What mic's have you decided to sell or discard, and why?

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kid klash

kid klash

The original Mr. Nice Guy
(OK... let's try this again...)

This thread was suggested in the "How many mics do you have" poll, and I thought it was interesting idea...

The only mics that I've ever discarded (took them back to the store actually) were a pair of Oktava 319's... I just didn't care for their dark character.

I've given away some SM-57's, 545's and EV PL-77's over the years... not that I didn't like, want or use them, but the people that received them needed them more than I did at the time.
 
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(Reply from Chessrock, from my bungled first attempt at this thread - sorry Chess!)

I've owned and sold most of my Chinese-made ... 797 / Shanghai. This includes: SP C-1, Marshall mxl 67, mxl-2003, v77, and a Behringer B-1.

Just wasn't happy with them; didn't like how any of them handled the high end (cymbals, vocal esses and consonants, accoustic guitar picking, etc.), and decided to upgrade to something I liked better and felt was smoother and more accurate in the high end.
 
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NT1 (2) - Early production... Didn't like them... dull and lifeless

SM57 (4) - Had eight...

NTK - Didn't use it that much... still have one NTK

-Keith-
 
The only mics I've ever sold or traded were mics that had simply become outclassed by others.
Studio Projects C-3- a perfectly good mic- B.L.U.E. Kiwi is a better mic
AKG C2000B- I sold off one of my pair in a trade for a B.L.U.E Baby Bottle. I like the C2000B enough to keep one, but I had a pair for overheads that got replaced in that role by a pair of Neumann KM184's.
Shure SM57- Traded one of a pair for a Sennheiser e835, which I prefer as a vocal mic. I kept the other SM57 because you never know.
AKG D690- I traded one of a pair to a drummer friend who likes them and kept the other, because I like it for some things too. I replaced it with a vintage D320B which rocks.
AKG Solidtube- traded even uo for a Rode NTK. The NTK works better on my voice, but there are applications for which I'd like that Solidtube back, especially female belters.

So there you have it. I don't believe I've ever bought a mic that sucked, but I have bought a few $200-500 mics that aren't as good as some $1000+ mics. Duh.- Richie
 
Pair Neumann KM184 replaced with a pair of Schoeps CMC6/MK4

Neumann TLM103 replaced with a Neumann M149 replaced with Microtech Gefell UMT800 and a CAD VX2

Pair Shure SM81 replaced with a pair of Groove Tubes GT44

Adding either (i) a pair Microtech Gefell M295 or (ii) a pair of DPA 4011

Adding an AEA R84
 
first mic B2 pro what a mistake, bought it before I found -U- guys

Too harsh: sold 2ea NT1000s bought AT4047 and AT4040

Multi pattern had 2 Cad-E200 and was not that impressed ended up buying 2 AT4050
 
sold 4 of my 6 sm-57s just too many. sold the c-1 and 2 b-1s. got the 2-at 4040s and a 4047 and a e-609s. all the above made a nice difference and not as picky overall. do i have to admit to the behringer b-2 as well. actually it did have a use but i needed the money for the others.
 
i was hot to try a tube mic a few years back. mxl came out with the v69 and ams had a special price of 199 so i jumped on it.

it sounded nice but was extremely sensitive and didnt sound better than the v67 i had. it had an interesting sound that was a little darker yet had a kind of high-end jizz. i used it for a few months but the sensitivity issue made me overuse my noise gates. every move i made was getting picked up. pretty annoying.

i saw they were selling for 299 so i sold it on ebay for 250. i got to satisfy my curiosity without losing money!
 
Quite a lot of mics have passed through my hands as loans and exchanges, but the only mic I've found useless enough to need getting rid of completely so far is the C1000S. It went to a friend who wanted it for snare and hand percussion, which I guess is not its worst application. Heard a track where he'd tried it out on his voice ... gonna track him a better one to make it up to him :)
 
Sold my Neuman U87 because you couldn't tell the difference between it and a SP C1. Someone HAD to say that.

Seriously...

Mics I downright didn't like;

1) AKG C1000S
2) AKG C3000B
3) Rode NT1 (original model)

Excellent LDC's sold due to not acoustically treating "Home Studio A":);

1) SP C1
2) SP B1

Excellent mics sold to fellow recordists;

1) Shure 545 & SM57 (retained "Unidyne III" 546, SM57, 548 models though)
2) Beyer Soundstar X1N (like MD421)
3) Sennheiser 835
4) EV Cobalt C09
5) 421 MKII (new version w/neodymium element)
6) AT 3527 omni
7) 2 RE16's (for about $40 each IIRC-what a deal!!)
8) Peavey PVM 520i

If and when the room is ever treated, the SP T3 would be the next LDC BTW.

Chris
 
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Plan on selling my Neumann KM184's as soon as I find a pair of used Schoeps CMC6. I want a more neutral mic than the Neumann, which is just a little bright. Interesting because the Schoeps was what Mr. Gurst recommended for the harp in one his answers to one my posts. After researching the mics for quite awhile I came back to his recommendation
 
I had a Realistic Hi Z mic that I used as a talkback mic for years. The switch went bad so I tossed it. I miss that mic. :D

I have an SM57 that is shot. I can't remember if someone gave it to me to fix or if it just broke but I can't bring myself to toss it!
 
franksquid said:
I had a Realistic Hi Z mic that I used as a talkback mic for years. The switch went bad so I tossed it. I miss that mic. :D

I have an SM57 that is shot. I can't remember if someone gave it to me to fix or if it just broke but I can't bring myself to toss it!
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For $55+shipping Shure will fix it. That price even includes the return shipping. I ripped the diaphragm on one of mine, sent it off. A few weeks later, I had basically a brand new 57 for $60. Sweet.
 
i too bought a rode nt-1 when they were the revolutionary price-breakthrough deal.

large diaphragm condensers were pretty much all above 500 bucks as i recall.

the mxl v67 made it sound like crap so i dumped it on ebay.
 
Studio Projects C1 and EV RE 20

They were my extra ones. I had two of each and had a chance to trade them. I hardly ever use one C1 let alone two so i didnt care. The RE20 isnt used much either but its a nice mic.

Danny
 
Shure 57/58s. Also bought a couple of SM62s real cheap; it's an old, tiny mic that I thought might be handy. Man those sounded like poo, they didn't last a week. Sold the SM94s I used to use live.

It's OK, I still have about a dozen Shures of various flavors.
 
AKG C1000s. Heavily overrated mic that isn't worth the trouble. Almost felt guilty selling it :(
 
Rode NT1 early version
AKG C1000
RODE-NT1000
MC012, now that was a mistake!
Shure KSM27
CAD M177
 
sdelsolray said:
Adding an AEA R84
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Excellent choice.

The AT3035 lived here for a while and simply got outclassed by newer purchases so on the 'bay it went. Not "bad", just not great when you have ribbons and tube mics around.

The Rode NT2000 got bounced right the f-zuck out the door after one session, but believe it or not the singer of that band actually picked it for vocals. Fun with de-essing is what I ended up with...

War
 
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