Hello and welcome to The House of Chrome.
You are looking at a nice and somewhat rare Astatic DR-10 "Synabar" crystal microphone from the 1950's complete with an 9 foot cable in which to operate. It should be noted right away that this mic is not intended for singing purposes. The mic has been retrofitted with a quality LED light making this a very unique and attractive lamp to use for ambiance anywhere in your studio, home or place of work.
Pic # 2 shows this very model in an old Astatic catalog. Interestingly enough, Astatic made this very same mic in a dynamic cardioid version called the DR-11 and it came with burgundy silk screens. The DR-11 was a superior microphone but the fragile element did not hold up well with age and you rarely find one that works...much like the DR-10.
This mic was in non-working condition when it came to me. It was decided to modify it into what it is currently.
This DR-10 is similar in size and design to the earlier Shure 55 Fatboy and it was Astatic's attempt to offer something as competition with the same impressive size and flair but it should be noted that the Shure 55 Fatboy was a superior microphone in sound quality as the DR-10 was equipped with a cheaper inferior crystal cardioid element.
This particular mic lamp is made by a gentleman in Canada named Gord D Birtch who is a Jack of all Trades. An artist and all around good guy with an eye for these older mics. He has an online store called Luminous Groove. I have several of his lamps at my residence for personal use and have been collecting them for almost 4 years. I send him the microphones and he turns them into this finished product. Sadly, he stopped making these last year due to health problems but I still have several of his examples and it does seem that he is feeling better and is now taking special orders on these at request.
All of the mics are gutted, cleaned and professionally wired with high quality, efficient American L.E.D lights. Gord will often install metal mesh screen in his mics. Some do not have them but it really comes down to how the mic is designed and how we want the light to be thrown.
This DR-10 has the mesh screens but still casts an amazing ambiance once activated as you can see in the pictures provided. This mic lamp will screw onto any microphone desk or floor stand. I do have several vintage stands available in my Ebay store however.
The DR-10 itself is in excellent physical condition. The ribs are free of any dents or fractures and the satin chrome finish has very lite wear. Zero pitting or scratches. One of the nicest examples I have offered. The Astatic badge looks very nice and completely legible. The on / off switch on the mic itself does not operate the light. The switch is on the cable.
The threading for the stand is excellent but you'll see there is a lower F-11 adapter that seats the mic. The F-11 adapter is in great condition and that is what actually screws onto the stand of choice.
The joint mechanism on this mic has lots of tension and works perfectly allowing you to tilt the head backwards putting light wherever you need it. A cable connector is attached to the bottom of the F-11 adapter as if there was a regular cable attached to complete the effect.
The cable itself is a high quality cloth covered item and has an older vintage feel to it. It's appx 9 feet in length and has an on / off switch as you can see in pic # 12. Simply plug this in and your good to go. I believe these LED's are rated at 50,000 hours.
This is an actual early DR-10 mic...not a replica. I can't talk these lamps up enough. More like sculptures and one of the coolest lamps you could own and perfect for that mid century vibe and an excellent gift for just about anybody.
These are certainly strong enough to read a book next too.
MICROPHONE STAND SHOWN IS NOT PART OF THIS SALE...USED FOR DISPLAY PURPOSES ONLY.
Total height of mic with F-11 adapter mic is appx 9 inches.
As with all my vintage microphones for sale...
I can promise you will be happy with it for the price paid. If not...I have a no hassle return policy. The return 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 will lose rights to this item, unpaid item report will be filed and will be re-listed. If you don't intend on buying this...do not commit to buy please. Domestic buyer will get priority shipping.
If you have any questions feel free to ask and...thanks for looking.