Oktava 219

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guitar junkie

guitar junkie

Guitar User.
So I found an older one in a pawnshop today that had a tag asking $99.00 after some bull crap I managed to talk em down a good bit before walking out.... Turned out that nobody who shops there knows what one even is or something....


Anyway what can I expect out of one if I buy it?
 
I've got a 219. Before I tell you what I think of mine, you have to keep in mind that they vary. Apparently some are decent. Not mine.

Dark & boxy. And dark.

At best it's got what I'd call a retro old school sound. A dark and boxy school, that is. There's enough tone (and enough rave reviews) that I'm going to have it modded by Oktavamod. But that's just 'cause I have a hard time getting rid of things--even things I shouldn't have bought.

This was my first ever LDC. Knowing what I know now--I wouldn't have bought it.

Okay, after all that negative crap, I gotta remind you--they were real inconsistent, and apparently some sound quite usable. So for somewhere well south of $99--I'd at least try to see how it sounds. (I know--tough with a pawn shop, but maybe worth a try.)

Good luck.
 
I used to have one of these. It had a nice gloss to it but I found the sound to be weird. This is actually a good thing for my style of music and was very happy with the purchase. For more traditional music it's use may be limited a bit. I paid $70 for it used.
 
The 319 uses the same capsule as the 219 - I've got 3 319s, one modded by Oktavamod (the other two modded slightly by me). Assuming the 219 is somewhat similar (and noting also the big variation in quality), I'd say $70-75 is a good price, assuming it works at all.

I got my first one off ebay, and it was horrible -- completely unusable. That's the one I sent to Oktavamod. It came back with completely reworked internals -- a job well beyond my skill/knowledge level -- and it's currently my favorite vocal mic.
 
antichef said:
I got my first one off ebay, and it was horrible -- completely unusable. That's the one I sent to Oktavamod. It came back with completely reworked internals -- a job well beyond my skill/knowledge level -- and it's currently my favorite vocal mic.
Click to expand...

That's good to hear. I've been wondering if the Full JolyMod was the sort of thing that would compensate for stinky sounding mics, or if starting stinky would result in a less-dandy sounding mic that you had sunk another $250 into.

In this vein I recently picked up a used 319 to have modded, and am thinking of picking up a cheap 219 to give a similar treatment.
 
WhiteStrat said:
Dark & boxy. And dark.
Click to expand...

And even after the mod it is still dark. Sometime ago I have posted here a clip of the modded one, and it is actually as dark as a ribbon mic (mind you, ribbons proximity is huge). That kind of voicing is a feature of the capsule. Only its re-machining takes care of it. I actually, re-skin the capsule with a metall foil, which brings a great sparcle into it.

Best, M
 
Don't want to hijack the thread, but is the modded 319 similarly dark, IYHO?? Aren't the 319 and 219 basically the same mic in different bodies?
 
BudgetMC said:
Don't want to hijack the thread, but is the modded 319 similarly dark, IYHO?? Aren't the 319 and 219 basically the same mic in different bodies?
Click to expand...

Yes, they both share the same capsule and circuit. While different bodies and grill do contribute into sound, the difference is quite small and both of them are quite dark mics.

Best, M
 
I rather like dark mics, so I may have to swing back there and grab it, since it seems nobody cares about it there, as long as it works then I should have a decent mic.
 
antichef said:
Did you reskin the capsule that you used for the ACM-6802T test a while back?
Click to expand...


No, that was original. I actually wanted her to record the same tune with reskinned one, but we both got very busy and could not find time to get together :o.

Best, M
 
Well I bought it and took the front plastic disk off the capsule and WOW this thing is perfect for my voice!

I am really digging this mic, I know there are good ones and bad ones but I must have gotten at least a decent one, because this thing is the best vocal mic I have ever used.

That is after 960 V67 at4040 990 and many other oddball mics and such...

Very happy with the purchase :)
 
cool!

Marik has been working on my ACM-6802T (put in a Peluso capsule and a TAB-Funkenwerk transformer, among other things), and so I suspect my modded 319 will be summarily dethroned when it returns to my humble studio (and my suspicion is well founded on the clips Marik has posted), but in the meantime, it rules :)
 
I have never heard anyone be less than really happy with any of Michael Joly's mods, wheather they had a real Russian Oktava or a Chinese knockoff. I would not say that the MK 219's/319's are dark...but more neutral as oppposed to the hyped high end you get with a lot of the cheaper chinese models out there. I have two MK319's, neither modded and I find them very useful on many sources. Dark only comes to mind in the physical sense, as in the mic is black but to me, it a farily neutral sounding microphone.
 
Maybe it's because my voice is hyped that I like the neutral sound of the mic then :P

But really though I am very pleased with mine.
 
In my opinion, if you got an MK219 for less than $99, you did yourself good. I have been threatening to send my pair of 319's to Joly for quite sometime, but other things keep popping up. One of these days, I will pull the trigger on that mod. It is just hard 'cause the mics don't suck in their unaltered state. Enjoy.

I gotta start scouting pawn shops more for these sorts of deals.
 
modded 3189

I had a chance a while back to test out a joly modded 319 next to an original 319 on a horn section session. I had been using the standard 319 on my sax player for a while since it really suited his instrument and style.
We tracked the whole section individually on both mics. The joly mod performed brilliantly on all instruments (trumpet tenor sax and trombone)
The difference was most noticable on my trombone, for which I normally use a LD dynamic or a ribbon since I have been unable to find a LDC which I like on it (neumans, 414s allsorts, just don't seem to like me!). It sounded great on all the instruments. I am now using the modded 319 on the sax player all the time, and sometimes on my trombone. I still use a ribbon most of the time. I guess I have just got used to the sound now! Love the smoothness.
My advice: Give the mod a go. You won't regret it
Long
 
I picked up a 319 a while back, and have been, like Crash80, waiting to pull the trigger on a JollyMod. However, I seem to be under some sort of Fall Financial Curse right now... bills keep appearing out of nowhere.

This thread helps me keep the faith, though!! And it makes me think that there might be a 219 in my future, too.:D
 
Well aside from taking the disk off the capsule of mine I have no more mods planned. Through my firepod the thing sounds golden, and the only thing I wanna do now is find something else to use for acoustic guitar at this point...

Maybe a an MSH or something.
 
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