Will I regret selling it ?

J

JoelEric26

New member
OK guys here's my dilemma. I've got a Neumann KM84. Not a 184, but an 84, the older one, which seems to be preferred by a number of people out there.

I use it almost exclusively for recording acoustic guitar in my home studio.

I've been watching prices on ebay and they seem to go on average for around $600.

I wonder if I would get more bang for my buck by selling my Neumann and then with the cash maybe picking up . . . well, all kinds of things.

A used Sennheiser 441, an MXL V69, and an MXL 603 ?

or . . .

A blue baby bottle (had my eye on one of these for a while), a 603 and a SP B1?

A B3, some 603's, etc. ?

Mix and match away fellas . . . what would you suggest ?

And for reference my other mics are an MXL v67g (for vocals), an a Shure SM57 (guitar cabs), and an Alesis AM51 (for anything else).

Also, for what it is worth I've used the Alesis on my acoustic and I like the sound, but there is just something about the Neumann in a mix that is a little magic (maybe it is in my head).

Will I hate myself later if I sell this thing ?

Have any of you guys ever let go of a mic and then regretted it down the road?

I wouldn't be wrestling with it as much, if it wasn't one of the vintage ones and I couldn't just run out and replace it if I felt I had made a mistake.
 
I'm in the same situation - one KM84. No way am I selling it.
Mine's a beauty for choir and some voices (mine) and it really lifts acoustic guitars mixed with an LD-condenser. I also suspect it will keep up its worth better, and it'll probably last you longer. Those are just guesses of course.

You should however know that I do have a tendency of not wanting to let go off anything.
 
Dont do it! You won't respect yourself in the morning. The mics you mentioned are good "additions" to your collection, but there's not sensible reason to let go of a KM 84 for cheaper mics that won't hold their value nearly as well.

Save up your beans for those cheap mics and keep your Neumann.

FWIW, I too have a collection of inexpensive mics (an SP, a MXL, a couple Behringers, an AT and a couple loose dynamics). So I'm not a mic snob. I just don't think it's wise to trade down. The latest rage of inexpensive mics help people with small budgets to get into the game. Neumanns, particularly KM 84s, are not things that should be let go easily. I could understand selling it if you were doing so for a baby on the way ... to pay for your dying mother's treatment ... etc. But, selling that mic to trade down for lesser, inexpensive, mics is a sin and a crime against anything decent about our recording world. ;)
 
Keep it. It is a very good mic for the purpose. It is also a diverse mic in what it can be used for, and is much better than a KM184.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
KEEP IT!!!

Don't trade that vintage classic for a Yugo, Daewoo and a Hyundai. YMMV, IMHO, etc, etc. If it were mine I'd be keepin' it.
 
Do a comparison between your KM84 and the V67 for vocals sometime.
If anything, you'll be selling the Marshall.

Chris
 
I'd probably sell it then drop a couple more hundred for an earthworks qtc if you are a looking for a small diaphragm condensor. If you are not familiar with 85's you might not know if you have a "dog" A new qtc-1 ain't gonna hurt you one bit.
 
JoelEric --

you'll regret it SO much -- unless you donate it to a gifted & underpriviledged musician like me ;-)
 
Noooo Mr. Bill! Don't trade Neumanns for cheap mics! However, the Baby Bottle is a different animal, and not really a cheap mic.-Richie
 
do you like the sound of it? sounds like you might not and that is why you maybe want to sell it? The '85 is a pretty decent mic but it has a definate sound or coloration. They are also old. If you are not liking the sound of it you probably have one that was not stored properly. lots of dust collected on the diaphragm and moisture damage. Do you have a little desinex pad by the diaphgragm? If not it was probably not stored well and its sound is now suffering. Has the desinex been dried out in an oven to make sure it is still absorbing moisture? The km184's suck shit as far as I am concerned and you'd be better off getting a nice earthworks mic. Much more neutral and natural sounding. personally I'd take an earthworks, schoeps or DPA small diaphgragm condenser of the neumanns any day.
 
sweetnubs said:
... The km184's suck shit as far as I am concerned ...
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Hmm? Why do you think they suck? Aren't they very smilar to the KM84 which is "a pretty decent mic"? Could you explain what you mean? I use a 184 for my tenor sax recordings and I think that mic rocks, compared to many other mics in that price range.
 
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Thanks for the input guys. You've pretty much confirmed my gut reaction which was to keep it. I do love the sound of it and the only reason I was considering letting it go was . . . well . . . uh . . . what was I thinking anyway?

I think I'm just gonna save up my pennies for that Blue Baby Bottle (or sell some plasma to get ready to purchase the Stephen Paul mic when it is released!)
 
It's ok to sell a piece of gear if it's mediocre, but something like the KM84 is a keeper. You might find another mic that sounds as good, or different, but probably never one that sounds better for the same applications as the 84.

________________
Post indie electronic
Meriphew
www.meriphew.com
 
let's see, acoustic guitar in xy: I'll take the earthworks or schoeps over the 84 or the 184 any day. Drum overheads: again schoeps or earthworks. Snare? schoeps. snare wires: schoeps or earthworks. shall I continue? 184 sounds completely different. If you don't know that then you've never worked with both mics so why bother commenting on how great they are? 184 on sax? try a u67 or a royer 121 sometime.
 
sweetnubs said:
If you don't know that then you've never worked with both mics so why bother commenting on how great they are?
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Why are you so aggressive? Since I've never worked with the mics you mention (apart from the 184) I asked you if you could explain. I still don't know what the difference is except that the "184 sounds completely different". Never mind.

try a u67 or a royer 121 sometime
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Thanks for the tip, but I guess these mics are in a different league price wise, and out of my range.
 
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