Shure Model 55A Unidyne “Fatboy” microphone

When browsing in an antique in Easton Pa.I found this sitting on a dusty shelf in the back of the store. Price? $20 The condition is pretty good.

Made: 1939 - mid 1960s
Manufacturer: Shure Brothers Corporation
Type: Dynamic Cardioid

In 1939, Shure Brothers hit pay dirt with the groundbreaking development of the Model 55 Unidyne microphone, the world’s first single-element unidirectional microphone. Shure claims its perfomance
qualities and distinctive styling made it “the most recognized microphone in the world”, but its fame is more likely due to several famous photographs of Elvis Presley performing with the Shure 55 on stage during public performances in the 1950s, earning it the indelible reputation of being “the Elvis microphone”. The Shure 55 was such a successful and iconic design that it is still being manufactured today, albeit in a somewhat smaller smaller and sleeker version (the Sure 55-S Unidyne II) than its considerably larger predecessor, which is why microphone collectors now refer to the older original version as the “Fatboy”.