Vintage Sennheiser MD 421

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chris.Pocket

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I have an old 421 from the late sixties I believe.
It came from Germany, it sounds fantastic and I actually recorded vocals and used it on the kick drum on my newest stuff. It has to be the most versatile mic I have come across.

It looks really awesome, and I would love to be able to use it for live applications, but it has this really strange connection at the end.

I don't know if it is a European thing, or if it is due to the mic being old, but it has a three pin end that fits into a pedestal it came with. But I want to be able to attach it to a mic stand and use a normal XLR.

I love this mic, any info on this strange connection would be appreciated.
 
Maybe it's even a big Tuchel, is it the left or the right mic in the image?

md421new.jpg
 
421

Oh yeah, its definitely the one on the left.

I would love to get a simple adapter for it, and not a whole mic cable.

What is that connection from, is it a German thing?
 
It's the large Tuchel which was common on the old mics like Neumann from 50 or more years ago. I have exactly the same mic like yours and I have put an XLR connector in the mic which I got from the Sennheiser repair shop. It fits perfectly. You can also try to find an old big Tuchel connector and solder it to a mic cable. The connection differs from XLR where 1 is shield, 2 is hot and 3 is cold. You can find the right configuration on the Sennheiser site I guess, if not I have it somewhere in a book.
 
Han said:
You can also try to find an old big Tuchel connector and solder it to a mic cable. The connection differs from XLR where 1 is shield, 2 is hot and 3 is cold. You can find the right configuration on the Sennheiser site I guess, if not I have it somewhere in a book.
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that's what I'd do if you're not too hot on soldering. Just make yourself a short adaptor for it - but be careful of the different wiring scheme!


On a side not, those cream 421's are totally fantastic!
 
MessianicDreams said:
that's what I'd do if you're not too hot on soldering. Just make yourself a short adaptor for it - but be careful of the different wiring scheme!


On a side not, those cream 421's are totally fantastic!
Click to expand...

Wait untill you find out about the old Beyer M201, M88, M160 and M260.
Yesterday I had to record a jazz band together with a gospel choir in the same room (90m²), all at once. I haven't used any MD421, only one MD441 because I was out of condensers due the choir, some 30 persons.

The old MD421's are fantastic mics, IMHO better sounding than the newer MK2, but they're not very rejective and the off axis response isn't very nice.

This is what I used: an old D12E on kick, an M201 on snare and two C451/CK1 on overhead in ORTF.

Eight LDC's and SDC's on the choir, but an old Beyer M88 as lead vocal mic. This is IMO the only mic that can be used in this situation in order to get keepers that can be used in the mix. The rejection of the M88 is amazing and it's of axis response is great.

I've used an old M201 on banjo, the player sitting next to the drummer on the drumriser and guess what, almost no spill from drums on the banjo track.
Needless to say that the OAR of the M201 is brilliant.

I've used more than 40 year old M260 ribbons on horns and reeds, nothing wrong with that and because I was out of condensers I've used an AKG D12E on upright bass, also next to the drums and guess what, a very balanced sound, great rejection and a reasonable OAR, this mic keeps amazing me als well. The 6 MD421's have stayed in the closet, next gig they will be used all six of them.

Sorry for off topic, but old mics sound better IMHO.
 
Having done some testing with the new 421mkII I really don't know why folks complain so much about them. Very usable mic for many roles. Sound is really good IMHO.

I am interested in trying the Beyer M88 after reading so much raves about it.
 
Somnium7 said:
Having done some testing with the new 421mkII I really don't know why folks complain so much about them. Very usable mic for many roles. Sound is really good IMHO.

I am interested in trying the Beyer M88 after reading so much raves about it.
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Nobody complains about the MD421 MK2, it's just that every time I compare the Mk1 to the MK2 the latter wins.

The M88 is a true classic, I don't know how these Beyer folks do that, but this is really a great mic.
 
Han said:
Nobody complains about the MD421 MK2, it's just that every time I compare the Mk1 to the MK2 the latter wins.

The M88 is a true classic, I don't know how these Beyer folks do that, but this is really a great mic.
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Most of the older 421's I see for sale are from sellers in Europe. The prices and shipping are reasonable but I'm hesitant to make overseas orders for the usual reasons. Can you recommend any good ones Han?
 
Somnium7 said:
Most of the older 421's I see for sale are from sellers in Europe. The prices and shipping are reasonable but I'm hesitant to make overseas orders for the usual reasons. Can you recommend any good ones Han?
Click to expand...

The only advice I can give you is: never buy a used mic without testing it and compare with another good one. You can find stories on this very forum about guys who bought MD421's that needed a new capsule and costed more than an new one in the end.
 
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