Vintage RARE 1940's Shure 556C dynamic cardioid microphone w Atlas DS-5 stand Elvis

         Hello and welcome to The House of Chrome.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     You are looking at a beautiful 1940's era Shure Brothers 556 model (1st generation) dynamic cardioid microphone often referred to as the "Fatboy" made famous by several musicians including a young Elvis Presley himself. Classic, clean deco lines give this mic the attention it deserves. Made in Chicago, Illinoise. This 55 series mic made it's debut in 1939 and had a run of 11 years until the second generation of smaller 55 S mics came along in 1951. A cast zinc body with a glossy satin chrome finish. It comes with the slightly newer 1950's Atlas DS-5 cast iron stand shown.

 Pic # 2 shows an old World War II era Shure catalog showing this very model and all of it's characteristics and price.

Pic # 3 shows Billie Holiday using one of these 55 model mics.

 The regular 55 model had the adjustable impedance switch while the 55A, 55B and 55C. The 556C had a factory settings of high impedance. That being said this microphone has been tested and the actual element works great but the wiring inside the shock mount is ravaged. 

 I had to open up the mic to see what the issue was? The wiring from the lower shock mount to the mics head is mostly gone so I simply tested the contact points on the element and got a very strong signal with great tone.

 Sadly the act of rewiring this mic would at best take a few hours and you'd have to know exactly what you are doing so I wouldn't recommend trying this unless you have the skills needed. It's just too much time for me to devote to doing so this is being sold as a non-working mic. It will make a very nice display or prop piece however due to the extremely nice physical condition. They just rarely come as nice as this.

 A nice early 55 is getting hard to find. This particular 556C has typical lite wear but certainly far above average compared to most 55 Fatboy's you'll come across on Ebay. The ribs are free of any fractures or dents. Both the front and rear red silk screens look very nice with just a couple spots of discoloration. It has the rarer burgundy color as well. Just a couple nicks in the top front silk screen as well but hard to see at any distance.

 The satin chrome finish has an incredible luster. There is just a couple tiny nicks on the very top of the head but zero dents, pitting, scratches or engravings. The Shure badge shows typical lite wear but completely legible.

 The 556C was much more expensive than the regular 55 and that was partially because of the beefier built in shock mount that all 556 series models came with. The shock mount reduced unwanted feedback while live and give the mic a more aggressive look. The shock mount looks amazing and still works like new. 

 The mic has a built in short cable that I added for cosmetic reasons. It's just 8 inches long. It's soft, pliable and has an older Cannon female XLR connector. Cable is wired correctly in case you plan on replacing the inner wiring.

 This 556C still has the original front and rear grills. No mix matching on my mics. This mic is an easy 8 on a scale of 1 - 10.

         MICROPHONE STAND SHOWN IS PART OF THIS SALE...

 It's a very nice older Atlas desk stand from the 1950's era and perfect for just about any older vintage microphone. This DS-5 model was the industry standard for decades having a heavy cast iron base allowing it's user to mount just about any screw on mic or mic clip. These were quite hard to tip over regardless of what mic was sitting on top.

 This DS-5 desk stand was made in Brooklyn, NY. There are no scratches, scuff marks or chips in the on the original grey paint. There are very lite rust stains on the bottom of the base. This is a very nice older DS-5 overall. Still has 3 great original rubber pads on the bottom.

 The chrome stem shows extremely lite wear in the form of fine scratch marks. Please let the detailed pics be your guide. Total length is 5 inches high x 6 inches wide. With mic on top it's appx 13 inches tall.

 This 556C will screw onto any desk or floor stand you have if you don't want this sitting on the Atlas desk stand. 

                And as always...

  I can promise you will be happy with it for the price paid. If not...I have a no hassle return policy. The shipping will be on you as I believe that's fair but the purchase price would be refunded. Simply return in the same nice condition...period. Check my rating. International buyers are welcome as well. Buyer must pay within 24 hours or an unpaid case will be opened and item relisted. Domestic buyer will get priority shipping.

  If you have any questions feel free to ask and...thanks for looking.