REFURBISHED TESLA AMD 104 - VINTAGE TRANSFORMER DYNAMIC MICROPHONE - XLR

A beautiful vintage Tesla AMD 104 in cream Bakelite with a deep-red grille

 the girl in the red dress

The AMD 104 is a surprisingly substantial microphone: considerably larger and than many comparable Western European Bakelite designs, with a wonderfully solid body and beautifully made folding table stand.

A charming piece of vintage microphone engineering — visually distinctive, beautifully built and still genuinely useful today.

OPTICAL CONDITION

Very good vintage condition.

The cream Bakelite housing is beautifully preserved, showing only normal signs of age and use. The contrasting deep-red acoustic material behind the grille is clean and gives this particular microphone its wonderful appearance.

The original metal folding stand is complete and functional. Its simple mechanical construction is particularly nice, allowing the microphone to stand securely while folding neatly against the body when not in use.

Overall, a very attractive example.

TECHNICAL CONDITION

Fully serviced, tested and working correctly.

The microphone was completely disassembled and inspected. The original dynamic capsule is healthy, the original transformer remains installed, and the internal wiring and connections were serviced where necessary.

The microphone now produces a stable, clean signal without unwanted rattling or mechanical noise.

Ready for use.

THIS LISTING INCLUDES

• Tesla AMD 104 microphone
• Original folding table stand
• Microphone Bag

BUILD & DESIGN

The AMD 104 is a classic example of substantial Eastern European microphone construction.

Its thick moulded Bakelite body feels surprisingly large in the hand, while the broad front openings reveal the contrasting acoustic material underneath. Together with the metal folding stand, the result is a design that feels simultaneously domestic, industrial and extremely purposeful.

Inside is a nicely constructed dynamic moving-coil capsule. The diaphragm itself is more refined than the exterior might initially suggest, with a finely formed surface and concentric reinforcement.

During servicing, the capsule could also be heard outside the housing. This revealed something interesting: the capsule itself sounds somewhat more open, while the assembled microphone becomes more focused. The grille, internal space, damping and heavy Bakelite enclosure therefore all contribute to the final acoustic response.

The original transformer completes the electrical design and remains part of the microphone's original signal path.

SOUND

The AMD 104 has a distinctly speech-tuned vintage response.

Its bandwidth is focused rather than extended, with restrained frequency extremes and a clear, present midrange. Speech comes through directly and intelligibly, with enough upper-mid presence to remain articulate without becoming excessively nasal or aggressive.

There is some audible coloration from the complete acoustic construction, but it is considerably less extreme than the appearance of the microphone might suggest. Rather than being an obvious lo-fi effect, the AMD 104 sounds surprisingly conventional and usable — simply shaped around the frequencies that matter most for the human voice.

The result is compact, direct and unmistakably vintage, while remaining very easy to work with.

WHERE IT SHINES

Its focused response places a voice immediately where it needs to be without capturing unnecessary low-frequency weight or excessive high-frequency detail.

That same character can also be useful for guitar amplifiers, percussion, sampling or as a secondary microphone alongside a modern full-range microphone.

The AMD 104 does not need to be treated as a museum piece or novelty. It remains a simple and effective dynamic microphone with a genuinely useful voice.

And she happens to look fantastic.

Red dress. Vintage voice.