DIY dynamic mics?

guitar junkie

guitar junkie

Guitar User.
So I have been fooling around with making some contact mics and things like that around the house, having a lot of fun with it all...

I am wondering what it would take to make some decent dynamic mics and where to buy parts... It seems like I would need a good sounding capsule and some sort of body...

Do I need a transformer?

I took apart a old CB mic and rewired it up into a of all things an old door knob with a 1/4 inch cable terminal...

It's not a great mic, and I think the capsule just sucked for the most part, but then I made it to be a lofi harp mic...

I really wanna build something like the copperphone Or something similar looking but with better sound quality for use with our live 20s 30s music show...

Any links? component recommendations?

Soldering is no issue for me... I have a really good soldering iron thanks to my old job, and enough training to get through most joints without issue :)
 
I can't seem to find any sort of purchase buttons on their site though... :confused:

Seems like they have some nice product though...

What about Digikey or Mouser?
 
guitar junkie said:
I can't seem to find any sort of purchase buttons on their site though... :confused:

Seems like they have some nice product though...

What about Digikey or Mouser?
Click to expand...

You have to email them. Best to ask what's in stock as they won't have anything close to that full range on hand.

Digikey stocks a few, but nothing comparable in quality. Mouser has a rather weak mic capsule selection in general.
 
Thanks!

As far as transformers go... I have seen SM57 mods out there to take one out or upgrade one to something nicer do I really need to put one in?

Where would I buy such a beast? I have been working around the net trying to learn stuff and reading a lot of technical data where I can find it.

I am going to be asking a lot of dumb questions I suppose...

After a few dynamics under my belt I would like to try some condenser mics but I am in no hurry on those... I just wanna build something cool to use on stage, that will sound decent.
 
You can make some fairly good sounding transducers from small speakers , I made a set that I sometimes use for micing Drums or guitar cabs that sound pretty good .....
 
I built a speaker mic out of an old truck speaker and a coffee can stuffed with an old T Shirt it sounds ok on some things but i want something for live vocals that looks unique and vintage but doesn't sound like dirt.

I should be getting some extra money in a few weeks to spend on a capsule or two and I have plenty of wire and solder tools to use around here... Might need some connectors though...
 
Thought I would share a picture or two of my first mic...

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I used an old door knob an old CB mic capsule and a bit of cable mixed with hot glue, solder and about half an hour of time! Sounds awesome! It is a dirty sounding harp mic and a very lofi vocal mic... Sounds like crap on everything else so far...
 
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