how can I validate the second mic I'm buying is still working properly ?

  • Thread starter Thread starter diannaZ
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diannaZ

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hi

I found someone that is selling a used "Shure SM58" mic.
how can I validate it's still working properly - just as it did when it was new?
 
58's are as close to indestructible as you can get. Just avoid 'too cheap'. There are fakes being sold out there.
 
jimmys69 said:
58's are as close to indestructible as you can get. Just avoid 'too cheap'. There are fakes being sold out there.
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they still sound the same even after abuse? you know what some of those 16 year old rockers do to them... it's not a pretty sight...
 
They're a poor substitute for a hammer but they'll do in a pinch.
 
There's no way to validate it, short of some serious overkill like analyzing it's transient response and response to pink noise or something insane like that - and even then, you'd have to have a control sm58 in the same setting. Way too much work for a 58 - they don't half-way break...ever. They either completely die (if you drop one in a trash compacter, for example), or they live forever.
diannaZ said:
they still sound the same even after abuse?
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Yes. If it still works, it will sound just like every other sm58. You might wanna get a new screen and filter for it, though... unless you want SARS. I wouldn't put a road-worn 58 anywhere near my mouth.
 
^^^ That was awesome - proves the point people have been saying forever. Also demonstrates pretty thoroughly the main reason they're so common for live sound... They're drunken-idiot-proof. Unless the drunken idiot brings a trash compacter or drives his car on stage... :D
 
was funny seeing him dent the grille like that.
I though they came out of the factory that way. :p
 
Listen, and understand.
That SM-58 is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until the vocals are done.
 
While owning a vast amount of 58's and 57's. I've noticed slight variations between them all. Some sound thinner than others while some some beefier. I guess what you get is the microphone that you will cherish for ever.
 
True that Henry.
I have four Ev 635a mics, but I couldn't say I have a pair.

I labelled them so can choose them for different applications though, so it's kinda like having four different types of mic. :)
 
Hey Paul! I have marked a half dozen 57 for just that reason too. Especially for public speaking. If it's a woman talking head I will use a beefy 57 and so on and so forth ............. ;)
 
Good points, too. I'd say it's more or less true with most mics that a "matched pair" doesn't happen by just buying two. I had 8 57s and 4 58s when I was doing live sound and never felt any urge to mark them as different, though. Of course... in live sound everything happens so fast and there's so much eq going on (and often left over eq from the last band and I didn't reset the board fully, etc) that I doubt I would have ever noticed any difference anyway. I do remember those older MXLs that were wildly different between individual units. (v67, I *think*, was especially...."dynamic"... in it's quality control).
 
how can I validate the second mic I'm buying is still working properly ? my gear: shure c606 mic, Peavey 65 guitar amp, Ibanez electric guitar, acoustic guitar, zoom8080 guitar multi-effect ,EZkeys midi keyboard, ProSonus AudioBox USB audio interface
 
moresound said:
While owning a vast amount of 58's and 57's. I've noticed slight variations between them all. Some sound thinner than others while some some beefier. I guess what you get is the microphone that you will cherish for ever.
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nope .... I hate 'em.
I have certainly owned bunches of them but I have none now nor will I ever unless someone gives some to me for free.
I wouldn't pay 30 bucks for a 57/58 ...... they suck.
I far prefer even the cheaper EV mics.

:)

Now you newbies ..... don't pay attention to my rant ...... it's only for more experienced mic users.
A 57/58 will do great for you.
 
What do you use in place of that for guitar or vocal mics on stage, Bob?
(just curious...never hurts to ask those that might have been around the block once or twice...)
 
loveofjazz said:
What do you use in place of that for guitar or vocal mics on stage, Bob?
(just curious...never hurts to ask those that might have been around the block once or twice...)
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as I said, EV mics.
For one thing they're FAR more feedback resistant than 57/58's and that alone is a good reason to use them. They also have a wider freq. range so I find them to be 'crisper' sounding.
I use 767's for voice and sax and a Cobalt 7 on git. I also have several other EV's in the same price range as the 7's but I forget the model number .... maybe Cobalt 9's.
I have 4 or 5 of each of the EV models so I'm covered for quite a while.

I am sorta interested in the new Sennheiser stage mics but since I don't really need mics right now it'll probably be quite a while before I buy anything else.
 
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