Comments on: Turner Microphones Circa 1962

By: Jim Shorney

Jim Shorney — Sun, 15 Jun 2025 21:57:04 +0000

Turner was sold to Telex in 1978 and subsequently disappeared. I saw a couple of 250 series runs going through the Telex paint shop at the former Hy-Gain factory in the early 2000s. That was the end of them. Almost everything else except the Road King CB microphones were gone by that time. Road King was sold off not much after and appears to me owned and still manufactured by DAS Companies, Inc.

By: Johnny Ace Harp Mics – Harp Surgery

Johnny Ace Harp Mics – Harp Surgery — Tue, 06 Jul 2021 08:15:42 +0000

[…] The Turner family originally ran an undertaking business in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was so successful that they needed to install a PA system to make announcements to the assembled mourners. Their first efforts were unsuccessful however, and Turner struggled badly for many years against Shure, ElectroVoice, and Astatic. But by the mid-1960s, they’d paid off their investment costs and become a market leader by specialising in communication mics for CB radios and PA systems. More here. […]

By: admin

admin — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 16:37:06 +0000

In reply to AL.

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.

By: AL

AL — Thu, 05 Dec 2019 02:46:54 +0000

how does the 500 differ form the 510?

By: Bob

Bob — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 23:50:46 +0000

In reply to Beatty Dimit.

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

By: Beatty Dimit

Beatty Dimit — Mon, 06 Nov 2017 07:33:03 +0000

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.

By: Walt Cates

Walt Cates — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 16:41:24 +0000

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