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 | | | | Feb28Written by:Bill Park
Wednesday, February 28, 2001 6:00 PM  So Wither the Old?
I did get tired of the same old sound of the same old outboard gear. But there were a couple of categories of older gear that I never got tired of. Like I said above, old guitars, old amps, and old microphones really seem to retain their charm for me.
Garry Simmons picked up a nice dual-tube large diaphragm microphone a few months ago. I thought that it was a great idea, and that it was time for me to get a new microphone, too. We share microphones back and forth, and our collections really compliment each other. I was considering a Korby large diaphragm piece. I would like a couple of DPAs. A newer Soundelux was calling my name. Even a couple of AKG 480s wouldn't hurt, although I have a few very old AKG 451s. They might not be as quiet or have as much low end as the newer AKG 480, but the 451 will do the same job adequately for my purposes.
I have a few newer inexpensive microphones, and I have even picked up a pair of the Oktava 012s and an Oktava 219, which are really low-budget options. I was looking at the newer offerings, and trying to decide what route I wanted to take. Honestly, I probably don't need any microphones at all, but gee fellas I'm kinda running out of room to put old guitars and amps.. Besides, I just wanted a new texture, a new color to add to the old paint box.
I cruised through some of the auction sites, and I considered a pair of Neumann 184s. Again, I pretty much have that area covered, but it never hurts to add another layer of quality to the microphone cabinet. Then I ran across something that looked very interesting to me. A fellow had listed a pair of AKG C28c microphones, guaranteed to work, sans power supplies.
I do a little research. I know what a C12 is and I know what a C24 is. (It's a stereo C12, in case you don't know.) But I'm not familiar with the C28. I send out a few emails and start to gather information.
There are a couple of different versions of the C28, and there is also the C26, which is an omni version of the same microphone. I found references on the 28, 28b, and 28c. There is probably a model A out there somewhere, too. The 28 and 28b have tubes, and the 28c has a Nuvistor. No one seemed to have anything bad to say about any of the available models. A number of high-visibility studios list them in their inventory. I'm getting emails saying things like, "This is the best cello mic in the world." I find it listed as the microphone used to record Eric Clapton's vocals on the "Pilgrim" album, in conjunction with a Beyer M-88. (By happy coincidence, I own a Beyer M-88.) Eddie Offord used them on Steve Howe's guitars when he engineered the early Yes albums, like "Time And A Word", "The YES Album", and "Fragile". The general tone of the emails that I received was, "If you can get them, get them. You won't regret it."
These particular microphones were offered without the power supplies. I can see where this might be a deal breaker for some people. Fortunately, this was not much of a problem for me. I have mentioned before that Mike Masur, who is the fellow who designs the power supplies for Tracy Korby's microphones, is a friend of mine. I contacted him about power supplies, and he said, "No problem. Get the mics."
A couple of days later he calls again. " Tracy says to be sure to get the mic-end connector, because they are hard to find, and can be expensive."
Me, "What do you mean, expensive."
Mike, " $400 each."
Me, "Mamma!"
The auction ends, and I am the high bidder. But I have not met his reserve price, so the auction is effectively a wash. By this point I'm a little excited about the possibility of owning a pair of these microphones. Taking the initiative, I contact him via email to ask him what he wanted to get out of the pair. If he was being realistic in what he wanted, perhaps we could do a deal privately.
Long Distance
He was thinking of a figure that was a little higher than the figure that I had in mind, but we did some negotiation. Eventually we came to a figure that was mutually agreeable. The microphones did indeed include the cables, so that was no longer an issue. But… the seller was in Australia, and I am in Pittsburgh. Now, I don't know this fellow at all. But from the emails that we exchanged, I felt that he was trustworthy. Meanwhile, I am kind of an open book… I'm very visible on line and have a lot of exposure through various involvements and trade organizations. If I ever tried to rip anyone off, the whole world would know about it in no time.
In order to make this deal happen though, I have to send my money to Australia and hope that the fellow sends the microphones, in the condition that he says that they are in.
This is less of a leap of faith for me than it might seem at first. My initial impression, via e-mail, was that I was dealing with a gentleman. In my various on-line dealings, I have only been ripped off 4 times. The first was the first guitar I bought on line, and it was my fault. I didn't read the description carefully. I got what was advertised, but not what I thought that I was getting. The second time a product was misrepresented. The seller cheerfully refunded my money, took the product back, re-listed it correctly, and taught me a lesson, all at the same time. I had cried ‘rip-off!' before talking to him. I should have gotten back to him immediately when I realized what he had sent me. I didn't know that he fully backed what he sold. Where he should have said, "screw you, idiot", he handled the business the way that it should have been handled. I was embarrassed, and a little smarter for the experience.
Those were both a couple of years ago. The third and forth times were blatant rip-offs that happened just before this Christmas, and are probably in the hands of the Postal Inspector as you read this. I am filing charges. These have nothing to do with musical instruments, though. Fortunately, the folks who buy and sell musical instruments and equipment still seem to generally be an honorable group of people.
I trot down to the local Post Office and ask for an international money order to Australia. Well, there's a problem with that. Australia does not accept United States Postal Money Orders, so the USPS can't generate one for that country.
I go home and send email to the seller. I tell him the story, and I tell him how the domestic money orders have "Domestic Use Only" printed on them. He goes to his bank to check it out, and gets back to me a day later. He assures me that his bank will cash them. His banker said so.
Article Continues >>
Tags:2 comment(s) so far...
Hi, and greetings from Australia!
I couldn't get past page 1 of your article, (error 404, or something) but i liked what i read so far.
I hope you got the pair of mics alright.
I am from Australia myself, and, while I am far from a vintage mic collector (at this stage at least) i have some lovely old guitar amps, and have just purchased a Beyer M23.
The thing is, i know NOTHING about this mic and can find nothing online about it. I thought, when i looked at the pic (i bought it on line) that it may have been a kick mic (I know, I know....) - I had never heard of a small tuchel and thought it was an xlr - thus looking at the pic with the connector as a reference for size made it look MUCH bigger than it is!
If you have ANY info at all about this mic, i would be grateful if you could let me know.
I will buy a 3 pin 180 din tomorrow, hook it up to a lead with a regular xlr at the other end, and test it with voice, beyond that ive no idea.
I fancy hunting an old klein tuchel gooseneck, as i reckon this may suit it - although probably not for a kick drum application!
cheers
Paul Quinn By paul quinn on
Thursday, November 29, 2007 7:54 AM
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I don't know the M23, but from the picture that I was able to find, it appears to be a mic used at the end of a gooseneck, which would be used on podiums or talkback systems. On that basis I would not suspect it to be a primary ro go-to mic of any sort ina studio, but my mic locker is full of fun oddballs that get used for many things to add unique character to the sound.
Bill By bill_park on
Thursday, November 29, 2007 11:59 AM
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