Vintage SM57 Unidyne iii cartridge

M

mkerner129

New member
Hi everyone. I have a vintage SM57 Unidyne iii that has a broken capsule and I need to find out what capsule I can get to replace it. I'd like to find one from the same era but I don't want to pay 300+ for a whole new but vintage mic. The plastic ring that sits on top of the capsule tore off (see pic) and I've been told it can't be fixed so buying a replacement is my only option. Any ideas on what I can do? Thanks!!!
IMG_2509.jpg
 
I would recommend either buying an SM57 or a Shure Unidyne III 545SD for under $100. If you replace the cartridge, you essentially replaced the microphone anyway, so unless the old worn body has some sentimental value, you're not going to gain anything by buying a replacement capsule. Spending 300 to buy someone's 50yr old used capsule of dubious heritage is probably throwing money into a toilet! Buying an Asian knockoff doesn't guarantee you the same performance for $20.

If the case is that important to you, then buy a new 545 and pull the capsule out to put in the old case. $91 at Sweetwater.

Unidyne III.jpg
 
I still have a 57 from the 70s, replacing a 545 - and only the 60s versions mentioned Unidyne III, that label is gone by the mid 70s when I got my first. Don't even think of buying one of the chinese counterfeits of those 545s and trying that because they sound very strange - I usually buy new counterfeits when they come out so I have comparisons. Some of the 57 counterfeits are actually very close tonally - but the 545 I bought is just horrible sounding.
 
I'm sure there have been changes in materials since it was first introduced. That's not necessarily a bad thing. How many rubber parts have dry rotted or turned to goo since the 60s? Plastics don't last forever.

Spec wise, the SM57 has been pretty consistent since it was introduced. I don't worship at the altar of the vintage. I would buy a new one for $100 before I even thought about getting an old one for $300+. At least I know it should be in spec to start with. Who knows if something like this will be.... https://reverb.com/item/40645620-shure-sm-57-unidyne-lll-1970-s
 
There seems to be a fad that old=great, and then people sell landfill junk with a vintage label for silly money. It's a market for people who want to own old beat up terrible sounding kit just to pretend it's wonderful. The SM57 in the picture is so beat up, what is the draw? I'd rather buy a new one!
 
Just out of curiosity, what kind of connector does yours have? I've got a couple of the old 545 Unidyne III.
I'm not getting rid of them (sentimental value), just asking.
 
545's had 4 pin Tuchel connectors originally and were dual impedance - low and high. Then the XLR at single impedance ones appeared, but the SM57 had started to overtake them in sales by then.
 
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