Re: [Harp-L] Tom Ball suggests a Shure SM-54 mic?

[Tom Ball <havaball@xxxxxxx>]

Hi Ron,

YIKES!  A lot of questions here, many of which I am not in a position 
to answer, since I really know little about the internal workings of 
mics. Hopefully Dennis G, Tom E and some of the other Harp-Lers who 
are more versed in such knowledge will chime in and answer the 
questions I cannot?  But I'm happy to answer what i can and let you 
know my own personal impressions, with the caveat that your mileage 
may vary.  Here goes nuthin':
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Tom, a few questions and mic musings for the list in general, plus 
one question specifically for you re your 545.  I'm surprised to find 
out  the 545 is such a clean mic.   Everyone seems to agree as a 
handheld harp mic, the high impedence version sounds better.  Which 
model  545 do u have, and do u use it high Z or low Z?
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To my ear, it depends on how you use it. Butter (and others, 
including Little Walter, late in his career) used the 545 as a 
handheld, high impedence mic into an amp, with the harp and mic 
cupped. This of course results in distortion, although not nearly as 
much distortion as a crystal (or ceramic) bullet.

My usage of the 545SD is as a vocal/harp mic, set on a mic stand and 
played from about six inches away in an acoustic manner. It's wired 
for low impedence, and fed into the PA system -- not into an amp.  As 
such it is a very clean mic for the money. Granted, not nearly as 
clean as my AKG C535EB, but that's a condenser mic, requires phantom 
power, has no off/on switch and picks up literally *everything* 
including stomach growls and the motorcycle going by outside. 
Sometimes -- as in a pin-drop-quiet concert setting -- you want that 
kind of mic, but more often I use the Shure 545. The new ones are 
considered "dual impedence" but the default setting is low. With a 
tiny adjustment they can be converted to high, but I'm not sure you'd 
want to -- it would just create more noise. And if noise if what 
you're looking for, I reckon you'd be better off to stay with a 
crystal bullet anyway...(?)
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>   1. Butterfield was known to often use a 545S.  Recently a poster 
> said that Tom Ellis found a PE54 in Butterfield's kit after his 
> death.  Iirc, our Harp-L friend, G, said on his site that the PE54 
> is  essentially the same mic as a 545.  The Shure site said the 54 
> and all 545's used the same cartridge, an R45.  Besides cartridge 
> component  materials (i assume), impedence and shape of mic and ball 
> end or not, what  else makes a particular model unique to itself? 
> For instance, dunno if  true but I've been told that the SM 57 and 
> SM58 are essentially the same mic  except for their shape on the 
> end, but the no ball
> end pencil shape of the 57  merely allows for greater proximity 
> affect - therefore the diff. frequency  response on the low end (40 
> vs. 50 Hz).
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The two mics -- PE54 & 545 -- are indeed very similar. Basically they 
look identical. I bought my PE54 originally in 1978 because my PA at 
that time *only* took high impedence mics -- no inputs for low. Not 
long after, I upgraded the PA but had grown accustomed to the PE54 so 
I kept using it. Finally after 25 years it busted, so I needed a new 
one -- but the mic had been discontinued in 1979. So I borrowed a 
couple of friend's PE54s, also borrowed a (new) SM57 and SM58, as 
well as a new 545, then tested them all. To my ear (and considering 
the specific usage I need it for) the 545 kicked ass over the others.

In addition I'd grown accustomed to the off/on switch on my PE54 -- a 
feature the SM57 & 58 do not have, but which the 545 does have. 
Sometimes you need to shut the damn thing off to hiccup or cough, or 
talk about what you want to play next, or discuss the attributes of 
the girl in the third row. <g>
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2. Do audiophiles hear differences in individual new mics  of the 
same exact model?
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I can certainly hear differences in individual *crystal* mics of the 
same exact model, yes. Crystal cartridges vary widely. But unless one 
mic is a just plain dog, I'd have a hard time hearing much difference 
between, say, 2 or 3 different new SM57s.  Perhaps others have more 
sophisticated ears than mine though -- don't forget I've been playing 
live music for 40 years and it wouldn't surprise me if I've lost a 
bit of hearing.
----------
  2. I'm thinking of buying a used mic. I understand that ceramic 
cartridges deteriorate with age, but do modern mics like a SM58 
deteriorate in performance with age and use (not abuse)?
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I've noticed that they often simply get quieter and lose a bit of 
their highest and lowest ends. However, why (and how often) that 
happens is a question probably best left to answer by someone here 
who knows mics better than I do.
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>   3. A check on the Shure website showed 5 different discontinued 
> 545 models.  Model S has a switch.  All are dual impedence except 
> the  model L, which is low Z.  The 545PE is not a pistol grip and 
> it's frequency  response is shown
as 50 to 50,000 c.p.s, instead of in Hz, as are the other models. 
What is "c.p.s"?
> 4.  PE stands for Professional Entertainer, which is an entire series of
> mics, like today's SM mics (Studio Microphone).  I know S  stands for "switch"
> and assume L stands for "low"?  Anyone know what D and  SH stand for?  If this
info is somewhere on the Shure site, i'd like to  know.
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I know nothing about discontinued 545's, but I'm hopeful Tom Ellis 
will jump in here as he's a fountain of info on old mics. The one I'm 
currently using is simply a new 545SD. No pistol grip. Dunno what 
CPS, D or SH stand for.
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>   I have an old PE56 which is working intermittently, cutting in  and out. 
> It's been suggested that I simply replace it, perhaps  just buy a 
> SM57 or SM58.
>   Why is Low Z  better than than  high Z, which I assume is the new standard.
>  Is it something other  than the lengths of wire u can use?
>   Lastly (whew!), Shure currently sells a 545SL, which has a  switch and is
> also dual impedence, and is not a pistol grip.   I'm curious why Shure still
> has 545's selling new, while it has  discontinued other types which seem so
> identical.
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Ummm... are you sure of that number 545SL?  Shure does indeed still 
market a 545SD.  They also sell a 545SD-LC, but the LC simply means 
"less cable," so you don't get a cable with it. And I'm not sure why 
they discontinued or changed the earlier models.

Anyhow, sorry to come up empty on some of your inquiries, but hopeful 
the other answers might be helpful to somebody...(?)

To re-emphasize, while I've found the new 545SD to be an excellent 
choice for what I do, it may not be right for anyone else. I was 
looking for a good, solid, day-to-day mic that could handle *acoustic 
style* harp, plus vocals, plus (in a pinch) acoustic guitar. I wanted 
it to be clean, loud and sturdy, have an off/on switch, be low 
impedence, and be directional.  I use it for noisier (ie club date) 
gigs, then upgrade to my AKG C535EB for "pin-drop" concerts. The 545 
is clean when played on a stand from six inches away, good for vocal 
and *very* good value for the scratch.

Cheers and Merry/Happy to all,

Tom Ball
Santa Barbara CA
http://www.tomball.us