View Full Version : buying used ribbon mics...?
phrenology
05 Oct 2009, 20:08
Is this a terrible idea? I'd love to save a little money by picking some ribbons [i'm thinking m160] on ebay, but I know I've accidentally stretched out a ribbon in my time on my SF-12. Is this likely to be an issue to worry about with used mics?
Maybe they are like underwear and I should just get 'em new?
--
Owen Muir
URMC School of Medicine,
Engineer in my copious free time.
AndrewHutchinson
06 Oct 2009, 02:08
I've bought a used Beyer M500N, and it sounds just fine. It's not perfect, but it gets the job done. It depends on whether you trust the seller. What, you've never bought used underwear? You know they charge top dollar for that in Japan
seaneldon
06 Oct 2009, 10:51
M160's are pretty durable mics, and a trip to the beyerdoctor, in a worst case scenario, would involve just the cost of a new ribbon or a one-inna-million chance of cost of a new transformer. The service center on Long Island is very good, inexpensive if not free, and very quick in my experience.
Still, if the used mic isn't too far off the price of a new one, and the repair/shipping costs could possibly outweigh the difference...
Owen, just think: Make fewer trips to the used underwear shop and you could probably get 'em new.
Ken Morgan
07 Oct 2009, 17:16
Bought an RCA 74B locally for $75...sent it to Wes Dooley for re-ribbon servicing for about $150, and when it comes back its a $1000 mic...
so yeah...do it
underwear threads...please keep them brief
I bought my straight barrel Beyerdynamic M260 used on eBay, it's really old, and it sounds really great. I believe for microphones in this less expensive price range, it's pretty safe.
The more expensive the item, the more it might be worth it to buy new.
And of course I do understand how tempting it can be to buy used when everything on eBay is so inexpensive!!
ShinyBox
14 Oct 2009, 17:23
If it's still a current production microphone, you might check in with the manufacturer to see what the repair policy is. You'll at least know what you are getting into that way.
Every once in a while I get an email from someone who bought one of my mics from evilbay, and someone was nice enought to blow it up, and then dump it on someone else.
Generally speaking, I tend to help them out, as I'm like that, and think it sucks that they got jacked . I'd rather have my products out there being used than sitting broken in a drawer.
Most mics that are no longer being manufactered can be re-ribboned for roughly $120-$150
Hope this helps
Regards
Generally speaking, I tend to help them out, as I'm like that, and think it sucks that they got jacked . I'd rather have my products out there being used than sitting broken in a drawer.
now thats a good dude
i bought a 121 on ebay and its been awesome, they are pretty solid though
spectrasound
18 Oct 2009, 00:14
I've collected 4 Bang and Olufson BM3 ribbons (the ones that Royer used as a physical model). Ebay occasionally has these listed. Enak microphones (Clarence) in NJ not only cleaned them up & adjusted ribbons, but I got him in touch with Per Lundhal about making a small improved transformer that would fit inside the BM3s. Clarence still had to remove the hi-pass switch to fit them in, but that was OK. Think I have the first hot-rodded BM3s and do they sound sweet! My go-to mic. on brass these days.
So... my experience with used ribbons ended on a good note... pun intended.:cool:
tuvokzeta9
22 Nov 2009, 20:43
I bought the AEA R92 for guitars. I have not used it a bunch but I like it so far. I couldn't afford a 121 so I got the R92.
hardtoe
29 Nov 2009, 13:02
If it's still a current production microphone, you might check in with the manufacturer to see what the repair policy is. You'll at least know what you are getting into that way.
Every once in a while I get an email from someone who bought one of my mics from evilbay, and someone was nice enought to blow it up, and then dump it on someone else.
Generally speaking, I tend to help them out, as I'm like that, and think it sucks that they got jacked . I'd rather have my products out there being used than sitting broken in a drawer.
Most mics that are no longer being manufactered can be re-ribboned for roughly $120-$150
Hope this helps
Regards
It's true - I blew up mine and you fixed it! Lovin it since it's rebirth.
Dylansdad
05 Mar 2010, 14:12
the thing is ribbons are cheap (in most cases) to get serviced so its not like some kluged together thing that some idiot is calling a U47!
M160's are pretty durable mics, and a trip to the beyerdoctor, in a worst case scenario, would involve just the cost of a new ribbon or a one-inna-million chance of cost of a new transformer. The service center on Long Island is very good, inexpensive if not free, and very quick in my experience.
The "beyerdoctor" you say? Do you mean Beyer USA or is there someone else?
Years ago someone gave me an M260 that sounded like a baby rattle... when I called Beyer they wanted what seemed like an exorbitant amount of money for a reribbon. Few hundred bucks IIRC. Ended up sending it to Stephen Sank who put an NOS 77 ribbon in there for half the price beyer wanted... $150 I think?
seaneldon
11 Mar 2010, 17:52
Sadly, the LI service center for beyerdynamic is no more...as of a couple weeks ago.
Is the M260 a dual ribbon? I forget, as I don't like them much and don't use them...they're lean in the low-end compared to M160's. Changing a single ribbon is usually a $100-150 job.
Really? No more Beyer service? That stinks. What are people supposed to do with their blown up M88's and whatnot? Junk 'em???
The M260 I think is single ribbon... its cardioid. I remember the M260 was given to me and somehow I also acquired an M500 around the same time which also wasn't working... all I remember is that Beyer wanted A LOT of money to fix 'em ($600?) and a couple people on rec.audio.pro (that's how long ago it was!) pointed me towards Stephen Sank who had just done a couple M500's. I think mine was the first M260 he did...
Regardless the Sank'd M260DX (as he called it) sounds great... vocals, overhead, guitar, horns... all sorts of stuff. The M500 never found much use... traded that off to Justin @ Roll Music for an Orban compressor.
ShinyBox
17 Mar 2010, 15:54
That seems a shame.
I've re-ribboned the 160, 260, and 500 with good results, but would normally try to send them off to Beyer.
I'll have to slap some more adjectives on simple repair work, to up it's intrinsic value(the supa-skank-primo-killa-def mod). :moon:
260 is a single ribbon, like the 500.
Regards
Jon
The MexICAN
17 Mar 2010, 17:43
There is still Beyerdynamic service in the US.
Mixwell
17 Mar 2010, 20:21
There is still Beyerdynamic service in the US.
TELL US MORE MexICAN????????
ShinyBox
22 Mar 2010, 16:41
Ok,
So I got in touch with the Sonic Surgeon, the authorized service for Beyer in the states.
the only ribbon they no longer service is the M500 (which I've been getting more and more of for repair lately).
The service rates for the M260 and M160 are in the ~235 ballpark, the M130 ~375.
Hope this helps
Regards
Jon
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