I have been lurking here for awhile, and this is my first message.
Just wanted to let you know that all my ribbon (and other) microphones services Gentleman named Mark Fuksman, who mostly hangs out on groupdiy forum and posts under screen name "Marik". He seems to know about ribbons (as well as actually about any types of mics) EVERYTHING!!!
Everything started when I sent my old Tannoy ribbon to a very "reputable" shop and they just could not get more output out of it. After reading some of Marik's posts on Prodigy I desided to contact him. He just asked me what kind of sound I am after (unlike others, he always asks this question) and since I did not want to change the character of the mic's sound but just wanted to boost the output, he told me: "Fine", and in ten days the mic was back. He preserved the original sound perfectly and the output was about 10-12db higher!!!
Also, he serviced my Beyer and Oktava ML52, and modded Apex 205 and RSM-4 and his work was impeccable every time.
That's what he did with those.
My Oktava had a blown ribbon and I read a lot about its modifications, but kinda liked what it was doing with my amp, so did not want to change things much, just to take out some ringing and "peakiness" in response. Somehow he felt that the transformer was acutally a part of the sound I liked, but the grill needed work, so he cut the bars (perfect machining job) off the grill, giving the mic a new gorgeous look, putting only as much protection as I needed. Also, instead of protective metal things in front of ribbon he installed screen silks of needed density for a good damping (as he explained). Since the tolerances in Oktava double ribbon motor are way too loose (he told me that's one of the reasons the factory installs narrower ribbons than they should), he re-machined the motor, so both gaps width are perfectly matched (he did it free of charge).
It is amazing how he could taylor the sound exactly to my needs.
Both Apex and RSM-4 were pretty cheap mics so I just told him to do whatever he feels like, but that would be nice to have a ribbon with a clear and extended top. He told me: "Fine", and ten days later both mics were back.
I did not have much expectations, but BOY! I could not believe!!! Although they were different from each other (obviously), it was clear that I prefer them on both acoustics and OH over the Royer I borrowed from my friend for the test. The top end was less aggressive, but somehow felt much more natural, musical and extended. I asked Mark what did he do besides installing Lundahl transformer, re-ribboning, etc. He actually remachined the whole frame and also corrected tolerances, so he could use a tighter fit for the ribbon.
It is interesting, he actually told me that he saw the documentation for the Lundahl transformer for ribbons (whatever model it is) second person after Per Lundahl himself, as Per scanned it for him while the ink even had not completely dried.
On the way to Sundance festival in Park City I happened to visit Mark's lab in Salt Lake. WOW!!! I thought I got into some kind of submarine cockpit, with all that measurement equipment, jigs for precise cutting ribbons, micrometers, digital calipers, special tables and microscopes for installing ribbons. There was a precision digital scale that would show the weight of just a 1/1000 of gram (he told that's the most precise way of measuring ribbon thickness). There I saw at least a few different ribbon corrugators (he explained, to match different types of corrugation in older mics, to preserve original sound), milling machine with digital readouts for ultra precision work, lathe, etc...
Besides, there were literally hundreds of different mic bodies, lollipops, backplates, capsules, ribbon structures, all kind of tube equipment (he also builds tube amps and pres), as well as ribbon speakers, etc...
Then he showed some of the mics he's built. The craftsmanship of the mics was nothing, but great. It was a great surprise to know that most of those actually were just prototypes. He explained that being such a perfection freak as he is, he cannot make even a prototype looking less than great.
For the ocasion I brought my Martin. We listened to his modified V67 as well as Oktava MK012 and they were killers! I could not believe those were some Chinese and Russian budget mics. Especially I was puzzled with Oktava, as I thought that Dorsey was the best mod for that mic and I knew exactly how it sounds since I have one, but this one was like from another word--much more musicaI, relaxed, and alive. He told me no, that was not the Dorsey mod as he never does two things: 1) clones and 2) does somebody else's mods. He designed his own schematics for the Oktava. For the V67 he actually designed and wound his own transformer (I think it is bifilar type, IIRC). He told that the grill of this mic is very nice, but needs a certain type of schematics to compliment it, and only that transformer could give him the sound he wanted.
Then he reached for MXL 2001 and told me: "Have a listen to this one". I swear, it sounded like an expensive tube mic--nice, fat, full bodied sound. I was sure that at least the capsule was changed for expensive one. He laughed!!! The capsule was a stock one!
Heck!!! After that just for demonstration, right in front of me he "voiced" the mic exactly the way I asked him.
Then he showed a ribbon mic he built himself. Well, the only thing I can say even before listening to it I knew it is going to be something... just from its look. Needless to say, the sound was just... glowing. Never ever I could imagine a ribbon (or any other mic) to sound like THAT!!! Just pure, natural, and smooth... as baby's butt.
I asked him hundreds of technical questions and every single one he answered with great patience in a most consise and understandable way. It seemed he had in his head schematics of every single microphone ever made, from B&K measurement mics, Schoeps, Neumann, AKG, to MXL, Nady, Apex, Oktava. It seemed he knew exactly how every capsule from those mics was made, down to every little detail.
It was very interesting to talk to him about the grills. He believes that grill is part of the sound and the whole schematics should be build around capsule and grill and complement it. He gave me a simple example--remove the inner layer in U47 and you will completely kill the mic. He told me that unfortunately many people who make money on modifying microphones do not understand this. He truly turns microphone modification into an art form, unlike some "modifyers" who just mod for sake of modding.
Besides, he is a kick ass classical pianist who could sit down at his piano and play (for the mic testing) whether some real cool jazz, or Rachmaninoff Concerto.
He stroke me as a very kind, honest and modest person, who is just incredible pationate about microphones and music.
He reminded me some kind of mad scientist from another century, who keeps perfecting his art and for whom it seems foreign any kind of self-promotion, and his mild French accent (in fact, he is Russian) just reinforces that feeling.
And last, but not the least, his prices are very fair and in fact, are much better than many "internet gurus" charge, considering how meticulously he does his work.
Just email him to:
ribbonmic(at)comcast.net
