early xmas: unused 70's beyerdaynamic m260

[kbh]

i'm pretty new to recording. a relative just gave me this boxed mic he had complete w/paperwork/ freq graph (no mice droppings, even). and it sounds like it works fine.
i'm interested in recording acoustic/electric(jazz/blues) guitar and vocals. i read this is a good ribbon mic on their site and on the forum. is there anything it's better for than others, any tricks for best use or things to avoid? thanks for any advice.

 

[pohaku]

It is a very nice single ribbon mic. Good for all kinds of things from guitars to cabs to vocals to overheads. It does need some gain so I hope you have a healthy preamp. No phantom power, although if your cables are in good shape, inadvertent phantom shouldn't hurt it (but it's a good idea not to leave the phantom on). It is flatter than the M500 which does have a bit of presence peak (for a ribbon). Ribbons are fragile so don't blow into the mic to see if it's working and don't put it in the kick.

It's a keeper. Have fun with it.

 

[kbh]

thanks for the reply. i'll use it through a mackie 1202vlz, which is supposed to have good pres. it's good to know not to stress it tho. can i assume it can function well live for vocals as well as you don't 'pop' it?

 

[leddy]

Want to sell it?

 

[kbh]

thanks for the interest, but not at this point. if that changes for some reason, i'll pm you. seems like it should work well for me.

 

[pohaku]

thanks for the reply. i'll use it through a mackie 1202vlz, which is supposed to have good pres. it's good to know not to stress it tho. can i assume it can function well live for vocals as well as you don't 'pop' it?

Yes you can use it for that if you are careful. The Beyers have a relatively short ribbon and thus are hardier than some other vintage ribbon mics, but they aren't Royers in that regard. Like any mic, you will have to see how it sounds with Your voice. I'd try it for awhile before making any selling decision. I have 2 of them (old one with a tuchel conector and a new one) and they get used quite a bit. If you decide it isn't cutting it for vocal use, and that is the primary use you would make of it, you might see if someone would trade you even up for an M500 -- but try the M500 first. The M500 was the ribbon mic Beyer made for live vocal use (Sinatra among others). They go for about the same on e-bay ($250-300).

 

[AGCurry]

I love ribbon mics and have quite a few of them. I have tried the M500 and M260 in live situations, and my take on them is that, for louder music, they make me work too hard. They're a little too natural sounding, without the cutting quality that one often needs. Nice for recording, though.

 

[kbh]

thanks for the good info. all of the 'live' performance use i can imagine for it right now will be for friends in the 'lazyeyelounge' i'm setting up at home, so it won't be too loud/extreme.....maybe....!

 

[DavidK]

early xmas: unused 70's beyerdaynamic m260

Wow, thats very generous of you, I will take it. Thanks a lot, I appreciate it, and merry Christmas to you too. Just send it to Ohio, they know me here.

 

[chipwits]

After hearing more and more ribbon microphones, I am liking the sound a lot. I think it will be great for my fiddle. Need to come up with some cash for a Beyer or something.