Buying a vintage mic

For 12K it should be

Thanks for your response Ward. If the U47 sounds like my SM58, than my clone U47 got it all wrong. LOL


One thing I know, I'm going to record my voice on the mic before I buy it. I presume I could do that at Sweetwater, which is close to where I live, on the new 251. I won't be buying one off of EBAY, but I wonder if anybody knows of brokers that have studios to hear the mic recorded. We're talking $9.000.00+ here. So, the idea that you can't hear the mic recorded, or would buy one without hearing it recording your voice is insane imo. Perhaps I should call Vintage King in Chicago which is close as well.

I agree with all this except the 58/U47..  I love my C12 but I'm finding it a bit hard/brittle on a lot of singers.  Maybe I'll turn it into a 251 instead since it's like 3 parts different..

It's an RK-12.  It's not a brass C12, but it's pretty good.  It's not that the capsule is brittle sounding, it's just that C12's have that high end that makes it sound very scooped and light on bass, just as ward mentioned.  It's nothing like the chinese sizzle though.

I don't think you're wasting your time Tony.

I took M. Joly's 47 clone and his ribbons into Capitol and shot em out against a couple hundred thousand dollars of classics (U67, U87, U48, C12, M49, 44, 77, etc.) including the U48 that Frank S used.  My conclusions - which were echoed by one superstar engineer who accompanied me....

The only mic I there I/we would have paid vintage premium for over the clones was the M49.  It was to die for.  But I've heard others that left me a little, meh....  So these vintage vs clone wars are only good for the individual vintage mic tested IMO.  There are others that the clones would beat, and possibly some that the clones would be left in the dust.  The vintage search is very ONE MIC specific IMO - (repairs and mods aside) these things age differently and it's impossible to draw "general" conclusions about vintage mics overall based on clips or upon thinking that vintage Specimen B will sound like vintage Specimen A.  And even at that, considering the age, it could possibly be an illusion waiting to fade over the next few years due to the age of these things.

As for the 48 vs Joly's mic?  6 to one, half dozen to the other.  47's are fairly easy to clone IMO.  There are several out there including the venerable Max 47 which is at the top of the heap IMO.  (Unfortunately, I didn't have it in possession at the time) Both it and Joly's mic that I had on hand would give Frank Sinatra's vintage 48 a run for it's money.  Really, so close as to make it personal preference or a flip of the coin.  And Capitol has a tech on staff to keep those babies fresh and running up to snuff.

As for the ribbons, my conclusion - NOTHING sounds like a vintage RCA, and if that's what you want, it's pretty easy to get a decent one for a decent price and still get it restored back to factory spec.  Condensers?  Not so easily done, and more care must be taken.

Here's the thing, the only dealer who might and I emphasize might have everything you want to here is VK, and with Detroit, LA and Nashville splitting inventory the odds go down. Now lets say you book a Demo of each in Nashville , there's a good chance that your dream mic walked out the door with a buyer 2 days before your demo
Cash is king!
If somebody like Shannon or Klaus is willing to help. ( Klaus isn't taking new clients I have known him as a friend and he was my client and I can't get on his F#%*ing list).
Now I have known Shannon's handy work long before we met here and when I buy my C37 and C48, hell when I pick up a pair of used 414s guess who's going to give them a good once over? Mr Shannon Rhodes!
If he's offering you his services you will find it worth every penny ! Read his posts, he has a unique but !easily understood way of describing how these things sound ( Klaus will put you to sleep, love the man and his work, but if you don't know what you want he's not the guy)!
Unlike your well informed VK sales wennie Sinsay knows what the mic in general as well as the specimen he's talking about do and are capable of sounding like!
Ill bet he charges you less than travel plus one good demo.
So take him up on his offer If I were in your shoes I would!

Guys, it's a generalization!! Obviously a U47 and SM58 don't sound identical!! But the basic sound of a U47 as it translates in a mix is LIKE an SM58. They are a LOT alike in the final result. LOL

Of course the OP left out two of the best classic midrophones of all time. If a 251 is #1, then an M49 is #2 and an M269 is #3.

If we are going to go down this road lets Add Sony C37a and C47 and the C800(g )!

Insanity I tell ya......

Yeah but admit it you were once just as insane ! Granted then it wasn't 10-15k insane but it felt like it!

Tony I'm very much looking forward to this. I think that clones can easily hold their own at least when it comes to U47s. My Andreas Grosser 47 sounded identical to vintage U47s he had in his shop and I paid way less. I only wish someone would come up with a convincing U67 clone. I'm still lusting for a nice 67, even though it won't help me in writing good songs...