Tagged As: Vintage Microphone
Question:
I am curious about repairs to a vintage mic such as a Neumann KM84. If I were to purchase one and send it to Neumann for repairs ( maybe they replace the capsule), would it come back with a similar frequency response as original or would it have the presence peak of the KM184? The second part to this question is about vintage U87s. I have access to two with sequential serial numbers but one is bad, is distorts very easily. If I send one back, will it come back sounding similar to the old one or like the new shipping versions? I understand that they cannot match the mic as they did when they were new, the U87s are about 25 years old. If I wanted them matched as closely as possible, I could send both back but then I may not like the repaired sound (one great mic is worth more to me than two good mics). I would appreciate reading about any experiences that any of you have had.
Answer:
> I am curious about repairs to a vintage mic such as a Neumann KM84. If I > were to purchase one and send it to Neumann for repairs ( maybe they replace > the capsule), would it come back with a similar frequency response as > original or would it have the presence peak of the KM184? The KM84 and KM184 are very different mics. It'll come back sounding like a KM84. > The second part to this question is about vintage U87s. I have access to > two with sequential serial numbers but one is bad, is distorts very easily. > If I send one back, will it come back sounding similar to the old one or > like the new shipping versions? Unless they have to replace the capsule, it'll come back working right with the original capsule. If it gets a new capsule, it'll probably sound more modern than your othrer mic, but there are other differences beside the capsule so it'll sound as close to original as they can make it. They're pretty good up there and won't replace your mic with a new one, at least not without telling you that this is the only option. By the way, consecutive serial numbers doesn't mean that they're matched, only that they got the serial numbers put on consecutively. You could ask them about sending them both mics and getting the one that they have to repair to sound like the old one. Of course the risk there is that they'll tell you that the good one needs fixing, too, in order to get it back to original condition. It may only require cleaning the diaphragm, but that will change the sound. There are a few independent repair people - BLUE used to do restorations and probably still does, as well as Bill Bradley (The Mic Shop) and there are others. But some of those guys have their own ideas about how a U87 should sound and it's not the same as an original. Most people like what they do, but you might not. I think it would be a safe bet to send your non-working mic back to Neumann. They know what to do, and they charge fairly, probably less than some of those custom shops since they're replacing parts with originals, not hand made or hand selected parts.
Add to favorites