Why buy an SM57 over a 58?

[chamelious]

It seems to be the case that these two mics are essentially the same mic so why get a 57 which looks worse and it more easily broken instead of a 58?

OK, so the 57 seems to go down to 40 instead of 50 like the 58 but when will you miss this for the things you use either mic for??

 

[Cyrokk]

The 58 is often advertised as a vocal mike. So, if you want to use a dynamic mike for vocals, then the 58 is a pretty decent basic mike. If you unscrew the ballcap windscreen you can use it as a 57 and in general terms, to those of us who do not have golden ears, in the context of a full mix you won't really tell the difference between a 58 without the windscreen and the 57. So essentially, you have one basic fair quality mike at a decent price that can function as two: an instrument mike or a vocal mike.

I bought a 58 for this reasoning, because my voice doesn't sound good with a 57 (and some do, particularly ones with less of a midrange quality). However, I got a condensor and it fit my voice perfectly, so the benefit became moot. However, it's nice to have the 58's qualities if I want to change my vocal sound, plus it makes for a great instrument mike with the windscreen removed.

 

[deepwater]

By an Audix OM5 and be happy for life

 

[boingoman]

It seems to be the case that these two mics are essentially the same mic so why get a 57 which looks worse and it more easily broken instead of a 58?

OK, so the 57 seems to go down to 40 instead of 50 like the 58 but when will you miss this for the things you use either mic for??

Oh God please, not again......

 

[charger]

The SM57 is cheaper.