Good score? (Oktava content)

[choutmusic]

Got this set of MC-012-01s today for $250...I was very close to forking out the $500 for a new pair of MKs, til I found these. I haven't seen the going rates for these used - good deal? They sound great - comparing them to my 603s, much mellower top end.

 

[antichef]

I've got that exact same set (even with white boxes) - the real ones - totally worth more than $250, imo. Nice!

 

[hungovermorning]

Those are a bit older, the A.S.M. suggests late 90s early 2000s, make sure they say "made in Russia" somewhere on the mic itself.

 

[MichaelJoly]

Those are made-in-Tula, Russia Oktava mics. The slotted silver-color screws are proof. The made-in-China mics use black Philips screws. This is the easiest and quickest differentiation. Only the newest, non-A.S.M. branded mics say "made in Russia, Tula".

Authentic MK-319 mics use slotted screws (though I replace these with Philips). All MK-219s are Russian. In MKL-2500s look for the "bakelite body" capsule with 8-hole resonator in front of the diaphragms (same for 219 and 319).

 

[choutmusic]

They don't say made in russia, and no serial numbers. All the screws are silver flathead, being one indication I've read about leaning toward them being authentic.

I've been reading up on fakes, and a few sites seem to differ in characteristics in fake and what's not. I do know they sound good though.

Any other oktava experts wanna chime in?

 

[choutmusic]

Thanks, MichaelJoly!

You were answering right when I was asking for more input on them.

 

[stevieb]

You want more input?

SING LOUDER!

 

[hungovermorning]

Those are made-in-Tula, Russia Oktava mics. The slotted silver-color screws are proof. The made-in-China mics use black Philips screws. This is the easiest and quickest differentiation. Only the newest, non-A.S.M. branded mics say "made in Russia, Tula".

Authentic MK-319 mics use slotted screws (though I replace these with Philips). All MK-219s are Russian. In MKL-2500s look for the "bakelite body" capsule with 8-hole resonator in front of the diaphragms (same for 219 and 319).

And the master weighs in on it. I have to send you either my MKL 2500 power supply or cable, I had you mod the mic a couple years ago (which is worth every cent) but it picked up a hum.

 

[dgatwood]

My first guess would be a bad ground on the cable and/or the connector on one end or the other. My second guess would be a bad power supply filter cap. My third guess would be that the headbasket isn't making good electrical contact with the body (loose screws or dust/grime).

 

[antichef]

heh - input

I'm currently splitting my studio gear in two - set one goes out to central texas into storage for a little while, during which time I secure my new house from theives

set two I'm taking with me to the new house anyway -- there's a chance the stuff will be stolen, but I'll be using it to record my "core" stuff, which is acoustic guitar, maybe some backing drum/percussion tracks, and (I wish) vocals). I want to make a lot of keeper tracks with set two, and it has to be the bare minimum (and preferably replaceable) -- forcing me to make a choice among my equipment.

As far as small-medium sized condensers go (equivalent for my limited purposes), I didn't have to think long -- the MC-012 pair is staying with me - the Shure SM81s, AKG C451es, AT 4033s, etc. are going west. Not that I don't prefer them at times (even frequently), it's just for this particular exercise, the 012s are the clear choice (I do have one MK-012 with the three capsule set that going to safety)

I did just get back a pair of MXL603s from Marik, and still haven't even tried them yet, but after I try them, I'll probably get them somewhere safe, because they have a quality of "uniqueness" (even apart from their sound, which I obviously haven't even heard yet) that would make me really depressed if they got jacked.

That was a long winded way of saying I like the 012 (again) -- my "urban desert island" SDC

 

[choutmusic]

I've been recording a band and wow these are definitely a step up from the 603s! I've been having the drummer redo all his parts with these mics as overheads. So glad I got these!

 

[MichaelJoly]

I've been recording a band and wow these are definitely a step up from the 603s! I've been having the drummer redo all his parts with these mics as overheads. So glad I got these!

Stock 603 mics right?

 

[choutmusic]

Stock 603 mics right?

yep...haven't modded any of my mics...yet.