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The U47 was the result of the pre- and post-war work of two companies: Telefunken and Georg Neumann GmbH. Telefunken made vacuum tubes. Georg Neumann GmbH made condenser microphones. With Neumann’s capsule and Telefunken’s tube, together they made an incredible microphone that recorded a lot of great music. Introduced in the late 1940s, the U47 microphones are pressure-gradient condenser microphones that became extremely popular during the 50s and 60s. Recordings made with the U47 possessed greater detail than other recordings of the time, and the U47 became very popular with recording engineers in the USA, Europe, and around the world. U47s were manufactured from 1949 to 1965 by Georg Neumann GmbH using the Telefunken VF-14 pentode vacuum tube. The first U47s were branded and distributed by Telefunken. These ‘Tellys’ were 200 ohm microphones—fine for Europe, but too hot for mixing boards in the USA that were accustomed to RCA 150 ohm impedance. Later Neumann took over distribution and made a 150 ohm version that was perfectly compatible with the equipment in U.S. recording studios. The U47 was made with a dual diaphragm; think of it as two directional condensers that made the U47 omni-directional when both condensers were switched on. When in cardioid mode, the U47 showed considerable ‘proximity effect’—this is a boominess that happens when the singer or speaker is physically close to the microphone. (Most all the covers below show the singer several inches, if not a foot or more, from the windscreen.) Also, the U47 had a little boost in the sibilance range that gave the more detailed sound that recording engineers were looking for. (This additional sonic detail would later serve as the basis for [i]high-fidelity[/i] recordings and the necessary [i]high-fidelity[/i] playback equipment.) The U47 became the recording engineer’s microphone of choice and was chosen to replace the RCA 44s that had been popular from the 1930s. A U48 version was later sold by Neumann; the only difference was in the pickup patterns—the U48 offered cardioid and figure-8 patterns rather than cardioid and omnidirectional patterns of the U47. George Martin preferred the U47 over all others; in particular, the Neumann version. Remember the strings used in "Eleanor Rigby"? They were recorded by George Martin with the U47 microphones placed very close to the instruments for a more intimate sound. The Beatles used U47s for many their recordings, including most of [i]Rubber Soul[/i]. Frank Sinatra referred to the U47 as his ‘Telly,’ and it was his favorite microphone. Elvis Presley, The Everly Brothers, Roy Orbison and David Bowie also recorded vocals with the U47. The U47 was the official microphone of Mercury Records’ ‘Living Presence’ series of classical recordings. Neumann continued manufacturing the U47 until Telefunken quit making the VF-14 tube. (By that time, Neumann was their only customer.) Neumann tried a different type of tube, which didn’t sound as good. Then it decided to go the transistor route for its microphone manufacturing. The Neumann U47 fet (aka FET47s, built 1969 - 1986) was intended as a solid state replacement for the U47, and it did catch on in the studios ... not for vocals ... but as the go-to microphone for bass drums. As far as the Telefunken brand goes … AKG stepped in and produced a condenser microphone for Telefunken, the ELA M250/251, which was based on the AKG C-12. (Although the Neumann U47 and Telefunken U47 were virtually identical, the AKG C-12 is longer than the AKG-manufactured ELA M250/251.) The now-vintage tube microphones were last manufactured in 1965 and resell for thousands of dollars—if you can find one. Clones are available nowadays, and they are supposed to sound pretty good … 60 years later. Newly manufactured replacement tubes are also available. There were a lot of musicians that were proud to be photographed with the U47 nearby. It was the best in its time. See my other microphone lists: [List165753] and [List218030].