend of mine has a couple of 1950's circa Shure 55Sw's, with all original boxes, etc. Is there a way to actually find out what year they were made? He's looking to offload them, but doesn't want to price them inaccurately.

Munjibunga · #2 12-05-2011, 12:09 AM

I've got a Shure Unidyne 55 "Fat Boy." It's from the early '50s. I see them out there for about $350. There's one on eBay right now for $425 BIN.

There's a guy who can put modern capsules in the old mics, and I'm thinking of having him put a Beta 58A capsule in mine. I don't care about the "collectibility" of it. They don't sound that great anyway.

Roscoe East · #3 12-05-2011, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

They don't sound that great anyway.

Which is precisely why they sound so great!

Munjibunga · #4 12-05-2011, 11:05 AM

I knew that was coming. While I am personally vintage, I don't care for vintage gear.

cassanova · #5 12-05-2011, 02:40 PM

Thanks Munji.

I'm not a huge fan of vintage gear either, but I do have one piece. Some years ago, my dad gave me a SHURE 545s blues harp microphone with a SM57 head, that he bought sometime in the 60's. Gotta admit, this thing sounds pretty decent, but can't wonder how much better it might sound with those newer capsules in them. I might have to look into that.