Bowyer-Lowe & A.E.D Ltd. Carbon Microphone

We have very little information about this elegant carbon microphone.

Bowyer-Lowe & A.E.D Ltd. were located at the Diamond Works in Brighton and advertised their well regarded gramophone pickups in magazines such as Amateur Wires, Popular Wireless and Wireless World during 1932 and 1933. They were presumably formed through a merger of the assets of two former companies, Bowyer-Lowe Co. Ltd, which was liquidated in 1930, and Auto Electric Devices (AED), which was wound up in December 1931. Bowyer-Lowe & A.E.D Ltd. did not last long either - they were liquidated in 1938. On this basis we have dated our microphone as being made between 1932 and 1938.

Phyiscally, this microphone has a space age look, with an oval bakelite capsule suspended within a circular ring by four springs. The base of the microphone is also bakelite and has an on-off switch as well as space for a battery and transformer, although these are not present in our example.