Kenny,
I fell in love with the model 1b when i heard it at last years NAMM show. I was able to go visit groove Tubes headquarters soon after where Aspen Pitman allowed me to demo all his mics and without a doubt (for my voice) the 1b was my fav.
why I dig it so much? well I was looking for a real vibey vintage sounding mic for my lead vocals. the tube sizzle in the upper freq. is similar to what you find in the Rode NTK, but its the mid/low end where the mic is much fuller over the NTK (which is a good mic as well, but too scooped across the mids)..I find the vibe of the NTK cool, but its scooped mids makes me work a bit harder to get the mid section of my voice out....(I'm a tenor wit a lot of range) so my voice's power area is right where the rode is scooped. the model 1b has so much more body in that spot, I feel I have much more control while singing and I find the model 1b has a huge upfront sound that sticks way out in the mix (which I like)
with all that said, I cant stress the point of how important it is to find the right mic for your unique voice. I spent a long time searching for a "vintage type sound" for my style and the model 1b was it. (over the NTK, TLM103, Studio Projects, AKG 414TLII)
I hope this helped, good luck!
