kip4
Well-known member
I buy second hand too. Usually good deals. Go for it
Steenamaroo
...
2nd hand for me.
I bought a 58 and and sm7b new. The 7b was US import though, so I still saved a bit.
Everything else was used and was an absolute steal.
Best, I think, was a mint pair of MD421n. Both were "not working, sold for spares" and both just had a loose wire in the XLR barrel. Well, small tuchel barrel, but you know what I mean.
£107 they cost me!
It's amazing what you can find on ebay. I got 4 pristine EV D054s technically for free.
They were thrown in with an old tape player listing. I spied them in the background of the pic and had to ask to be sure they were actually EV mics.
They weren't even mentioned in the listing because the guy didn't know what they were worth!
I bought a 58 and and sm7b new. The 7b was US import though, so I still saved a bit.
Everything else was used and was an absolute steal.
Best, I think, was a mint pair of MD421n. Both were "not working, sold for spares" and both just had a loose wire in the XLR barrel. Well, small tuchel barrel, but you know what I mean.
£107 they cost me!
It's amazing what you can find on ebay. I got 4 pristine EV D054s technically for free.
They were thrown in with an old tape player listing. I spied them in the background of the pic and had to ask to be sure they were actually EV mics.
They weren't even mentioned in the listing because the guy didn't know what they were worth!
Bobbsy
Boring Old Git
Haha guys, this thread has had some great comments!
And thank you for answering my question, it has made me feel a lot better about it, and hopefully soon I'll be the proud owner of an NTG-1! On a side note, is the NTG-1 any good as a studio or live mic?
Thanks!
The NTG 1 is of pretty limited use in a studio or for live use.
The one use (strangely enough as mentioned just yesterday in another topic) I can think of is that some male voice over artists use a shotgun mic like the NTG 1 close up to get huge proximity effect to give that film trailer "just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water" voice. I'm not sure how much use it would be in music making though!
For live, I have resorted to short shotguns when miking stage musicals/drama if I need to pick up a line or two from a specific place and it's not worth another radio mic channel just for that quick segment. Other than that...not much use.
However, for video or radio recording in the field, it's excellent!
Guitargodgt
New member
I've sold a couple of Blue dynamic ball mics on this forum before.
But with the exception of my LDC, I'm pretty content with my mic setup as it stands.
T
TheAquired
New member
That's what I thought. I'm buying it for video use, just wondered if it would be useful at all. But, seeing as I only have one dynamic mic to record with, I guess this is better than nothing in the studio
T
TheAquired
New member
Alright! I bought it! Thank you all for the help, I am glad I went for it
R
Russ56
New member
2nd hand mic
Buying second hand is a great option if you are handy at repairs, or know a good repair company. I purchased a Neuman U87 and 2 AKG C414 EB's and saved $5000.00 All worked as new, although after 12 years the Neuman gave up due to a deteriorating diaphragm and components, however Gunter Wagner from Wagner Microphones in Sydney Australia offers replacement capsules hand made in Germany, and he also replaces components and re-calibrates the system. He did a fantastic job for $800.00. I also bought an EV RE20 at auction for $50.00, and it just had a wire detached, which I resoldered. It is still working. All my second hand sure mics are still working as well, as is an old Audio Technica. Nothing wrong with second or third hand, and if you get 1 dud at least the savings of the others should cover it.
Buying second hand is a great option if you are handy at repairs, or know a good repair company. I purchased a Neuman U87 and 2 AKG C414 EB's and saved $5000.00 All worked as new, although after 12 years the Neuman gave up due to a deteriorating diaphragm and components, however Gunter Wagner from Wagner Microphones in Sydney Australia offers replacement capsules hand made in Germany, and he also replaces components and re-calibrates the system. He did a fantastic job for $800.00. I also bought an EV RE20 at auction for $50.00, and it just had a wire detached, which I resoldered. It is still working. All my second hand sure mics are still working as well, as is an old Audio Technica. Nothing wrong with second or third hand, and if you get 1 dud at least the savings of the others should cover it.
J
Johnny Don't!
New member
Second-hand mics are a good way to go; you can typically buy a newer model mic for just about half of what it would retail for. (I say "newer model" because a true vintage mic like a U47 in good-to-perfect condition will often be 3-4 times the price of a new reissue, maybe even more.)
My only advice when buying a used mic is to ask the seller some specific questions to get a feel of his practices and habits regarding his care of the mic and his gear in general. I made the mistake of skipping such questions a few years back when purchasing a used Shure KSM42. I met the seller at a gas station halfway between his place and mine and checked out the mic; it looked perfect: no dings or scratches or anything even remotely noticeable. The pattern switch felt perfect when I moved it, and the XLR output pins were not corroded or damaged in any way.
I bought the mic, took it home, and started tracking with it. I was already familiar with the sound of the mic, having used it previously in various studios, and there was definitely something missing, specifically in the high-end frequencies. It was really dull.
So, I contacted the seller and explained the situation. He said he couldn't understand why that would be, but he admitted he hadn't actually used the mic for nearly a year before selling it to me.
I took it to my tech wizard (if yer just starting out in the recording field, finding a nearby, reliable tech wizard is KEY; befriending him is also a VERY good idea) and explained the problem. I left it with him, and he called a few days later to tell me he'd found the problem: the mic capsule was almost entirely covered in dust.
So I called the seller again and told him what my tech found. He was very surprised; I quickly found out he was surprised because he was pretty much clueless regarding the proper use, care, and maintenance of microphones. When he told me previously that he hadn't used the mic in nearly a year, I assumed it had been properly stored in its protective red velvet cover, which is what the mic was in when he brought it to the gas station to sell it to me. NOPE. He had just left it mounted to a stand in the corner of his studio, where it sat and collected dust for a year.
I have been recording since I was 12 (over 20 years!) and have studied the craft both in college and on the job. I've worked in many different studios in various capacities and have had the fortune to work with some great producers and engineers (John Agnello, Mike McCarthy, I even took a master mixing class from Eddie Kramer while I studied at Berklee). Granted, they all have different ways of doing it, but ALL of them were Nazis about their mics. McCarthy covered nearly every mic with a plastic sandwich bag overnight (in a situation where the mics couldn't be moved, like when they've been setup and dialed in on a drum kit and there are many days of basic tracking) and would even do this when they wouldn't be used for even just an hour. That's how concerned he was about dust and other particles infesting his capsules.
So yeah, long story short, second-hand mics are pretty much the way to go, but MAKE SURE the seller is up to snuff when it comes to the proper use, care, and maintenance of his gear.
My only advice when buying a used mic is to ask the seller some specific questions to get a feel of his practices and habits regarding his care of the mic and his gear in general. I made the mistake of skipping such questions a few years back when purchasing a used Shure KSM42. I met the seller at a gas station halfway between his place and mine and checked out the mic; it looked perfect: no dings or scratches or anything even remotely noticeable. The pattern switch felt perfect when I moved it, and the XLR output pins were not corroded or damaged in any way.
I bought the mic, took it home, and started tracking with it. I was already familiar with the sound of the mic, having used it previously in various studios, and there was definitely something missing, specifically in the high-end frequencies. It was really dull.
So, I contacted the seller and explained the situation. He said he couldn't understand why that would be, but he admitted he hadn't actually used the mic for nearly a year before selling it to me.
I took it to my tech wizard (if yer just starting out in the recording field, finding a nearby, reliable tech wizard is KEY; befriending him is also a VERY good idea) and explained the problem. I left it with him, and he called a few days later to tell me he'd found the problem: the mic capsule was almost entirely covered in dust.
So I called the seller again and told him what my tech found. He was very surprised; I quickly found out he was surprised because he was pretty much clueless regarding the proper use, care, and maintenance of microphones. When he told me previously that he hadn't used the mic in nearly a year, I assumed it had been properly stored in its protective red velvet cover, which is what the mic was in when he brought it to the gas station to sell it to me. NOPE. He had just left it mounted to a stand in the corner of his studio, where it sat and collected dust for a year.
I have been recording since I was 12 (over 20 years!) and have studied the craft both in college and on the job. I've worked in many different studios in various capacities and have had the fortune to work with some great producers and engineers (John Agnello, Mike McCarthy, I even took a master mixing class from Eddie Kramer while I studied at Berklee). Granted, they all have different ways of doing it, but ALL of them were Nazis about their mics. McCarthy covered nearly every mic with a plastic sandwich bag overnight (in a situation where the mics couldn't be moved, like when they've been setup and dialed in on a drum kit and there are many days of basic tracking) and would even do this when they wouldn't be used for even just an hour. That's how concerned he was about dust and other particles infesting his capsules.
So yeah, long story short, second-hand mics are pretty much the way to go, but MAKE SURE the seller is up to snuff when it comes to the proper use, care, and maintenance of his gear.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
And if you don't manage to save it, at least you'll be heard, loud and clear.
Practitioners of the dark arts.......
And you know, somebody, somewhere is going to buy it !
Yes, definitely. Swapping and being given them are also healthy eating options !