Author: admin

This unique project began following a conversation with Mike May, the model maker at Shure. We were discussing the Company’s Centennial; Mike asked if our archive lacked important historical artifacts. I replied, “Only a few. There is one item I have only seen in a photograph. It is a beautiful Art Deco point-of-purchase display from around 1940. My hunch is the desperate need for metal during World War Two made these displays valuable and all were scrapped.” I showed the… -more-

The first Unidyne microphone was shipped by Shure on April 29, 1939. To mark the 75th anniversary, on April 29, 2014, Shure released paper models of the three most popular Unidyne models. Below are links to the PDF files for printing your own. Vintage Unidyne 5555SH Series IISuper 55 Just for fun, we created an extra large version from some cardboard boxes.

Shure introduced its first ball-shaped mic in 1935 – the Model 74 Spheroid Crystal Microphone. We were one of three companies to offer a ball-shaped mic during that era; Brush Development and Western Electric were the others. Letter to Shure distributors, 1935 Magazine ad for the Model 74 Spheroid, 1936 The Model 74 was $37.50 at introduction, the equivalent of $870 in 2025. The Spheroid mic grille diameter was 2.25“/ 5.7 cm – a tad larger than the SM58 grille. The mic weighed a… -more-

For centuries, theater artists struggled to create a sense of intimacy while projecting their voices, so that even those in the back row could clearly hear the performance. At the turn of the century, early sound systems, consisting of megaphones and then microphones connected to loudspeakers, were breakthroughs in carrying performances beyond the range of a human voice. The sound, however, tended to lack the full tonal range of natural sound. With the development of more precise sound amplification technology,… -more-

Microphone development engineer Yuri Shulman, now retired, was born in Ukraine. He uncovered an article in Russian about the Central Intelligence Agency [CIA] and how CIA agents bugged Russian offices, buildings, and residences during the Cold War. Yuri was taken aback to learn that Shure manufactured the mic element preferred by the CIA. According to the article, a typical wireless bugging device used “a microphone made by American Shure Brothers Company,” operated in the 72–73 MHz band, and could be… -more-

Introduced in 1932, the Model 33N was a carbon microphone developed and manufactured by Shure Brothers Company – “Microphone Headquarters.” Model 33N carbon mic, 1932 From our 1932 catalog: The Model 33N Shure 2 button microphone embodies the acme of refinement and design. Greater improvements in performance, utility, and appearance are incorporated in this new model than in any other two-button microphone. No expense has been spared in making an instrument that will bring the joy of satisfaction to everyone… -more-

A series of illustrations created by Shure in the mid-1950s to profile the 333 Microphone in a wide range of applications. When the 333 was introduced in 1954, it was promoted as a “slim, small microphone designed for such professional applications as: motion pictures, radio and television stations, professional recording studios, and nightclubs.…incorporating the world-famous patented Shure Uniphase acoustic system which reduces pickup of unwanted noise by 73 percent.” The unit also featured a “self-adjusting lifetime swivel, a frequency response… -more-

April 25th is the 100th anniversary of Shure Incorporated. Few companies reach one hundred years of age. I am exceptionally fortunate to have experienced 48.5% of the Company’s existence. If asked about a personal favorite memory, my answer is immediate…“The Hug.”  Here’s the spontaneous, unanticipated Hug… Mrs. Shure and your author (Michael Pettersen)Photo by Stuart Van Dorn Her words…“Oh Michael, I am so very happy today.” The date…January 31, 2014. Moments before The Hug… Mrs. Shure admires Ben Bauer’s Unidyne… -more-

A significant innovation in recorded music occurred a century ago in New York City. On February 25, 1925, Art Gillham, dubbed “the Whispering Pianist” because of his soft crooning, arrived at the studio of Columbia Phonograph to test a newly installed electrical recording system. Once Mr. Gillham was ready to begin, a recently developed Western Electric condenser recording microphone was positioned in front of his mouth. Pianist Art Gillham In 1925 when phonograph records began going electric, Hollywood movies with… -more-

It was one of the most dramatic boxing matches of the 20th century. On March 8, 1971, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier fought at Madison Square Garden in New York City to decide the World Boxing Association heavyweight championship. Just a few months earlier, the United States Supreme Court had overturned a 1967 ruling that barred Muhammad Ali from boxing after he refused induction into the U.S. Army because, as a member of the Nation of Islam, his religious beliefs… -more-