In May 2026, a vintage microphone collector generously donated a rare Model 50C, manufactured in 1940, to the Shure archive. The Model 50 line of “Rocket” microphones employed ribbon elements, though we called them moving conductors.
The interior of the Model 50 is simplicity defined. There is a metal ribbon (the moving conductor), a magnetic structure, a signal step-up transformer, and an output connector. Not much to fail.
Thus, it was a surprise when the donated Model 50C did not operate. Might there be a broken wire inside? Or a defective transformer? Or a torn/stretched ribbon? It was none of these…it was an abandoned spider nest.
An itsy-bitsy spider crawled into the interior of the Model 50C to make a perfect home. After finding an access point into the mic, the transducer-loving arachnid constructed a cozy abode underneath the ribbon. This Lilliputian domicile prevented the ribbon from moving properly as the ribbon’s motion is nominally infinitesimal, hardly perceptible in many cases. A microscope was required to find the spider’s impressive nest and aid in its removal.
Once the spider debris was eliminated, the Model 50C again operated…eighty-six years after being assembled at 225 West Huron Street, Chicago.
225 West Huron Street, Chicago
Related information: Short video about the Model 50 ribbon microphone
What would happen if a spider got into your microphone?
Arcana – mysterious or specialized knowledge
Spider silk has a higher tensile strength than standard structural steel when compared on equal-thickness basis. A strand of spider silk will withstand significantly more pulling force before snapping than a strand of standard steel of the same diameter.
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Researchers at Binghamton University discovered how spiders listen to their surroundings through their webs. The webs match the acoustic particle velocity across a wide range of audio frequencies.
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Tech Tip readers may be pondering, “Was Ben Bauer involved in the Model 50 ribbon mic development?” The answer is…of course he was!
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Newly released video: J. Robert Oppenheimer speaks about Enrico Fermi.
In the late 1940s, Enrico Fermi was the neighbor of Mr. Shure’s brother-in-law, who lived near the University of Chicago where Fermi was a professor.
