55SH worth the look?

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undotorture

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i'm considering buying a shure 55SH for live purposes (sure, i could go for a 58, but the 55 looks badass which is half my reason for wanting it onstage with me). my question is, is it worth the cost and sound quality just to get a strange (by modern standards) microphone? will i ever find a use for it in a studio setting? i'm building a small-scale studio with large-scale gear (backing investors are excellent when you want an ICON)...
 
The people I know that use the 55SH do it for the looks (they all play in "retro" 50's vibe bands). I personally don't know anyone using this mic for studio recording. It's not a bad-sounding mic, it's just that there are other less-cool looking mics that offer more tonal flexability.
 
It looks better with your Nudie Suit than a plain old SM57.
 
kid klash said:
The people I know that use the 55SH do it for the looks (they all play in "retro" 50's vibe bands). I personally don't know anyone using this mic for studio recording. It's not a bad-sounding mic, it's just that there are other less-cool looking mics that offer more tonal flexability.
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What he said.
 
That eBay mod mic is expensive for what it is. A new KSM27 costs much less and is almost certainly a better mic.

There is also a fair amount of BS in the auction:

The reissued 55SH Series II uses an inexpensive dynamic cartridge and the sound simply does not compare to Shure's pro models, such as the Beta 87A, the Beta 58A or even the SM58.
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The 55SH capsule is nearly identical to the SM58 capsule. In the 55 case, it yields a more omni-type response. I've used mine on stage a couple of times, but usually I don't do that sort of music live. It can be tricky with feedback due to its rear response, so I would avoid it in a problematic situation. However, you can't beat the looks, it is killer.

One aspect of the stock Shure 55 that always drove me crazy was the fact that I practically had to hold the mic over my face to be heard--not a problem with this one.
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It's a dynamic mic with low sensitivity. The guy could have tried turning up his gain knob 4dB to make up the difference from a 58 :rolleyes:


Anyway, I find my 55SH occasionally useful in the studio, more so than a 58 or even my plethora of Betas. It has a more open sound; the highs are more 57-ish without having to worry so much about plosives (55 doesn't really need an extra pop filter) or positioning. It could inspire a good performance from a crooner if you haven't got a ribbon. It works on harp if you don't want a Green Bullet (which you do!). It would be fine on cabs. It probably wouldn't suck on kick, although I haven't tried that myself.

The main problem with the 55SH is that it's too expensive for a niche studio mic. Score a used one from somebody that hates it :cool:
 
mshilarious said:
In the 55 case, it yields a more omni-type response.
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so is shure BS'ing me when they say:

The 55SH Series II microphone has a cardioid (unidirectional) polar pickup pattern that minimizes sound pickup from the rear of the microphone. This allows the Model 55SH Series II to be used in close proximity to loudspeakers without creating feedback problems, and it can perform under adverse acoustic conditions where omnidirectional microphones cannot.
 
undotorture said:
so is shure BS'ing me when they say:

The 55SH Series II microphone has a cardioid (unidirectional) polar pickup pattern that minimizes sound pickup from the rear of the microphone. This allows the Model 55SH Series II to be used in close proximity to loudspeakers without creating feedback problems, and it can perform under adverse acoustic conditions where omnidirectional microphones cannot.
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Yes.

Look at their own chart:

http://www.shure.com/pdf/userguides/guides_wiredmics/55sh_series2.pdf

Don't look like no heart shape to me. It ain't exactly an omni either, but its rear response averages about 5dB more than an SM58.
 
it might be slightly more omni because of the casing.

I have a REAL 55 from the 50's and I use it all the time for recording. its killer on bass drum. I have also used it on bass when I ran out of 421's and it sounded great. It also sounds killer on.........vocals! I'm not sure what kind of feedback you would get with the 55SH, but it should be ok. the original 55 was designed to be a live mic. FWIW a sennheiser E845 or something should sound way better live.
 
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