I just snagged one for $145 and I have to say this is an impressive mic when considering the price. I got it home, made sure it wasn't DOA, opened it up and yanked the extra wire mesh out. Did some scratch vox and it actually sounded decent.(not incredible but not horrible either) Then I tossed it in front of a guitar cab and I really see a use for it there. Cool little play toy. I guess I'll look into doing a transformer swap here soon. I like the fact that it's a good platform for modding as I like to tinker with stuff.