American Made Lawson Microphones

Lawson Incorporated takes pride in producing America’s finest microphones. Privately owned by the Lawson family, the company was founded in 1979 by Gene Lawson with the purpose of creating superior audio gear, specifically his favorite vintage microphones. Over the years, Lawson has never strayed from that original mission. All Lawson microphones are hand-crafted and hand-inspected to be the best sounding, best built microphones anyone could ever own.
A tour through Lawson’s factory is testimony to the company’s philosophy that designing, creating, and improving their products is more than just a living; it’s a passion. Lawson’s factory is littered with hand drawn schematics and computer drawings of new microphone designs. There’s an area dedicated specifically for prototypes; a 2500 square foot machine shop where American made CNC machining centers churn out Lawson parts with exacting tolerances; a clean room circulating triple filtered air for capsule assembly; multiple hands-on soldering and wiring stations; and Grandma answering the telephone. “We like to mix the efficiency and precision of the new with the heart and soul of the old,” says Lawson. “The result is magic.”
Gene Lawson chooses to sell his microphones direct to the end user and is the first to admit that the company is not a mass producer. Taking the direct approach and never using Chinese capsules are concepts to which Lawson committed the company from its inception. “Each Lawson microphone is a work of art,” Lawson says, “and producing a work of art takes time, inspiration, and attention to detail.” The company has yet to meet a customer who didn’t appreciate the Made-in-USA commitment, the direct-to-you savings, and the personal attention. After receiving a Lawson microphone, plugging it in, and experiencing goosebumps for the first time, it’s not uncommon for a customer to think, “Quick! Where’s the getaway car!”
The L47MP vacuum tube microphone is the company’s flagship product. When the initial review of the L47MP was published in the February 1997 issue of PAR, Dr. Fred Bashour compared the Lawson L47 to his hot rodded Neumann U47 and M49s. Compared to his U47, he declared the L47 was “definitely a righteous vocal sound” and added that it sounded “a lot more like a real Neumann M49 than does that new Neumann M149.” He concluded that the L47 was “the microphone of choice for the project studio owner who wants to buy only one microphone.” Dr. Fred’s comments have stood the test of time.
In keeping with the company’s commitment to continually improve their products, the L47MP was reintroduced in 2002 as the L47MP MKII. The MKII combines the best of the old and new by keeping the first generation mic’s vintage character, immensely popular infinitely variable polar pattern control, and heavy brass body. Upgrades include replacing the original 6072 tube circuitry with the 6N1P vacuum tube to achieve a lower self noise floor, Lundahl transformer, a cardioid only capability with 3 dB more gain, low frequency rolloff, and a blue LED inside the capsule cage that lets the user know whether the cardioid or multi-pattern mode is engaged.
The L251 vacuum tube microphone, Lawson’s recreation of the highly coveted Telefunken ELAM 251 sound, was introduced in 2000 and immediately honored with the prestigious PAR Excellence Award. The L251 uses the same 6N1P vacuum tube electronics, power supply, and cable as the highly acclaimed L47MP MKII. “We purposefully chose to universalize the L47MP and L251 electronics for specific reasons: increased versatility and power to the end user,” Lawson asserts. “If a customer already has in their possession either an L47MP or L251, they can purchase the other capsule separately and plug it into their existing Lawson vacuum tube electronics. Let’s say for example you own the L47MP MKII. You can purchase the L251 capsule, plug it into your L47MP electronics, and voila! You have the L251 vacuum tube mic in all its glory just as it would come from our factory.” Lawson calls the ability to use multiple capsules on their tube and FET electronics “Quick Change™” and plans to introduce several new Quick Change™ capsules in the near future to complement their existing L251 and L47 capsules. Realistic vintage sound, the EQ power of varying polar patterns, the versatility of the Quick Change™ system, wholesale pricing, and personal service make Lawson microphones sheer magic.