recently i lost my sm58 which i used for practicing/playing live with my band. now i am extremely limited on funds because i obviously didn't expect this to happen so i was wondering what mic i could get to best replace this for practicing/playing live. the cheaper the better. i was looking at the behringer xm8500 or shure pg58 .. would either of these be good. is there a better recommendation? i also have a couple condensors but i dont think these would work well for practice/live use. practices resume tomorrow so i really have no time. thanks .
quick advice
- Thread starter cpc
- Start date
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
What is your strict budget? I'd say go for another 58 since they are quite the workhorse, but if you don't have that much cash? I guess you can walk into a place like GC and see what the cheapest dynamic is they have in stock. The Nady SP-5, while absolute shite for recording, works in a pinch for live vocals, and its like 20 bucks for one (or 20 bucks for a 3-pack on musiciansfriend.com, haha), but I don't think they will sell anything that cheap in any of the local places. Worth a shot though, I suppose.
the thing is i only have 50 dollars max to spend right now . i could get a pg58 from a friend if i trade him my mxl 990 that i never use too. idk what to do becausee if i eventually get a new sm58 then i'm out however much money i spend on this temp mic. so i dont know if i should just get a cheap 20 dollar one and bite my loss of 20 bucks. or get like a slightly nicer 50 dollar one and stick with that and dont get another 58 in the future.
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
The 58 will most likely smoke whatever you buy for 20-50 bucks, but that's my opinion... you could buy somethin for 50 now, and then buy some MS-1's down the road, from whomever it is who makes them on this board 
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
cpc said:
If you only need the thing for a single practice, or for a few until you muster the money to replace the 58, is this friend nice enough to lend the mic?
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
kid klash said:
Assuming the place you go buys stuff back (and actually gives some money for gear - the GC around Syracuse sucks nutz for that sort of thing), this would be another decent way to go.
cusebassman said:
that's a good idea , but that's actually what i was going to do already. in simpler terms, the money i got from selling the mxl990 was the money i was going to use on buying a mic. i didn't know an sm58 was regarded THAT much better than other cheaper dynamic mics. there's nothing under 50 bucks that does a good job ? it doesnt have to be perfectly clear for live or practice especially, volume/proneness to feedback ratio would be more important to me probably.
kid klash
The original Mr. Nice Guy
cpc said:
I see.
Well, like someone else wrote, why not just borrow the PG58 until you can buy an SM58? Or, as another suggestion, you might consider a Sennheiser 815s (around $40 if you're good at dickering at Guitar Center). They are similar in shape, but have less proximity effect (not as bassy up close), and have less of a midrange bump, but a smoother top end. Good feedback rejection too.
because my friend is quite the budget guy and its a nice piece of equipment to him even if it might not be to others for his budget hiphop recordings , so i'd have to run it back to his place after every practice and pick it up before every practice for a few weeks until i have money to spend again on a 58.this isnt worth it to me i'd rather just trade him or have my own.. but if you're saying nothing under 50 bucks is worth having then idk . since i'd just be trading in a mic i never use i'm just trying to see what the best mic available is . preferably something i can continue to use so i dont feel rushed into needing a sm58 right away. but according to you all theres nothing out there. i already lost 100 bucks when someone stole/i lost my mic. so i want to make this as light on the wallets as possible. i realize getting an sm58 when i have the money to spend on it again would get me the best mic and be most cost effective but i need a mic now and the next few weeks for practice and at least one or two live shows.
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
I only say the SM58 is far better because its true... its used in a lot of professional settings, and as far as I know, that isn't the case with most other mics under a hundred bucks. However, for live use, you should be good to go with just about any dynamic that, say, GC has to offer - but I don't know what they have in-stock. As I said, see if they have any low-end Nady's, since those seem to work well for me in a pinch when I don't have access to my SM-58s or my Rode NT-3s
I say try the XM8500. It will sound some what like the 58 but will feed back quicker. If someone steels that one then it will be less painful in the long run. I know of a local bar here where I live that had some SM58's that got stolen so they did what I just suggested. The XM8500's are still there cause there Behringer and not to many people want them. They did the trick as well. 
cusebassman
Freakin' sweet
Hey cpc, what'd ya end up goin with? Just curious!