Any cheapo retail purchases that pleasantly surprised you?

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jeffree

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Hi, all. Just a quirky thought for a thread here, which came to mind as I was reading the latest monitor shoot-out review in Future Music mag. Monitor brands like low-end Yamaha, Event, M-Audio, and Samson were kicking the likes of Mackie and KRK in these tests--and the reviewing engineers said things like "You're shitting me! I was all ready to hate the Samsons!" when they found out which monitors they prefered in the blind study, with nothing to use but their ears. Similarly, a recent Recording mag had a pack-cover piece ("Wrong, Wrong, Wrong, Right?") that had a group of engineers sitting around and discussing the writer's latest recording. They loved the acoustic piano, which they described as haunting and beautiful, and they guessed at all sorts of expensive methods that the recording engineer had used to produce the gorgeous track. An argument of disbelief followed when the recording engineer informed them that he's used a cheap old controller keyboard and an SM57 in the hallway outside his bathroom. It took him a while to convince the group that he wasn't joking.

With this stuff in mind, I started wondering which pieces of cheapo gear have surprised the folks at this forum. I'm thinking especially of new (retail) gear, rather than used deals at Ebay--in other words, surprisingly good cheap stuff that others here could actually go out and buy. Anyone care to share?

Here's a quick one from my past...

JOHNSON J-STATION Guitar Processor
Paid $149 new (now discontinued, but I think still available with a search)
As a paid studio musician, I've found this cheap piece of gear to be more useful than I'd ever guessed when I plunked down the chump change. With some patient tweaking, I can produce useable tones for anything from rock to jazz to country--good enough, in fact, that the studio sometimes tells me to leave my amp at home and just use the Johnson. And when I need more tones, I head to the site and download new ones. I've used mroe expensive modelers and amp set-ups, but the Johnson's a cheap winner for me.

I'd enjoy hearing about your own retail, budget finds if anyone has one...
preamps, drum machines, mics, monitors, etc...?

Best,

J.
 
I was convinced for ages after buying my SE Electronics SE2200 that I'd got the wrong budget condenser without trying the SP range. I took a bunch of tracks from home to overdub in the studio at uni the other week, and after recording new tracks with MD421s, Røde NT2s and NT5s and a pair of AT4050s I blind tested myself with the new and old tracks to choose the ones that seemed to sound 'better'. The only tracks I chose that turned out not to have been my home ones were the acoustic guitar and piano done with the 4050s.

Make of that what you will ... but what I suspected to be a duff buy has turned out to be very versatile.
 
Talking only retail.

Certainly the J-Station at $149 was one of my best purchases. I picked up a Behringer bass V-amp for $60 (floor model, barely used - I think new they are about $90 - still a decent deal) and was very pleased with some of the bass amp simulations (while I choose not to buy many Behringer products, the Bass V-amp was a good buy).

I got a Yamaha RGS TT guitar (great axe) for $400 (it was being discontinued, but had been selling for over $1000). I also got an Epi DOT for $400 - very close to a 335, for a lot less. An Ibenex GSR 200 bass for a little over $100 (cheap axe, but plays well and sounds decent).

The TC Electronic M300 (multi effects) at $180 is the best low price effects unit I've heard. A pair of Octava MC012 for $99 - that was good deal.

Now, when I worked in a music store and got every thing at just over cost (sometimes under cost) - I could write all day about those "deals".
 
crate G6-140C for 300$ picked it up at an army auction.
 
Just thought of another particularly cheap yet effective addition that I learned about from our Mic forum here: the Studio Projects B1 mic for
$100, shock mount included. It's the best cheap recording mic (large condensor) I've used for acoustic instruments with full-bodied tone. In fact, I liked it so much that I bought a second. Quiet and pretty darned flat response (no big high-end bump), and a quality look that surprises my colleagues. An excellent budget buy that I recommend often.

J.
 
Best mic?

I just got a MXL990 from Musicians Friend for $60. Came with a real shock mount and another type, all in a hard shell case. Also picked up an On Stage boom mic stand package for $20. Total cost, a little less than $90 for everything including S&H. And I am very happy with the items. The mics sounds good to me, and the boom stand and included 20' cable was well worth the $20 for the package. A nice upgrade to my home setup.
 
THe peavey PR series of speakers are really good and cheap. They are the grey plastic molded ones you see in musicians fiend. I bought 2 of the PR15's and use them for floor monitors. the tweeters have feedback protection so you'll never blow them, they sound crisp and punchy. i paid like $300 for two. they handle 300 watts. Ive had them for 2 years, they have a total band mix going through them, bass, guitars, vocals with no compression at least 1-2 times a week for like 3 hours at a time and they sound as good today, as they did when i bought them new.

metalJ
 
The Rat Shack SPL meter. One of the more usfull tools around my studio. It was cheap but it works like a charm.
 
Smurf said:
I just got a MXL990 from Musicians Friend for $60. Came with a real shock mount and another type, all in a hard shell case. Also picked up an On Stage boom mic stand package for $20. Total cost, a little less than $90 for everything including S&H. And I am very happy with the items. The mics sounds good to me, and the boom stand and included 20' cable was well worth the $20 for the package. A nice upgrade to my home setup.
Click to expand...

I'll second smurf. It has been talked to death on the mic forum, but the 990 is a heck of a deal for $60, with a hard case and nice shock mount. I've gotten a couple good vocal tracks out of it (though I don't think it fits my voice as well as I'd like), and really like it for spaced pair miking of acoustic guitar and clean guitar amp sounds.
 
Behringer Headphone AMP
MXL603's
MXL990 (same as the 603 just different case but cheaper!)
 
Behringer PMX2000 10 channel powered mixer with stereo effects for $284 (new). It's been very dependable, it's quiet, easy to move around, and has been used for gigs AND rehearsals.
 
Oh yeah - good point! I have one of those PMX2000s lying around somewhere. A DJ friend is sponsored by Behringer amongst others, so he gets loads of gear sent to him that he doesn't need. Not technically a freebie cos he doesn't own it, but very good nonetheless!

Have in fact used the power amp section with a larger desk to drive quite a large room ... was surprised by the volume it managed to produce.
 
I just picked up an older one of these (dustier, c. 1977, needs a little tuning - but solid) - I'm pretty pumped. This was the first Class H amplifier made. It's the '67 Land Rover of amps.
 
The MXL V67. While I already own a few MXL mics that I am quite pleased with, including the V69M, I didn't expect to be as impressed with the V67 as I am - even after reading glowing recommendations by Harvey Gerst himself. In fact, there are some situations where I imagine I will pick the $79 V67 over the $299 V69M! This is truly a Great Bang For Buck!
 
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