Categories: MicrophonesPro Audio Archive

Turner Microphones Circa 1962

Download the entire circa-1962 Turner Microphone Catalog. Dig the crazy Soviet-esque graphic-design. Printed on that great old eggshell-texture paper, no less.

DOWNLOAD: Turner_Microphones_1962

The Turner Microphone Company was based for many years in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. What and interesting story they had. The Turners were a highly successful family of morticians. Their funeral home was so large and accommodated so many mourners that in the mid-20’s they became interested in installing an early PA system. This lead to DIY manufacture of PA systems, and eventually microphones. By the Mid-60s, Turner had become one of the world’s leading manufacturers of communications and PA (as opposed to recording and broadcast) mics.

Turner did manufacture some high-end mics for professional audio applications, though. I own a model 510, and it’s not terrible. The grey-blue finish is really stunning. When I get around to it… I hope to do a listening test of the 510 next to some period competitors (EG, Shure SM-56 and an EV 666). 510s are hard to find. The example that I own is the only one that I have ever seen in the flesh.

Much more common are the Turner U9s and its several variants. See this link for a listening test I did with a U99 earlier this year. When Turner describes this mic as rugged, they are not kidding. I own three of these; they are around 50-60 years old, and they all work perfectly. And they get used in the studio for ‘certain’ sounds.

Turner 250 series mics are also commonly found today. They made and sold a shit ton of these for use in PA and paging systems. I like the sound of these mics as a close-mic for raw-sounding rock vocals, along with a good condenser mic a few feet off of the performer for some depth. Blend em and voila. Lots of grit without the typical ‘Strokes-mic’ vibe.

You will also see a lot of these little plastic Turners around. I have not found a good use for mine.

I am not sure that this is an effective way to mic up a rock band, but like I said, Turner Microphones were not considered studio-standard.

chris

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Walt Cates says:

12/23/2011 at 12:41 pm

In i961 thru 1966 Turner produced a special order mic for the Hallicrafters Co. This mic was produced specificaly for the SR series HF transceivers. All I have been able to find out about it is a few specs and a guess or two. It is a dynamic mic Z is 500 ohms. The output into a 100k load was -52.5db (0 db=1 volt per microbar). The case was the dark 350 case. The guts were those of a SR90D-5. I am looking for any information on this mic in particular any copies of correspondance between Turner and Hallicrafters and spec sheets.

73, Walt WD0GOF
Beatty Dimit says:

11/06/2017 at 3:33 am

Hello,
I just became curious about a Turner microphone element labeled "model 13C" when I saw it on eBay. It looks much like a couple defunct ones I have that are (on the elements themselves) labeled BO1140, but I don't see this on the pictures of the element and much of what *is* shown is simply gasket.

The eBay listing is titled:
"N.O.S. N.I.B. Turner Model 13 Microphone "Interior" Magnetic Cartridge Element" if you want a squint at it. It is priced at $145, but ships free. It is somewhat unique in that it is still in the original box.
- Bob says:
  
  11/20/2017 at 7:50 pm
  
  From the 1962 Turner catalog:
  https://www.preservationsound.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Turner_Microphones_1962.pdf
  
  #13C
  Universal replacement dynamic interior
  used in Turner models 9D,
  20D, 33D, 70D, SR90D and 250.
  Sze is 2" dia. x 7/8" depth.
  List Price $11.00
AL says:

12/04/2019 at 10:46 pm

how does the 500 differ form the 510?
- admin says:
  
  12/05/2019 at 12:37 pm
  
  Hi Al. I've owned two 510s, have one remaining now, but ive never owned a 500 so I have not A/Bd them. I CAN tell u that the 510 has a matte gray 'broadcast' finish and paint-matching clip and paint-matching XLR4 rather than the shiny silver 500 - but other than that, i dont know, it may simply be marketing hype OR the 510 might be a 'selected' optimal 500 OR the 510 might actually have a different capsule and/or transformer. The 510 was WAY more expensive and spec'd higher, so maybe there are real internal differences? But i don't know. i will say that the two 510s i had sounded quite different, for whatever that's worth.